LAND has provided Poolesville Elementary students with opportunities to make an impact on nature right on our own school grounds. They are able to differentiate for every age to make each child feel engaged in projects they will feel proud of for a season and sometimes even years. Amy and Garth have a passion about nature that is contagious even for those that are afraid to get a little dirty. Children will carry these hands-on learning experiences they provide with them throughout their lives to make our Earth a better place. We are so thankful to have LAND as part of our school community.”
Amy Hufnagel
K Teacher Poolesville Elementary School
Amy Hufnagel
K Teacher Poolesville Elementary School
Have you seen them? - Pods of eager kids gathered outdoors in and around the Agricultural Reserve with gloves and rakes and shovels and questions, lots of great questions… Somewhere in the middle you will find husband and wife Garth and Amy Seely, the dedicated movers behind non-profit Landscape and Nature Discoveries (LAND) for 15 years. Connecting kids with, and building affinity for, the natural world through hands on projects at local schools has garnered respect and praise from educators, parents, and most importantly, budding ecologists. MCA recognizes that our best future, and that of the Reserve specifically, will require new hands and voices committed to conservation. Amy shares: “Often, we run across kids who are hesitant to be in nature, hesitant to explore new things or get their hands dirty. Watching a child move through some fear and fully participate in the activities is very impactful.”
In addition to the work through LAND, the Seely’s with their two son’s Thayer and Cade, work the family landscaping business Gardens by Garth, launched the same year the Reserve was created in 1980.
Join us in celebrating the work of LAND and the Seelys. Event Information coming soon.
In addition to the work through LAND, the Seely’s with their two son’s Thayer and Cade, work the family landscaping business Gardens by Garth, launched the same year the Reserve was created in 1980.
Join us in celebrating the work of LAND and the Seelys. Event Information coming soon.
Amy Seely shares:
"Sharing our knowledge and love of nature with them ultimately got us involved with working with their classes at school, introducing more kids to exploring nature. It was from these experiences that sparked the idea for Landscape and Nature Discoveries (LAND). In 2006 LAND received its non-profit status and we expanded all our programs to multiple schools.
LAND provides students (pre-school through high school) the opportunity to get outdoors and explore their natural environment with interactive, hands-on, outdoor experiences. Some of the ways we do this is through afterschool clubs, field trips, nature walks, Earth Day activities, and community service. Road and river clean ups help us promote “litter awareness” to the students. In the past we have done flower plantings in Poolesville and larger scale plantings with the park service. Earth Days at the local elementary schools gets every student and teacher participating in sprucing up the school grounds by weeding, planting flowers, trees, and bushes, mulching, and general grounds clean up. The kids take great pride in their work which is fun to see.
LAND provides opportunities for the middle and high school students to earn their SSL hours. Many kids that participated with LAND in elm. school came back as older students to volunteer with us. We have worked with various girl scout troops guiding them though activities to earn badges.
We always talk to the students about the importance of the Ag Reserve using the map that Tina Brown created.
We work hard to form a connection between kids, their community, and the natural environment. The enthusiasm of the students we work with is our best reward."
As the parent of a LAND alumnus, I’m amazed to look back and see all the ways this wonderful program has shaped my daughter. Her love and appreciation of the great outdoors and its beauty is, no doubt, due to the thoughtfulness and caring of Garth and Amy Seely through fun LAND events. I can’t think of a better way to educate children on our natural resources and the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve than through hands-on experiences that LAND provides.”
“LAND is an active adventure through nature. It allows you to experience and feel the outdoors.”
Monocacy elem. 4th grade student
"Sharing our knowledge and love of nature with them ultimately got us involved with working with their classes at school, introducing more kids to exploring nature. It was from these experiences that sparked the idea for Landscape and Nature Discoveries (LAND). In 2006 LAND received its non-profit status and we expanded all our programs to multiple schools.
LAND provides students (pre-school through high school) the opportunity to get outdoors and explore their natural environment with interactive, hands-on, outdoor experiences. Some of the ways we do this is through afterschool clubs, field trips, nature walks, Earth Day activities, and community service. Road and river clean ups help us promote “litter awareness” to the students. In the past we have done flower plantings in Poolesville and larger scale plantings with the park service. Earth Days at the local elementary schools gets every student and teacher participating in sprucing up the school grounds by weeding, planting flowers, trees, and bushes, mulching, and general grounds clean up. The kids take great pride in their work which is fun to see.
LAND provides opportunities for the middle and high school students to earn their SSL hours. Many kids that participated with LAND in elm. school came back as older students to volunteer with us. We have worked with various girl scout troops guiding them though activities to earn badges.
We always talk to the students about the importance of the Ag Reserve using the map that Tina Brown created.
We work hard to form a connection between kids, their community, and the natural environment. The enthusiasm of the students we work with is our best reward."
As the parent of a LAND alumnus, I’m amazed to look back and see all the ways this wonderful program has shaped my daughter. Her love and appreciation of the great outdoors and its beauty is, no doubt, due to the thoughtfulness and caring of Garth and Amy Seely through fun LAND events. I can’t think of a better way to educate children on our natural resources and the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve than through hands-on experiences that LAND provides.”
“LAND is an active adventure through nature. It allows you to experience and feel the outdoors.”
Monocacy elem. 4th grade student
