(Sept. 21, 2009) It was a fond and appropriate farewell to summer as University of Colorado Denver students of the fall 2009 freshman class dedicated their Saturday morning, Sept. 19, to weeding and seeding the Bluff Lake Nature Center.

Twenty-nine students and one faculty member literally and figuratively dug the real-world community involvement as they helped with landscaping, protecting plants and trees native to that region, and removing the toxic vegetation. The day of volunteering was part of UC Denver’s First-Year Seminar courses that incorporate a service learning component.

“The 14 First Year Seminar classes are designed to address the transitional period students face between high school and college,” explains Eric Pianowski, service learning coordinator. “Service-learning projects such as this Saturday’s Weed and Seed at Bluff Lake are available so that students can have the opportunity to not only contribute to the community, but to reflect on the role this contribution can play in elevating their overall academic experience.”

The students received a tour and explanation of how Bluff Lake was developed then worked to they will restore Bluff Lake Nature Center to its original short-grass prairie state.