On Saturday, from 10:00 am-2:00 pm, the Roslyn Branch of AYLUS volunteered in the fields of LINPI.
Back in September, members of the Roslyn branch has helped harvest switchgrass, a native plant species that can be grown in various terrains, such as the beach, and can be used to protect the landscape from erosion. For months they have been sitting in the green house, and today, we collected the seeds from the switchgrass.
We placed the stalks of switchgrass on a grid-like screen and used a special scrubbing tool to remove the seeds from the grass. A tarp has been placed under the screen to collect the seeds. When spring arrives, these seeds will be replanted to grow more switchgrass. Something we learned was that placing the stalks horizontally makes it more convenient and easier to remove the seeds. This method also required less force and was quicker. Despite the below freezing weather, our members persevered.
Members that participated includes: Yang Amy Wu (2.5 hours), Ethan Lin (2.5 hours), Ryan Lin (2.5 hours), Zihan Wang (2.5 hours), and Zixi Xia (3 hours).
Reporter: Yang Amy Wu
