I would have trains that run really slow, like the ones at Disney World. Or maybe underground subways. About an hour's drive from the traffic jams and city lights of Atlanta, the Etowah River surges through an area bustling with development. The river is home to three federally protected species, and its watershed is also a suburban refuge. This risky combination of urban growth and nature makes the upper Etowah basin a perfect environmental challenge for the law and ecology students in the University's Etowah River Practicum.
Students learn best by applying what they learn in the classroom.
As part of their work for Fowler's class, UGA students have helped the local residents form the Etowah Alliance, an organization which addresses water quality and growth. And students saw further fruits of their efforts last fall when the Cherokee County Commission passed an ordinance allowing developers to divide land into parcels, some that can be developed, others that cannot. That's a feat few classes can boast about. Nor do many classes offer the opportunity for students from the Insitute of Ecology and the law school to join forces. I think we both respected the unique knowledge and background that the other brought to the project.