Rowan GEO Club Update

GEO Club has been up to a lot this fall semester! We started off strong in August with an end-of-summer Stairway to Heaven hike along the Appalachian trail in North Jersey, where we traversed through boardwalks, suspension bridges, cow pastures, and mountains to reach the top of the stairway with beautiful views of Sussex County. We ended the hike with donuts and ice cream from a local farmers market! We have also taken more laid-back trips, with a short morning hike in Scotland Run Park, and a loop at Ridley Creek Park followed by apple picking at Linvilla Orchards. We got into the fall spirit by trekking a 6 mile trail among the colorful leaves at Franklin Parker Preserve, and had lunch on giant picnic chairs! For Halloween, we went on a spooky Halloween Night hike under the stars followed by a bonfire and s'mores with Professor Christine Nolan at Oldman’s Creek Preserve. Our last hike of the semester took us back in time to the Revolutionary War, where we walked along the cabins and monuments of Valley Forge National Historical Park. We will soon be taking a first look at the new Rowan Fossil Park Museum as well!

But wait, there’s more! When not on the trails, GEO Club has been making the most of our general meetings, with activities such as games, coloring and a movie, and powerpoint competitions. We took a trip to the planetarium for some star gazing, and had the awesome Dr. Lily Pfeifer talk to us about her geology research! For our Halloween meeting, we had an impressive costume contest, a Discovery Hall pumpkin scavenger hunt, and shared scary stories. GEO Club also worked with REAL and RUSPO to host a haunted Student Center room for the kids of Glassboro, where trick-or-treaters could make a witch’s brew with native plants. Other service events have included a holiday food drive, a campus cleanup, and trail clearing at the fossil park!