When CFACT students aren’t countering climate change propaganda or promoting reliable energy on campus, they’re practicing good old-fashioned environmental stewardship.
On October 16, CFACT Collegian Scotty Miller and a group of 10 University of Oklahoma students chose to give back to their local environment while raising awareness about the importance of protecting native flora and fauna. They gathered outside the OU Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) building, dug a hole, and planted a young Shumard oak.
As they worked, Scotty explained the tree’s benefits. Native to the region and well-suited to Oklahoma’s climate, the Shumard oak handles summer heat and dry spells better than many other large shade trees. Once established, its broad crown will cast substantial shade, and its acorns will feed squirrels, deer, and birds. By the end of the afternoon, the oak stood on its own, marked with a small plaque providing the tree’s scientific and common name along with CFACT’s logo.
A few days earlier, a similar scene unfolded in College Station, Texas. On October 10, CFACT student Brylee Weisz and five other Texas A&M students met at the Gary Halter Nature Center, a publicly funded local facility that agreed to let CFACT’s students plant a few trees on the property. The group dug up three dead trees and replaced them with healthy possumhaws, a species indigenous to Texas. As they worked, Brylee discussed the practical benefits of the possumhaw with the group, including improved air quality, reduced soil erosion, critical shade in the Texas heat, and new habitat for wildlife of all kinds.
The group wasn’t just planting random trees — they were installing a part of their local ecosystem, a simple act of stewardship that will contribute to the local environment long after their college years are behind them.
In short, there were no long speeches or elaborate setups, just students putting native trees in the ground and learning why that’s important. It was the kind of hands-on conservation CFACT collegians have long been emphasizing across the country — improving the environment starts with small but meaningful acts. Not protesting in the street or throwing paint on priceless art, but planting trees whose shade they know they’ll never enjoy.
The trees are now well-rooted, and so is CFACT on the campuses that made it happen.
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The post Rooting for CFACT Aggies & Sooners (Literally) was first published by the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and is republished here with permission. Please support their efforts.
