![Prof of Environmental Studies and Christian A. Johnson Prof of Interdisc Studies Holly Ewing and Lecturer in Environmental Studies & Learning Associate in Environmental Studies Camille Parrish take students in the Soils/Lab course for a field trip to Pettengill Farm in Freeport, Maine. A nineteenth century salt-water farm on the estuary of the Harraseeket River, the farm is owned by Freeport Historical Society(FHS). It includes a saltbox house (ca. 1800) on 140 acres of fields, woods, antique apple orchards and salt marsh. Most interesting are the etchings (sgraffitti) found on the plaster walls in the upper chambers of ships, sea monsters, longboats and animals. The farmhouse remains without plumbing, central heat and electricity and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Mildred Pettengill was its last resident and lived in the house until 1970.The students are digging up soil and making observations (soil profiles) before putting it back where it came from.ENVR 310 - Soils/LabDepending on one's point of view, soils are geological units, ecosystems, the foundation of plant life, a place for microbes to live, building material, or just dirt. This course takes a scientific perspective and explores the genesis of soils, their distribution and characteristics, and their interaction with plants. Field studies emphasize description of soils, inferences about soil formation, and placement within a landscape context. Labs investigate the chemistry of soils and their role in forestry and agriculture.](https://www.bates.edu/news/files/2020/12/crop-200929_Soils_Lab_Freeport_0653-200x135.jpg)
Getting the lead out tests urban gardeners
An environmental studies major at Bates with a concentration in environmental geology, senior Rachel Booty is researching soil contamination by heavy metals — primarily lead — for her thesis. In particular, she’s investigating the impact such contamination makes on urban living. Her research has involved testing plant and soil samples from the downtown gardens run by Lots to Gardens, the community garden program that Booty works for, and comparing them to control materials taken from test gardens on campus.
From the perspective of Lots to Gardens, lead contamination poses a peculiar dilemma, she says.
“To folks who are interested in having gardens right next to their apartments, which we’re really trying to promote, it’s hard to say, ‘We really want you to have a garden, but you can’t go digging in your soil,’ ” Booty explains. Fortunately, there are ways to ameliorate the contamination.
Lots to Gardens has built raised beds filled with clean soil and has planted crops, such as onions, that take up contaminants and can then be disposed of safely. Sunflowers and begonias have also proven helpful, as has adding large quantities of composted vegetable matter. (Another senior, Dana DiGiando of Jameston, R.I., is participating in an experiment in Portland using spinach to absorb lead from the soil.)
Bates has enabled Booty to take her background in working the land to a whole new plane. For her thesis project, she has worked with Assistant Professor of Geology Beverly Johnson and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Rachel Austin. “The two departments have just been fantastic,” she says.