"Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break open brick walls. Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet. Hundreds and thousands of Roots & Shoots, hundreds and thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. You can change the world."

- Jane Goodall

Roots & Shoots

A division of the Jane Goodall Institute, Roots & Shoots is an international organization dedicated to improving environmental and interhuman understanding. Its three-fold mission is:

1. To foster respect and compassion for all living things.
2. To promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs.
3. To inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for the environment, animals, and the human community.

Westminster College is the center for Roots & Shoots in the Intermountain West. The organization works with local concerns, each project tailored to suit the needs of the community. Headed by faculty and students from Westminster College, Roots & Shoots has been involved with:

• Planting wildflower seeds in natural areas in Salt Lake City,
• Improving trails along the city's creeks to enhance local access and limit wandering along the ravines,
• The Great Salt Lakekeeper program that looks at the health of the Great Salt Lake watershed and takes action to improve water quality,
• Educating the local community about a clay wall along Emigration Creek that flows through campus that holds the remains of snail populations demonstrating competitive displacement, the first step in evolution,
• Developing signage that will explain the ecologically significant things on campus, especially at Emigration Creek,
• Identifying and mapping all the trees on campus.

Future Projects Include

• Planting water-wise gardens consisting of native and useful plants,
• Working with elementary and high schools to establish environmental education programs,
• Native American connections with the various nations throughout Utah,
• Involvement with wolf research in Wyoming,
• Bird counts along the Great Salt Lake flyway,
• Making environmental education accessible to non-English speakers,
• Connections with the Sundance Nature Center.

This group depends on activity and ideas springing from members who are aware of their local environment. Projects are open-ended and limitless. With questions about the organization or how you can become involved, contact Judy Rogers:

jrogers@westminstercollege.edu
(801) 832-2354
Meldrum 376