Climate

There’s no substitute for getting out of the classroom and into nature (analysis)

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 13/11/2026, 17:09:24 UTC.

Briefings

An ecology student at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, held a garter snake during a field course in September 2025. The student, Don Lyman, taught biology part-time since 1997 and leads weekly outdoor ecology labs. The article notes that students often prefer holding snakes over observing them, and the author describes the experience as a personal favorite for teaching. The event occurred during a typical field trip where students interact with wildlife in the forest behind the college.

Key points

• Don Lyman, an adjunct biology professor at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA, led a field course where students held a garter snake during a September 2025 lab session.
• Students frequently prefer holding reptiles like garter snakes to observing them, as demonstrated by a student who said she had never held a snake before.

Context

This finding illustrates a common student preference for tactile interaction with wildlife during ecology field courses, occurring at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA, where the author teaches part-time since 1997.

Limitations

The evidence is limited to a single anecdotal observation from one specific field course in September 2025 at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. No broader statistical data, regional trends, or historical comparisons are provided in the source.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 13/11/2026, 17:13:59 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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