Ideas pitched for nature area on Toyota site
Jan. 23—RANDOLPH COUNTY — A 300-acre tract of woodland in on the southwest corner of Toyota North Carolina's battery manufacturing plant site in Randolph County will become an outdoor educational site.
Seven students from N.C. A&T State University's landscape architecture program will design and build a "culturally inclusive, environmentally friendly outdoor experience involving a trail system and a variety of outdoor educational environments, " the university said Monday in a press release.
The connection between the giant automaker and the landscape architecture department began with a meeting between Professor Steve Rasmussen Cancian and Michael Robinson, a senior engineering manager for Toyota North Carolina. Robinson was interested in finding a way to engage children with nature while preserving nature on the giant site and in creating opportunities for children to be active.
Cancian's senior class decided to take the project on, envisioning nature trails, overlooks, identification stops and even a floating platform for identifying fish.
Sean Suggs, president of Toyota North Carolina, and members of his team visited the A&T campus recently to hear those student's ideas and see how their designs will mesh with Toyota's goal of engaging children with nature while preserving nature.
"The overall goal of my design is to relieve stress," senior Carrington Light in explaining the name of her project, "Tranquility Trails." "In the woods, the stress of school can fade away as you feel the breeze, see the pattern of the sunlight through the trees, maybe read the IDs on the trees or make finds along the path."
Brittany Angell called her project "Wild Wonderwoods" and envisions having areas where children could climb to elevated platforms or learn in a garden classroom.
"I wanted it to be fun, an experience you can remember and take with you," she said.
Ciara Knight's designs took advantage of the natural wetland on the property, including a butterfly garden and plant identification.
"Nature allows the mind to be employed without being fatigued," she said. "Safe, social access to the outdoors is not something all kids have. It's a form of environmental justice for them to feel that 'nature has a place for me.' "
Suggs was impressed.
"Un-be-freakin'-lieveable," Suggs told the seven student presenters. "I am blown away with the level of detail that you all have displayed. Your 'thinking way' and creativity are really impressive."
The students will officially start work this spring at the 1,800-acre site, Toyota' first dedicated to battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid battery production, but the question is exactly what ideas Toyota will choose for them to incorporate, Suggs said.
"Now, what we need to do is go back and go, 'Wow!' and 'Which one?' and think about how we can consolidate or add," Suggs said. "You all have set the foundation for us, now, to go back and say, 'We can really make this happen.' "
