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 Dr. David Creech, Stephen F. Austin State University professor emeritus of agriculture and director of SFA Gardens, received the Charles Leonard Weddle Award for lifetime achievement in the field of Texas native plants from the Native Plant Society of Texas during its 2019 banquet in League City.
“Dr. Creech has spent the better part of the past 30 years including native plants in his classroom material at SFA, encouraging nursery professionals to include native plants and counseling landscape professionals to do the same,” said Kim Conrow, president-elect of the state board of the Native Plant Society of Texas.
Creech joined SFA as an assistant professor of horticulture in 1978 and was instrumental in the development of the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, SFA’s Mast Arboretum and the Ruby and Gayla Mize Azalea Gardens, as well as Jimmy Hinds Park. Creech’s dedication to the horticulture profession has been recognized through numerous other awards, including Honorary Membership Award for Lifetime Achievement through the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association and the Sidney Meadows Award for Distinguished Achievement from the Southern Region of the International Plant Propagator’s Society.
“This is really an award for all of SFA,” Creech said. “Our work with native plants at SFA Gardens goes back to the 1980s with our original focus on three endangered species — the Neches river rose mallow, Texas trailing phlox and Texas white firewheel. These three are still precariously hanging on in the wild but are quite secure in garden collections across the South due much in part to our work at SFA.”
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 The Stephen F. Austin State University student chapter of The Wildlife Society secured a three-way tie for fifth place during The Wildlife Society’s national quiz bowl held at the joint conference of the American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society in Reno, Nevada.
“Our team did well, but came up just short of Purdue University, the eventual national champions, in the 3rd round,” said Jake Hill, forest wildlife management sophomore and vice-president of SFA’s student chapter of The Wildlife Society. “The opportunity to compete at the national level against 18 other major schools from across the U.S. was truly a privilege.”
The SFA chapter also was recognized for their efforts in advocating for the adoption of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (H.R. 3742). This bipartisan legislation seeks to make supplemental funds available for the management of fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need as determined by individual state fish and wildlife agencies. Last year, the SFA chapter mailed more than 600 letters to representatives and lawmakers across the state expressing their support for the initiative.
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 Stephen F. Austin State University’s timbersports team, the Sylvans, won their fifth consecutive collegiate title at the annual Arkansas State Lumberjack Competition held during Timberfest in Sheridan, Ark.
SFA students placed first in the double buck crosscut, single buck crosscut, Jack and Jill crosscut, men’s bowsaw, underhand chop and axe throw.
“It matched last year as one of the Sylvans’ most dominant victories in Timberfest competitions,” Said Dr. Jeremy Stovall, professor of forestry and Sylvans faculty advisor.
Arkansas House of Representatives member Ken Bragg, an SFA alumnus and past Sylvans president, officiated the competition, which was organized by fellow SFA alumnus Karl Hansen, among others.
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 Stephen F. Austin State University’s award-winning timbersports team, the Sylvans, invites members of the community to see if they have what it takes to be a lumberjack or lumberjill at the 2019 Lumberjack Games, which will be held during SFA’s Homecoming from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.
Dr. Jeremy Stovall, professor of forestry and the Sylvans faculty advisor, said campuswide lumberjack competitions were held in the past, but they have not taken place for at least a decade.
“From what we’ve heard, the original events had pretty diverse participation from all across campus,” Stovall said. “We’re trying to revive that SFA tradition.”
Teams of five will compete in a range of timbersports, including the axe throw, single and double crosscut sawing, caber toss and tug of war. Single individuals also may sign up as a free agent and be assigned to a team.
“A lot of people come to SFA and aren’t sure what it really means to be a lumberjack or don’t know SFA has a timbersports team,” said John Mike Arnett, forestry senior and Sylvans president. “I think it’s a great way to get our names out there and let people experience what it is like to be a lumberjack.”
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 Although this year marks the 50th anniversary of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Walter C. Todd Agricultural Research Center, the legacy of agricultural research at SFA extends back to the very origin of the university’s founding in 1923.
Walking through the modern SFA campus, the last thing one might expect to hear is the lowing of cattle and clucking of chickens, but in 1932 these pastoral vocalizations were simply the melodies that defined the northeast section of campus.
“One of the best kept secrets is why the Ag Pond is called the Ag Pond,” said Dr. Dale Perritt, referring to the pond located next to Homer Bryce Stadium. “That’s where the dairy and beef cattle came and watered.”
Perritt, SFA professor emeritus of agriculture, explained Wilson Drive actually ended in a gate that opened to pastureland and farm facilities encompassing 163 acres devoted to beef cattle and poultry, as well as fruit and vegetable production.
In a 1932 report to the Board of Regents, SFA President Dr. Alton Birdwell noted, “The farm is in a splendid state of cultivation, and the agriculture department thinks that it will be self-supporting, and that it will furnish laboratory equipment for the students of that subject.”
A second 203-acre farm was located on Highway 21 East, and according to a 1950 SFA Department of Agriculture bulletin, it housed the department’s dairy, swine, pasture plots and field crops.
The facilities, technology and research have undoubtedly evolved during the past 96 years, but the importance of students gaining real-world experience at a fully functioning farm has remained the same.
“That’s our biggest advantage of the farm,” said Dr. Joey Bray, chair of the SFA Department of Agriculture. “Our students get to actually put their hands on animals, work with the animals and apply their knowledge.”
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 Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will host its 4th annual NacogdoTREES competition, a free community-wide contest celebrating the natural beauty of Nacogdoches, from Sept.16 through Nov. 18.
“The goal of NacogdoTREES is to highlight the importance of urban and community trees, raise awareness of their ecological benefits, introduce the community to the field of forestry and encourage citizens to spend time outdoors,” said Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.
The competition includes categories for largest tree circumference, largest crown, tallest tree, best shade tree and best overall tree. Prizes will be awarded for each category. Faculty members developed videos to teach some basic forestry measurements, including tree height and crown spread. The videos are available on the competition’s web page to guide participants through the process.
“Keep in mind that it’s not just all about numbers and measurements,” Fuller said. “The best overall tree may be the tree with the best story, the most fans or simply just the most beautiful. We really hope NacogdoTREES encourages people to visit some of our amazing city parks and the SFA campus.”
Trees eligible for submission must be located on the SFA campus, properties managed by Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation or on the entrant’s personal property. For competition guidelines, an entry form, a list of prizes, area maps and resources, visit forestry.sfasu.edu/nacogdotrees/. For more information, contact Sarah Fuller at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 936-568-1185.
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