The Loy Farm property by the Magnolia Cemetery of Elon will be converted into a restored meadow this fall and will be renamed the Elon Environmental Education Center. A restored meadow means the property will be restored to its natural state.
The idea emerged after a number of feasibility studies were conducted regarding the use of the property, according to Tom Flood, assistant director of Physical Plant operations at Elon University.
“A few things gelled together at the right time, and the idea of a restored meadow and educational center came about,” Flood said.
President Leo Lambert suggested the meadow be used for education and research, according to Flood.
“The purpose of the center is to expand the environmental resources of the university for education and research,” Flood said.
While the land will compliment intellecutal development, Steve Moore, a lecturer in the department of environmental studies who was instrumental in the decision regarding the land’s use, said he envisions a significant future for the education center.
“The big dream is that we evolve it into a synergy of studies on environmental issues, offering a wide variety of studies to students,” Moore said. “We could create a sustainable living community with a net-zero carbon footprint building that produces more energy than it takes in and provides a place for students to live what they study.”
Elon’s academic expansion— the addition of multiple new buildings and properties — and the hiring of Moore directed the selection of the land’s use. Agroecology is the science of ecology applied to the design, development and management of agriculture, a practice already implemented in Moore’s classes.
Moore’s classes are building a solar powered greenhouse on the property. Moore also conducts classes in the botanical garden to provide an engaged learning experience for his classes, he said.
Other parts of the property are being, or will be, used for garden areas, field plots, a compost facility, woodland areas and a native plants collection. The university will also make part of the field restored piedmont prairie grasses, reverting the field to its wild and natural state.
Only limited construction will begin this fall as a two-lane gravel road and parking lot will be located on the property to allow access. The next step will be fencing in the property and restricting access so that more construction can take place, according to Flood.
Additionally, part of the center may become a photovoltaic farm to allow the generation of solar power, according to Flood. A photovoltaic farm uses solar panels to convert solar power into electricity.
The future plan for the Loy Farm represents the mission of the university, according to Flood. Considering Elon is a botanical garden and, as a result, committed to research, education and display, the transformation of the property advances these three missions of a botanical garden, Flood said.