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Nearly 70 members of Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA) recently completed their biannual cleanup of , adjacent to the University of North Georgia (¹û¶³´«Ã½) Gainesville Campus.

"It is a vital resource on the Gainesville Campus for so many and seems to get little recognition," Dr. Natalie Hyslop, professor of biology, said. "It is used by over 2,000 students per year, more than 60 different classes, student research and community engagement, for example."

The event is organized by SEA and runs each semester.

"One of the most rewarding aspects of this event was the sense of community that it brought. As a commuter campus, it can be easy to feel disconnected at times, with many students traveling to and from campus without always interacting beyond class. But when you see so many people come together for a common cause, it really highlights the importance of community," Mariam Rezai, SEA president, said. "It's moments like these that remind us how powerful it can be when we support each other and work toward a shared goal. This event showed that, despite our busy lives and different schedules, we are all part of something bigger — whether we are commuting or on campus every day."

Rezai is a junior from Hoschton, Georgia, pursuing a physics/engineering dual degree. The degree program allows ¹û¶³´«Ã½ students to transfer to Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern, University of Georgia, Clemson University, or Mercer University to earn an engineering degree, at which time they receive a physics bachelor's degree from ¹û¶³´«Ã½.

Sadie Moore, SEA vice president of activities, helped with planning and coordination. The Carnesville, Georgia, resident is pursuing a degree in biology with a minor in psychology.

"This opportunity is meaningful because it helps students better understand the importance of our natural life-support systems, foster a sense of responsibility for their environment and directly contribute to preserving biodiversity. It helps provide a cleaner environment for the thousands of ¹û¶³´«Ã½ students who annually use ¹û¶³´«Ã½'s Tumbling Creek Woods natural area for classes, research and recreation," Hyslop said. "It also helps students personally by contributing to their leadership and problem-solving skills, engaging in physical activity. Spending time in nature can reduce stress and foster teamwork and camaraderie with other students."