Walking the Narrow Ridge

Fifteen students from Miami Dade College attended the Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Immersion experience, participating in activities that taught them the importance of living a responsible life co-existing with Earth. The program includes organic gardening, night and day hikes, film screenings, gardening, discussions and community tours of sustainable structures. Students stayed at Strawbale Lodge learning to live off the grid using solar panels and compost toilets. This one week immersion allowed participants to build strong connections with nature and bring their knowledge and projects back to their communities in Miami.

William “Bill” Nickle, 86, held a Yellow-Spotted Millipede while teaching Miami Dade College students about it. “If you just move the millipede a bit, you’ll find that it starts to smell like cherries,” Bill said.

Bill guided students deeper into the woods, telling them to use a “breathing tree” if they ever needed to stop to take a break. 

Bill Nickle (left) guided Miami Dade College students (right) to the lake after the day hike where they soon had the opportunity to swim. The water was 50 degrees Fahrenheit when they plunged in.

Bill Nickle (right) taught Miami Dade College students (left) about the land trusts of Narrow Ridge. “Land should never be owned,” Bill said. Narrow Ridge offers 99-year lease sites in lieu of land ownership. 

Bill Nickle drove a Ford 8N tractor built in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He still uses it today to mow the fields of Narrow Ridge.

Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener (right) led a chorus of students by the fireplace.  

Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener (right) sang her original song to students (left) about her experience in Narrow Ridge. “There is so much to find when you are not found,” she sang.

Students volunteered in the community garden, helping spread compost in the field and tend to the different vegetables planted.