Mickey, Donald and Bugs…Oh My!
Disneyland
and Disney World are magical fantasy destinations that people all over the
world visit to make life-long memories filled with the joy and laughter of
childhood. Walt Disney started with a dream (and a mouse!) and left a legacy
that continues to teach and inspire us. Epcot, located in Florida in Walt
Disney World, has an attraction fittingly called The Land. We are tied to our
environment through the land and water of our planet and Epcot captures that
perfectly. One can ride through some of the cutting edge agricultural and
horticultural research being done that brings our ties with the land front and
center. For a small fee (totally worth
it!), you can tour behind the scenes, not only seeing Disney up close, but also
cutting edge research that can have an impact on our world. The Land works closely with Florida’s
Land Grant colleges through the Cooperative Extension Service. Starting after
the New Year University of Kentucky College of Agriculture will have a close
tie with The Land at Epcot. Rebecca
Wente is a senior undergraduate student pursuing a degree in agricultural
biotechnology at UK. She has earned one of two internships in entomology (study
of insects) offered at Epcot!
Rebecca will
be a part of the IPM program that monitors insects, both pests and beneficial.
IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management, the use of natural predators and
practices to control insects, disease and weeds, with a minimum use of
chemicals. She will work closely with many aspects of this attraction as well
as conduct the interactive guest tours.
Katie Pratt with UK has the story
linked here:
If you are
planning a trip to Walt Disney World, no doubt you will spend time in Epcot.
Check out The Land, spend a while in
the attraction, and then take a tour. It is fascinating! Vegetables, herbs, and seafood are grown as
well as landscape plants and flowers. A
restaurant in the theme park serves the food grown on site, making this a
completely unique and enjoyable learning experience for each of us.
This time of
year we want to see the magic of the season through a child’s eyes. The Land gives Disney guests a rare look
at the natural world in all her glory, regardless of age!
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