Tyler Davis
Chelsea Glasnow
Justin Trabue
Yanlei Wu
interns find learn by doing experiences abundant at the ranch TYLER DAVIS, 21, of Sacramento, Calif., is an environmental management and protection major whose career goal is to work on fishery restorations. “This internship epitomized the Learn by Doing philosophy,” said Davis. “For the summer I had the chance to be fully immersed in my field of study. The most valuable lesson I learned was understanding interconnectedness of all the ranch’s operations and environmental stewardship.”
CHELSEA GLASNOW, 21, of Santa Clarita, Calif., is a food science major studying culinary arts who wants to open a sustainable food restaurant. “I learned a lot about my capacity to make meals and stay on budget,” Glasnow said. “The most valuable lesson I learned here is to not limit yourself and to embrace all of the wonderful people around you and what they specialize in.”
JUSTIN TRABUE, 20, of Washington, D.C., is a wine and viticulture major whose career interest is in sustainable vineyards. “Swanton taught me how to work as an individual and with other people,” said Trabue. “At Swanton I learned that your ideas are not the only ones and that through other people’s experiences and knowledge you can better understand what you are learning to do.”
YANLEI WU, 24, from China, is an animal science senior whose career goal is to be a veterinarian. “The students and staff developed close relationships; you could really sense the synergy and feel how much everyone cared for each other. We became a family, basically. Everyone was so kind and so sincere.”
Al Smith’s Legacy AL SMITH, A CAL POLY ALUMNUS and credited founder of Orchard Supply Hardware, donated the Swanton Pacific Ranch to Cal Poly in 1993 with one simple request — that it be preserved as a working ranch and living laboratory dedicated to Learn by Doing educational opportunities and that the remaining large redwoods, including one tree known as General Smith, be left untouched. A railroad enthusiast, Smith also asked that the railroad he built on the property be maintained and available to the public. Today, it is preserved by the Swanton Pacific Railroad Society. Smith, who earned a bachelor’s degree in crop science and a master’s degree in agricultural education, fell in love with Swanton’s natural landscape when he camped there as a young Boy Scout. He made it his life’s mission to acquire as much of the surrounding land as he could. It took him nearly 40 years to acquire the ranch, which makes up much of the original Rancho Agua Puerca y las Trancas Mexican land grant. Smith valued the real-world educational experiences offered by Cal Poly and collaborated with the university as early as the mid-1980s. When he died in 1993, the framework for transforming Swanton Pacific Ranch into an educational facility was in place.
Al Smith at the ranch courtesy Cal Poly Corporation, Swanton Pacific Railroad Society Collection
Today Swanton Pacific Ranch is a model for the practice of informed land stewardship and sustainability. It is dedicated to providing students and faculty with unparalleled learning and research opportunities for understanding sustainable land management practices.
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