Establishing an Arboretum.
Purpose: our stream restoration project provided the students with the educational opportunity to improve their surrounding ecosystem and lower the pollution output from Kent County
Creating an environment for learning - students identified a problem and fixed it!
ABOUT THE PROJECT: the project began in 2013, when grants were written and meetings were held in order to guarantee the necessary funding and approval for a full blown stream restoration project. The plans included having over 1,700 native trees and 10,000 wildflowers delivered to the KCHS which would then be planted by the students across 10 acres of land at Worton Park and Kent County High School. Planting actually started a year later in 2014 and continued through 2015 where students were able to go outside and actually get hands on experience in the process.Students will continue to preserve the meadow by monitoring the various species for years to come...
Our Treemendous project actually impacted two waterways.
Since our school straddles two watersheds, including Churn Creek and Rileys Mill Branch Creek we impacted water quality by planting trees and restoring the area for meadow growth.
When the species that were being chosen to be used for this project students looked at various aspects of their characteristics. All of the species were native to this area which creates a more natural looking ecosystem that would be found in this environment. The plants were each chosen to for the benefits that they would provide, such as food, habitat and breeding grounds. The species will not only decrease the erosion around our school, but also improve air quality and stabilize the soil with their roots.
Our Treemendous project actually impacted two waterways.
Since our school straddles two watersheds, including Churn Creek and Rileys Mill Branch Creek we impacted water quality by planting trees and restoring the area for meadow growth.
When the species that were being chosen to be used for this project students looked at various aspects of their characteristics. All of the species were native to this area which creates a more natural looking ecosystem that would be found in this environment. The plants were each chosen to for the benefits that they would provide, such as food, habitat and breeding grounds. The species will not only decrease the erosion around our school, but also improve air quality and stabilize the soil with their roots.
Click the link below to watch the segment on our Treemendous Project
How it all started...
Our natural resources and ecology class was on a walking field trip to learn about their surroundings and how various aspects of their life affect the environment. While on the walk, they noticed a huge drainage ditch with large amounts of erosion that was completely barren. This drew their attention to how desolate the school grounds were and they decided they wanted to make a change.
First Step...
Our students and agriculture classes did intense research to look for any ways to rehabilitate the land. One of our teachers had a contact at the Chester River Association, Isabel Junkin Riverkeeper who was excited to share news that she had found a grant that she thought was perfect! The Maryland Stream's Restoration Challenge is a competitive grant program open to organizations to establish 1,000 acres of side-stream forests. We immediately began the writing process of applying for multiple grants, including the one previously mentioned.
During this process, we also had multiple meetings with different members of our school system as well as our community to gain their opinions and approval the project we planned to do...
We developed a thorough plan of how what species would be planted, where, and what benefits they would provide to the environment. This plan changed slightly once we discovered some problems with the locations of the plants and had to accommodate the sports fields. While we were choosing the specific species to use, we had to keep in mind the amount of water and sunlight each plant needed in order to successfully grow. All of the plants used were going to be native to the area as well as extremely beneficial. Choosing the location was the next obstacle to overcome, but was easily defeated after carefully analyzing the soils and the needs of each species.
After completing our plan, we had to submit it to the school board to gain their final approval of the tree-mendous project...
Second Step...
Once all of the plans were approved by the necessary people, we immediately began to order our plants from American Natives. While we were waiting for the shipment, holes were dug using an auger. We scheduled the plants to arrive the day after all of the holes were dug that way we did't have dozens of holes left unattended for someone to injure themselves.
Then the plants arrived....
Students from various agriculture classes worked together to unload the hundreds of plants from the back of the truck. Once unloaded, the plant was tallied and then placed in a designated area specific to its species. We had to keep track of the number of each plant from each species in order to check that we obtained all of the plants we ordered. Some of the plants were back ordered but this didn't impede our plan to move forward with the planting.
Planting...
It took about a week for all of the classes to go outside and actually have all of the trees and shrubs planted in the ground. This process was very time consuming however was made easier by the use of a gator and wagon which was used to transport both the plants and the tools to the area that was being planted. We put two soil amendments into each hole including leaf grow to enrich the soils and Holly tone - a natural fertilizer, in order to help the plant have the best opportunity to grow most successfully. We had an event during one of the days where we invited people from the community; commissioners, DNR, newspapers, and various other members joined us for our first day of planting. The turn out was very successful and we shared our gratitude to the community for making this project possible. Throughout the week, others classes asked to help so this project actually spread school wide!!! At least one class from every department was outside planting at some point during the week!
The perennials and the shrubs came in the spring which were then organized by the agricultural class over the time period of another week!
The Project continues...
This project doesn't just stop when the last plant goes in the ground. Students will continue to monitor the growth, survival rate and other aspects of this project as the plants continue to grow. Invasive species are inevitable - however the students will also control the spread of them throughout the grounds by learning how to identify and correctly remove them. Bird houses are also being constructed and once completed will then be placed in the meadow in order to further increase the habitat and provide homes for birds. We also researched and received a grant to purchase a flow hive that will be located out in the meadow. The honey will be harvested and the hive will be tended to by the students.