FORESTRY AND PARKS
Invasive
Plant Removal
One of the greatest threats to your schoolyard ecosystem is invasive plants.
Invasives are non-native species that grow rapidly, spread and often out-compete
native plants. Although invasives are part of a balanced ecosystem in
their natural habitat, they can be very harmful if they are planted in
an environment where there are no natural controls or predators to limit
the plant’s population. They are especially successful in urban
areas, where native plants already face harsh environmental conditions.
Landscapes with invasives have less wildlife and plant diversity than
areas with native species. Learn
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Nature
Trails
Nature trails provide students with opportunities to observe, write about,
reflect on, study, analyze and enjoy their schoolyard. They are a wonderful
addition to any schoolyard, providing students with access to different
areas of the site, while concentrating human impact on the school grounds.
Paths also provide physical structure to outdoor learning spaces and opportunities
to establish transects (paths for observation and wildlife monitoring)
for urban ecology studies. The easiest way to create a nature trail on
your site is to widen existing paths such as animal trails, footpaths
or old roads. Trails should be designed to be accessible, universally-designed,
durable, attractive, and inclusive of many diverse land and water features.
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Tree ID and Inventories
Tree inventories are a beneficial and often necessary step in greening
schoolyards. By taking an inventory of the trees on your school grounds,
you and your students can assess the current condition of the site and
then work to improve the site’s health. Students will learn how
to identify, measure, and assess their schoolyard trees and conduct a
site analysis using maps or mapping software. Tree inventory data can
be used to model the effects of tree removals and tree plantings to determine
how to best improve your schoolyard. Learn
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Tree Plantings
Planting trees is an easy and effective way to improve the environment
and our quality of life. Trees beautify our surroundings,
filter harmful air pollutants, absorb storm water runoff, act as sound
barriers, and help us save energy by providing shade in summer and reducing
wind in winter. Trees are major capital assets in America's cities and
towns and are part of a community’s infrastructure, just like our
streets, sidewalks, sewers and public building. Research has linked tree-lined
neighborhoods to lower crime rates and stronger communities. Trees are
particularly important in urban areas, where the problems they alleviate
are most pronounced. Learn
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GARDENING AND HORTICULTURE
Composting
Students might be surprised to learn that up to a third of the
garbage they throw out each week can be turned into compost – nutrient-rich
soil generated from well-decomposed food and organic wastes. Composting
on your schoolyard site allows you to speed up this natural process, reducing
the amount of waste your school produces and creating rich soil for your
school grounds. Composting will also challenge students to apply many
of the chemical and biological concepts that they’ve learned in
the classroom. Learn
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Vegetable
Gardens
Vegetable gardens on your schoolyard can take many different forms. Depending
on the richness of nutrients and chemicals present in your school’s
soil, gardens can be planted directly into the school grounds or maintained
through raised beds or container gardens. Regardless of type or form,
schoolyard gardens can transform students’ learning experience by
teaching them the principles of food production, nutrition, environmental
stewardship and health in a hands-on meaningful way. Learn
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GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Urban
Ecology Studies
Schoolyards – whether green havens or paved lots – can be
fascinating places to study urban ecology. You can use your schoolyard
to perform water quality tests, observe wildlife, conduct stormwater studies,
or take part in other scientific field work. Working on your site will
eliminate many of the challenges teachers often face in taking students
outdoors to study ecology including transportation, time and budget constraints.
Schoolyards are free to visit, easily accessible and places that you and
your class can actively change. Learn
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WATERSHEDS AND WATER QUALITY
Greenroofs
Greenroofs are, as the name implies, plantings that are placed on the
roof of a building. They are light-weight, low-maintenance vegetated areas
that can be built on existing roofs or atop new structures. In urban areas,
where spaces for planting trees are scarce, greenroofs offer a practical
alternative to reduce storm water runoff, temperatures, and air and water
pollution. Although building a greenroof can be an ambitious and relatively
costly project for a school to undertake, they are tremendously beneficial
for environmental and social reasons and often pay for themselves in the
long run. Learn
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Rain
Barrels
During an average rainstorm (1 inch in 24 hours) more than 700 gallons
of water run off the typical home. That’s enough water for 17 baths
or 58 showers. School roofs, which are usually much larger, often produce
thousands of gallons of stormwater runoff (water that falls on rooftops
and other impervious surfaces) during a rainstorm. This water then falls
to the schoolyard, where a small amount is absorbed by trees, gardens
and other permeable surfaces. The rest enters storm drains and eventually
local streams and lakes, bringing with it pollutants and trash from the
site. By adding a rain barrel to your schoolyard, you could capture some
of this runoff and recycle it. Rain barrels not only prevent polluted
water from entering local waterways, but also provide you with a consistent
supply of water for your gardens, trees and indoor plants. Learn
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Rain
Gardens
Rain gardens are small, shallow, human-made depressions in the ground
used to capture stormwater (rainfall not absorbed by the ground) and improve
water quality. Government studies have shown that up to 70% of the pollution
in our streams, rivers and lakes is carried there by stormwater. If strategically
placed on a schoolyard, a rain garden can store and filter the site’s
stormwater and significantly improve the quality of water entering local
waterways. Creating a rain garden will help students to see the connection
between stormwater in their community and the health of the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed . Learn
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Storm
Drain Protection
Storm drains are located throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed in neighborhoods,
towns, and cities. They are designed to efficiently divert water off streets
and parking lots by directing stormwater into a local stream or river.
Unfortunately the water that flows into storm drains often carries many
pollutants including trash, sediment, nutrients from fertilizers, toxics
from pesticides, household cleaners, gasoline and motor oil. Many people
who are unaware of this problem dump paint, yard waste, plastics and other
pollutants down the drains, assuming the water will be directed to a treatment
plant before entering local waterways. Learn
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Water
Quality Studies
Lakes, ponds, streams and rivers located on schoolyards can serve as wonderful
resources for urban ecology studies. Testing nutrient and bacteria levels
in the water can help you and your students assess water quality, while
learning about how to protect and improve the health of our local waterways.
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Bird
Biodiversity
Studying birds in your schoolyard is a great way to get students to observe
and identify different species of birds, monitor seasonal and long-term
population changes, and assess the health of the site. Birds are present
in nearly every schoolyard environment and also easy to hear and spot.
Just as testing nitrogen or oxygen levels in water bodies can indicate
water quality, the number and types of birds on your schoolyard can tell
you a lot about the health of the environment. Learn
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Bird
Feeders
Building a bird feeder on your schoolyard site can benefit birds, while
providing students with opportunities to observe and study birds that
visit the site. Feeders are particularly helpful to birds in winter, when
natural food supplies are scarce. Since fewer species are present in the
winter and spotting birds is made easier by deciduous trees losing their
leaves, the winter months are a great time to place a feeder on your schoolyard
site and begin observations. Students will also enjoy observing new species
that visit feeders during the spring and fall migrations and during the
summer while nesting.
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Birdhouses
Nesting boxes for birds are a great way to invite wildlife into your schoolyard.
Installing nesting boxes will help to improve your schoolyard habitat
and provide opportunities for you and your students to observe a family
raise its young. There are many different types of birdhouses, of different
sizes and materials, each which will attract a particular species to nest
inside. Some species that commonly nest in boxes are wrens, swallows,
bluebirds, chickadees, and titmice. To ensure the success of your birdhouse,
you should become familiar with which species are likely to nest in your
area and provide the appropriate habitat or structure. Learn
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Habitat
Gardens
In addition to capturing rainwater and providing fresh fruit and vegetables,
gardens also serve the important purpose of providing a home for native
birds, butterflies and other wildlife. By designing with this in mind,
you can provide a suitable habitat for native wildlife to feed, nest,
and reproduce. Learn
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