Creating a Vernal Pool at Daniels Run ES (Part 2)

Day 3: October 6th, 2012

 

 

Day 4: October 7th, 2012

 

Creating a Vernal Pool at Daniels Run ES: Breaking Ground (Part 1)

For a project funded by a generous National Fish and Wildlife grant, we begin breaking ground on a series of stormwater projects at Daniels Run Elementary in Fairfax, Virginia.

Day 1: September 29th, 2012

Breaking ground on a vernal pool construction project!

Something tells me this isn’t the first time we’ve lost Kris down a hole…

Kris pulled out a few volunteers that eagerly inhabited the hole that was used to check the soil profile and test percolation. I guess they are impatiently awaiting their new home! We relocated a few pickerel frogs (Lithobates palustris) to a nearby constructed wetland that was part of an earlier schoolyard greening project.

Relocating natives — we work to find new homes for the goldenrod and chestnut oaks that were at the site of our vernal pool creation project.

All in a days work! Digging out a vernal pool by hand (aka people-power) requires a lot of physical labor.

Day 2: September 30th, 2012

[  Creating a Vernal Pool at Daniels Run ES (Part 2)  ]

Lanier MS: Eco-Club Begins!

Three years ago, Lands and Waters partnered with Lanier Middle School to create a living classroom in their turf-dominated courtyard. The objective was to create a forested area to provide habitat for organisms that would use the vernal pool ecosystem, such as amphibians and invertebrates. We wanted to create examples of ecosystems — a bog, plantings representative of upland woodland forest, a riparian area, a meadow, a vernal pool, a pollinator garden and finally a vegetable garden was added last spring by the hardworking members of the Eco-club.

The courtyard is opened to all disciplines but the Eco-club is at the heart of the maintaining and enhancing courtyard. Lanier’s Eco-club meets twice a week this year — primary activities evolve around the courtyard and the school’s recycling program.

This year projects:

• Creating a circulating stream powered by solar energy and designed by Dr. Desouza’s students (Techonolgy and Engineering teacher)
• Fall plantings in the vegetable garden culminating in a salad day and “Real Cost of Food” educational program about the environmental, ethical and health impacts of the global food system
• Installing a small-scale indoor composting system so students can observe decomposition
• Creation of a field guide to catalogue and monitor the species found at Lanier as our greening projects mature and provide better habitat to local flora and fauna
• Monitoring vernal pool organisms
• Raising fairy shrimp in the classroom

Eco-club students investigate the vernal pool habitat in their courtyard.

Water samples collected from the vernal pool to test for water quality parameters and macroinvertebrates.

Eco-club students use microscopes to look for macroinvertebrates and other microscopic life forms.

Teamwork! Students working together to load and haul fresh gravel for the dry-bed stream.

Students help to put in a low area that runs through the courtyard to conduct water to two internal drains.

Ms. Alam, science teacher and Eco-club leader, picks the last of the summer tomatoes before they are killed by frost.

September plantings of radish come to harvest.