Author - Suzanne Gooding
When deciding who to highlight as my first “client” I didn’t need to travel far from home. I live in a coastal environment where pollution, habitat degradation and excessive resource consumption are all too familiar. What is also familiar is the ability of people to work together in order to improve the use of land, linking functionality with efficiency. So, who’s up first?
When deciding who to highlight as my first “client” I didn’t need to travel far from home. I live in a coastal environment where pollution, habitat degradation and excessive resource consumption are all too familiar. What is also familiar is the ability of people to work together in order to improve the use of land, linking functionality with efficiency. So, who’s up first?
My son’s school, Bradley Creek Elementary, has been working on a large stormwater reduction project for the past two years. Stormwater is the water that starts as rain, lands on impervious surfaces (pavement, roofs, or flat playing areas) and runs off the land carrying pollutants picked up along the way. Impervious surfaces increase the speed of the water, limiting the land’s natural ability to slow and filter pollutants. Water combined with pollutants, such as motor oil and sediment, rush to the nearest water source. This water source takes the brunt of the pollution and is subsequently degraded. Our city has had issues with water pollution for years, most notably a huge sewer leak into a sensitive tidal creek. Development has increased around creeks, rivers and the ocean, due to the attractive nature of these places and access to recreation. Impervious surfaces increase and stormwater runoff becomes a problem.
All is not lost. Bradley Creek Elementary was chosen as an ideal site to address stormwater runoff issues in the Hewlett’s Creek watershed. The North Carolina Coastal Federation led the project and partnered with the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation District and New Hanover County Schools. Four projects, including two stormwater wetlands and two rain gardens were funded by a combination of local and state grants, costshare programs, including the Community Costshare Assistance program, and other funding sources. Ted Wilgis, the NC Coastal Federations’ Coastal Education Coordinator, led the project along with Bradley Creek assistant principal, Ms. Cheryl Cribbs with the support of both Ms. Sherry Pinto, former Bradley Creek principal, and current principal, Ms. Tim Dominowski.
Work on Wilmington, 2011
Photo Credit: Myra Adams
This is the tip of the iceberg in terms of contributions, though. Numerous local businesses, nonprofits and large corporations donated money, materials and volunteer time in order to ensure the success of the project. Volunteer engagement was a key ingredient. As a part of the Work on Wilmington (http://www.workonwilmington.org/) city-wide volunteer day in both 2010 and 2011, numerous volunteers planted native vegetation, mulched and installed sod one spring morning. The collaboration and volunteerism involved in this project is impressive enough, but one thing keeps hitting me as beyond impressive, the link between the students and the land.
Over the course of the two year project, third grade students have been an integral piece of this sustainability puzzle. Not only have they helped plant, weed, dig and generally play in the dirt, they are meeting their state competency goals for third grade science. Before each planting, NC Coastal Federation’s Coastal Education Coordinator, Mr. Ted Wilgis, planned and implemented curriculum based on the upcoming planting. For those of you who are educators, you know the value of establishing relevancy. When learning about plant growth and the soil’s capacity to hold water, third graders at Bradley Creek helped install a rain garden. When studying native plants and their value in our natural environments, third graders at Bradley Creek held said plant, smelled its blooms and put it in the ground. They squished soil in their hands and understood the difference between clay and sand and the mixtures in between. This is powerful and although it may seem common, I dare to guess how many young students have never planted a native plant or perhaps, any plant.
Comprehending any issue is highly possible when you have had first-hand experience. Students at Bradley Creek have witnessed rain events and seen the value of a stormwater reduction project. This living classroom is on-site, available and the students helped make it a success. Relevancy has been established.
The people who collaborated, volunteered and donated to this project are doing the city and residents a valuable service by helping clean up our tidal creeks. I wonder if they realize the tremendous impact this project has had on the students who were able to participate, observe and truly understand third grade science. Years from now, Bradley Creek students will be adults and they will know how impervious surfaces affect water quality, how native plants and soils work together and how people can come together to ensure our natural resources are protected. I thank those who worked tirelessly on this project as a parent, as a fellow resident and as an educator.
Bradley Creek Elementary and rain garden
Photo Credit: Sustainability Branch
A special thank you goes out to Ms. Cheryl Cribbs, Bradley Creek Elementary Assistant Principal and Ted Wilgis, NC Coastal Federation, Coastal Education Coordinator, for providing information, leading the project and being amazing global citizens! Also, thank you to Ms. Sherry Pinto and Ms. Tim Dominowski for supporting the project and volunteering your time to its success.
To learn more about rain gardens or constructed wetlands, click on the following links:
Also, for more information on the NC Coastal Federation and to volunteer, check out www.nccoast.org
No comments:
Post a Comment