Wamego Middle School Outdoor Classroom Shane Neel - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Wamego Middle School Outdoor Classroom Shane Neel neelsha@usd320.com

Steps Attend Conferences and Training 1. Establish Committee and Resource Team 2. Develop Classroom Plan 3. Construct Necessary Reports 4. Acquire Funding 5. Begin Necessary Construction of Site 6. Implement Curriculum and Outdoor 7. Instruction

Research and Training  Kansas Green Schools Conference  KACEE Conference  Prairies Across Kansas  INSIGHT GK-12  Second Life  Kansas Earth Partnerships for Schools

WMS OWLS Team Shane Neel – Project Leader 1. Vici Jennings – Principal 2. Tom Wilson – 8 th Grade Science Teacher 3. Brad Bowser – 6 th Grade Science Teacher 4. Kelly Williams – High School Science Teacher 5. John Schmidt – PE Teacher 6. Maintenance or Custodial Staff 7. Charleigh Fouraker, Sean Norberg – 6 th Grade 8. Students Berkley Wiegers, Drew Malin – 7 th Grade Students 9.

Resource Personnel Corey Alderson – Wildlife Biologist, Kansas 1. Department of Wildlife and Parks Dr. Matt Totten – Kansas State University Geology 2. Associate Professor Jeff Neel – Environmental Scientist – Blue Earth LLC 3. Dr. Valerie Wright and Annie Baker – Environmental 4. Educator & Naturalist Alex Miller – Pottawatomie County Conservation 5. District Range Conservationist Andrew Klein – Pottawatomie County Conservation 6. District Soil Conservation Technician Chris Mammoliti – Westar Energy Aquatic Biologist 7. Matt Peschel – Wamego Recreation Department 8.

OWLS Overview

Timeline Prescribed Burn – Spring 2011 1. Water Management System – Summer/Fall 2011 2. Walking/Fitness Trail Signage & Surfacing – Fall 2011 3. Collecting and Planting of Grasses, Forbs, Shrubs, and 4. Trees – Fall/Spring 2011-2012 Construction of Dock, Establish LTER Burn Plots, and 5. Establish Community Garden – Spring 2012 Implement Habitat Features – Spring 2012 6. Acquire funding for Green Houses and Wind Turbine – 7. Spring 2012 Construction of Green Houses and Turbine – Fall 2012 8.

Plant Inventory Grass Forbs Native Native   • Heath Aster • Indiangrass (Sorghastrum • Daisy Fleabane nutans) • Western Ragweed • Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua • Tall Goldenrod curtipendula) • Pitcher Sage • Little Bluestem • Longbearded Hawkweed • Big Bluestem (Andropogon • Common Primrose gerardii) • Annual Broomweed • Hairy Grama? (Bouteloua hirsuta) Introduced  • Purpletop (Tridens flavus) • Red Clover • Silver Bluestem (Bothrichloa • Bull Thistle laguroides) Introduced Shrubs  • Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa Smooth Sumac  Pratensis) Blackberry-Species?  • Tall Fescue Riverbank Grape  Roughleaf Dogwood  Grasslike Plants Swamp Dogwood?  Sedges  Trees Mulberry  Siberian Elm 

Water Control System

Topography and Drainage Maps

Soil Types

Water Control Systems

Grants and Funding OWLS Grant –  $2,000 Monsanto Grant   Westar Green Team - $2,500  Foley Equipment Kaufman Grant   Possible Other - $21,000 Grants  Wolf Creek Grants for Excellence  Wind For Schools Grant  Kansas Green Schools

Curriculum Ideas 1. Prairies Across Kansas • LTER Data – Grass and grasshopper inventory, biomass sampling, fire ecology, and primary/secondary succession 2. Sensor and Sensor Technology - INSIGHT GK-12 • Soil moisture sensors, water monitoring sensors, wind/solar power sensors 3. Citizen Research • Monarch Watch, Earthworms Across Kansas

Next Steps 1. Wetland/Pond Area Survey • Andrew Klein, Alex Miller and WMS Students • Summer 2011 2. Prescribed Burn Plan and Date • Pottawatomie County Conservation District and Wamego Fire Department 3. Baseline Data for WMS LTER 4. Future Grants for Alternative Energy, Gardens, Greenhouses…

Next Steps