For the past few years, students at James Monroe High School have been contributing to an ongoing environmental action project to better the Fredericksburg community. Following the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience program, JM freshman designed their project roadmap three years ago and work on a different aspect of the project each year. For example, last year, the classes mulched the area to prepare the ground for planting.
This year, on October 3, students weeded and conducted other final preparations for the pollinator garden, including carving out a walking trail around the area. On October 14, they outlaid a planting grid and landscaping design provided by Anne Little of Tree Fredericksburg, with help from several students. Each color of the planting grid corresponds to a different species of pollinator. Last Wednesday, October 16, was the big planting day! Mrs. Morrison's, Ms. Brindley's, and Mr. Hine's Environmental Science classes all got to work.
The goals of this project are to:
Provide a habitat for local pollinator species
Create a filtering zone for nutrients and pollutants before they can reach the canal
Mitigate some effects of climate change
Help reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect
Isolate and sequester sources of carbon
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