SoWashCo Schools Team Up With South Washington Watershed District To Help Improve Our Environment

Press release from South Washington County Schools:

April 18, 2021

For several years, seven South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) have partnered with the South Washington Watershed District (SWWD) for projects that help improve our groundwater, environment, and create habitats for birds and pollinators. The projects also offer unique learning opportunities for students at Crestview Elementary School (CES), Grey Cloud Elementary School (GCES), Middleton Elementary School (MES), Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion (NFSI), Valley Crossing Elementary School (VCES), Cottage Grove Middle School (CGMS) and Lake Middle School (LMS).

One upcoming project will let students at CES experience how goats are used to improve the overall health and habitat of the land they are grazing on. The goats will be brought in later this spring, but before they are put to work, students will get an opportunity to learn what invasive plants the goats will be feasting on, such as buckthorn, honeysuckle, garlic mustard and more. They’ll also learn how the goats help create a healthier environment for native plants, birds and pollinators.

This summer, SWWD is planning to construct a new outdoor classroom at VCES. Outdoor classrooms are also under design for GCES and CGMS. LMS and MES already have outdoor classrooms that allow for more hands-on, immersive learning in outdoor education.

SoWashCo Schools also partners with SWWD for “CampusGreening” efforts. One example is when parking lots are replaced and redesigned to meet current watershed standards that may have not existed when the lots were first constructed. Instead of using traditional water treatment practices, such as holding ponds, we work with SWWD to incorporate prairie restoration practices to offset treatment needs. Prairie restoration projects result in reduced construction costs, increased water infiltration and reintroduction of native prairie species. Oftentimes, students are able to participate in prairie restoration projects by learning about native species and helping plant seeds that will bloom into native plants that will create habitats for birds and pollinators while also creating a natural filtration system for groundwater.

To learn more about these projects, visit swwdmn.org.

This press release was produced by South Washington County Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.