LTS WETLANDS PROJECT

We were awarded the 2010 Education Excellence Award - Michigan's Best Science Program by the Michigan Association of School Boards for this outdoor lab - wetlands restoration project.

NATIONAL FFA - LTS Rural Youth Development Program Goals

    • Provide constructive and encouraging relationships among youth and adults and youth and peers.

    • Provide an array of youth development opportunities for youth to build competencies in areas such as mastery, independence, generosity, and sense of belonging.

    • Provide access to multiple opportunities for youth to develop assets in the physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, and/or social domains.

    • Connect the formal classroom to real-life experience and use the community as context for learning.

    • Have sufficient scope, breadth, duration, frequency and intensity of engagement of young people to reach long-term positive outcomes.

2009-2014

SALINE FFA

WETLANDS RESTORATION PROJECT

    • Install a 6 foot wide riparian buffer zone with native species plants around the south storm water retention pond to convert it into a true filtering wetland.

      • Install native species plants around the pond

      • monitor pH changes

      • monitor Dissolved Oxygen changes

      • Use GPS to establish site specific monitoring stations

      • Improve diversity of aquatic and wildlife species on the site though water quality and habitat improvement.

      • Install bat and bluebird houses to improve habitat and naturally control insect populations.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Students install a bluebird house

Planting Native Species of plants on a 6 foot wide Riparian Buffer Zone to prevent erosion, improve nutrient absorption and improve oxygenation of water. Over 500 feet x 6 feet wide buffer strip has been planted so far. More planting spring 2012.

Students install a bat house to control mosquito populations

Spring 2011 Planting Crew Volunteers

RIVER RAISIN INSTITUTE

Thanks to Pat Sanders of River Raisin Institute who has mentored us on this wetlands restoration project.

JUNGA ACE HARDWARE

jungaacehardware.com/

Thanks to Junga ACE Hardware for their generous discount on planting shovels and rakes.

Bill Poet tests a water sample for pH

Evan Medvec & Kristina Schneider test water for Dissolved Oxygen Level

Thanks to Radius Garden for the discount on ergonomic design transplanters designed right here at their headquarters in the Saline-Ann Arbor area.

MICHIGAN NRCS WEBSITE

Thanks to Lenewee NRCS for generous discounts on native species plants

Adrein Adams, Evan Medvec and Collin Green take a sample location reading on a Garmin ETrex GPS while practicing for the Michigan FFA Environmental Skills Contest

Pat Sanders, River Raisin Institute, directs students on how to sweep for macroinvertibrate insects which are water quality indicators in the storm water pond.

By doing an annual macroinvertibrate sweep each spring we can monitor progress on the diversity and population density the water quality will support.