Courtyard Habitat Restoration

Grade Level: 9-12

Academic Areas: Science

Duration of service: Ongoing

Character Virtues: Respect, Giving, Civic virtue and Citizenship

Technology: GIS, GPS

Service Areas: Education/Tutoring

Service Learning Project:

Student participants will be involved in an ongoing restoration project for the senior high school courtyard area in an attempt to have it certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Schoolyard Habitat site. GPS and GIS technology will be introduced in the Earth Science curriculum and applied to the courtyard area in Phase I with the end product being the completion of a detailed map delineating the various vegetation types, soils, and other physical features of the area that would ultimately influence the future biotic components of the ecosystem. Additionally, these students will complete area calculations for the courtyard to be used in the habitat decision making processes to follow (possible interdisciplinary connection with Math Department) and links to digital photos depicting the delineated site analysis.

Phase II of the project will involve the Living Environment students inventorying the current biotic index for the courtyard and develop a habitat plan for implementation as outlined in the National Wildlife Federation publications. Linking of physical map data with habitat present / future inventory will be accomplished by a select group of students from both curriculums after school with GIS applications under instructor guidance. Throughout the project, there will be character education virtues infused throughout the project with an emphasis on civic virtue and responsibility. There will also be (2) events sponsored by the character education committee involving this project: 1) fall cleanup and 2) spring cleanup where students from throughout the high school will be directly involved in helping to restore the high school’s courtyard.

Finally, Phase III of this project will consist of a community-involvement piece where local garden clubs, nurseries, conservation clubs, and other volunteers will help with the final groundbreaking and implementation of the habitat restoration as outlined on the GIS constructed map.

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: Students will better understand and be able to apply GPS and GIS technology for a real-life habitat rehabilitation project.

Standard: Standard 2: Information Systems: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Learning Goal: Students will identify both the abiotic and biotic components of the courtyard ecosystem and formulate a habitat plan.

Standard: Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

Service

Community need:

Possible Community Partners: National Wildlife Federation, Hillside Gardens, Hanford Greenhouses, Otisco Rod & Gun Club, BassPro Shop

Objective: Marcellus High School students will provide and present a detailed (GIS) illustrative map and implementation plan to the Marcellus School District Board of Education.

Objective: Students will assess the feasibility of the project and help to coordinate the community involvement efforts.

Technology

Learning Goal: Earth Science students will learn how to use a GPS receiver to record x,y coordinate locations of abiotic and biotic components of the high school courtyard.

Objective: Earth Science students will record point locations with a GPS receiver.

Learning Goal: Earth Science students will understand how to create a basic map with ArcView GIS (open view, add themes, create layout with title, arrow, scale, and legend)

Objective: Earth Science students will create a basic map with ArcView GIS.

Character

Virtue: Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Objective: Students will realize how they can make a significant impact on the local schoolyard campus both aesthetically and ecologically (wildlife-enhanced)

Virtue: Responsibility

Objective: Students will realize the importance in promoting biodiversity and will demonstrate responsibility through a commitment to and concern for the project.

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

1. Students will use the internet to read through the prepared materials of the National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitats Program to prepare and begin to organize overall goals of the project.

2. Teachers will obtain permission from the buildings and grounds staff of the Marcellus Central School District and will also contact the IAGT at Cayuga Community College for advisement and help in the final preparations of the GIS map of the courtyard restoration project.

Key Service Activities

1. Students will inventory and collect GPS data on the abiotic (rocks, buildings, water, etc.) / biotic (trees, plants,etc.) components of the high school courtyard.

2. Students will prepare a map and other presentation materials for proposed implementation of a National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitats Program certification: including a PowerPoint presentation to the MHS Board of Education and a completed NWF Schoolyard Habitats application.

3. Select students will complete an exercise in rm. 309 in which they will learn to open a DOQ image in ArcView and digitize actual school building locations and courtyard perimeters.

4. Select students will complete an exercise in rm. 309 in which they will take point data they collected via GPS in the courtyard and transfer the data to ArcView GIS.

Key Reflection Activities

1. ”Passing of the torch” : participants will think back on the habitat restoration activities and through written expression communicate to the next group of participants things that are important, legacies to continue and an overall sense of what they will take away from the experience. Use of a journal will accomplish this task. (this journal responsibility will include a specific reference to the civic virtue of environmental stewardship).

2. Students will share their overall project goals and presentation materials with the MHS Board of Education in consideration of the character virtue of responsibility in evaluating on the legacy of the courtyard habitat restoration project.

3. Students will design and develop a large bronze plaque to be placed on a boulder in the courtyard with a selected poem from student submissions ”personal significance of wild places / nature.”

Celebration Activity

Courtyard barbeque at the end of the school year (open to all participants including community members). Courtyard Dance (there are outside lights and this is the historical location for the Marcellus Prom) to be held sometime during the late spring following the “GreenUp” activities. Community participants will be invited to the barbeque and parents will be asked to help chaperone all activities including the springtime dance.