Wamego Middle School

Outdoor Classroom

Shane Neel

neelsha@usd320.com

Steps

1. Attend Conferences and Training

2. Establish Committee and Resource Team

3. Develop Classroom Plan

4. Construct Necessary Reports

5. Acquire Funding

6. Begin Necessary Construction of Site

7. Implement Curriculum and Outdoor 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 Team1. Shane Neel – Project Leader

2. Vici Jennings – Principal

3. Tom Wilson – 8th Grade Science Teacher

4. Brad Bowser – 6th Grade Science Teacher

5. Kelly Williams – High School Science Teacher

6. John Schmidt – PE Teacher

7. Maintenance or Custodial Staff

8. Charleigh Fouraker, Sean Norberg – 6th Grade Students

9. Berkley Wiegers, Drew Malin – 7th Grade Students

Resource Personnel1. Corey Alderson – Wildlife Biologist, Kansas

Department of Wildlife and Parks

2. Dr. Matt Totten – Kansas State University Geology Associate Professor

3. Jeff Neel – Environmental Scientist – Blue Earth LLC

4. Dr. Valerie Wright and Annie Baker – Environmental Educator & Naturalist

5. Alex Miller – Pottawatomie County Conservation District Range Conservationist

6. Andrew Klein – Pottawatomie County Conservation District Soil Conservation Technician

7. Chris Mammoliti – Westar Energy Aquatic Biologist

8. Matt Peschel – Wamego Recreation Department

OWLS Overview

Timeline1. Prescribed Burn – Spring 2011

2. Water Management System – Summer/Fall 2011

3. Walking/Fitness Trail Signage & Surfacing – Fall 2011

4. Collecting and Planting of Grasses, Forbs, Shrubs, and Trees – Fall/Spring 2011-2012

5. Construction of Dock, Establish LTER Burn Plots, and Establish Community Garden – Spring 2012

6. Implement Habitat Features – Spring 2012

7. Acquire funding for Green Houses and Wind Turbine –Spring 2012

8. Construction of Green Houses and Turbine – Fall 2012

Plant InventoryGrass Native

• Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

• Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)

• Little Bluestem• Big Bluestem (Andropogon

gerardii)• Hairy Grama? (Bouteloua hirsuta)• Purpletop (Tridens flavus)• Silver Bluestem (Bothrichloa

laguroides)

Introduced• Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa

Pratensis)• Tall Fescue

Grasslike Plants Sedges

Forbs Native

• Heath Aster• Daisy Fleabane• Western Ragweed• Tall Goldenrod• Pitcher Sage• Longbearded Hawkweed• Common Primrose• Annual Broomweed

Introduced• Red Clover• Bull Thistle

Shrubs Smooth Sumac Blackberry-Species? Riverbank Grape Roughleaf Dogwood Swamp Dogwood?

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 - $2,500

Kaufman Grant - $21,000

Westar Green Team

Foley Equipment

Possible Other Grants

Wolf Creek Grants for Excellence

Wind For Schools Grant

Kansas Green Schools

Curriculum Ideas1. 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 Steps1. 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