Math and Science Just Became More Natural: Laney High adds a wetland to its landscape

The students at Laney High School may have gotten used to computers that bring them “virtual” this and “virtual” that, but now they have a very real, living science project right in their own back yard. According to assistant principal Gene Rivenbark, everybody is very excited about it.

Just behind the athletic fields, members of the faculty at North Carolina State and the staff from the New Hanover County Cooperative Extension have just installed a wetland covering about an acre of land. Here the students will find the perfect environment for science and math projects involving the study of water quality and quantity. “We are extremely excited by the possibilities this will create for the students to have first-hand knowledge of water quality as this project grows,” said Mr. Rivenbark.

Dr. Mike Burchell, extension assistant professor in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State University, and Dr. Bill Hunt spearheaded the project, together with Bill O’Keefe of the New Hanover County planning department and Eddie Anderson, head of maintenance for NHC schools.

I asked Dr. Burchell to tell me how the project came about. “We were contacted by Chris O’Keefe [who] had received a grant from the EPA to improve the local watershed in New Hanover County. We submitted a proposal as to what we thought we could do,” said Dr. Burchell. “Then we obtained a grant from NHC and started to locate suitable sites for implementing our treatment systems.” One of the sites they selected was right behind Laney High School.

Why that particular site? “Because there was an old ditch system there which was getting storm water, which eventually made its way into Smith Creek. And we thought that putting in a constructed wetland at this location would serve several purposes: It would treat storm water coming off the surrounding athletic fields and parking lot; it would be in a highly visible place next to the athletic fields so [there would be] lots of public awareness; and, since this was a high school, we could work with science teachers there to teach students,” said Dr. Burchell. “[It would provide] a living lab, almost where the students would run experiments and learn about wetland flora and fauna. [They would also be able] to see how well they survive in those conditions.”

Dr. Burchell added that he hoped the students would adopt the wetland as a pet project, keeping it clean, while they study the quality of the water entering and exiting the wetland. “They can also lump some mathematics in there—for example, measuring the volume of water entering and exiting the wetland.”

Dr. Burchell explained that throughout the process he had been talking to Laney’s principal, Bob Grimes, assistant principal, Gene Rivenbark, and several science teachers. He found them completely committed to the project. “

We also had a great level of interaction with Eddie Anderson. This was very important to us,” he explained, “because, ultimately, he was the person who [would say] if it could happen on school grounds. [He] would be handling the logistics, making sure there would be no negative impact on the athletic fields.”

The group’s first task was to clear an existing drainage ditch that was degraded and overgrown with vegetation. “The idea was, if we opened the ditch up and put an outlet structure downstream to hold some water back, that would increase the retention time of the water standing within that location and increase potential for natural treatment of the storm water,” said Dr. Burchell.

Charlotte Glen, urban horticulture agent for the NHC Cooperative Extension, was involved in the project from the start, and it was she who selected all the plants for the new wetland. On August 12, in sweltering heat, Charlotte, Dr. Burchell and some other volunteers, planted 2000 plants at the site, all chosen for their suitability to a wetlands environment— and, yes, they did include carnivorous pitcher plants, which are sure to be of particular interest to the students.
According to Dr. Burchell, it will take several months for the plants to fully establish themselves and to be functioning at their highest potential, filtering out nutrients and metals in the water, resulting in cleaner and clearer water going into Smith Creek and eventually into the Cape Fear River.

In the meantime, Gene Rivenbark and others at Laney High School are looking forward to students working in their new living lab. “We can take water samples before and after it goes into the wetland,” he said. “And it has potential for writing in journals and for math exercises. We are anxious to see how our data will measure up to other data from similar projects that have already been put in place around the state.”