Park School /MCPArea School Forest Restoration Project Timeline
Amy Callies (608) 829-9288
Park Elementary School K-5 350 students –Cross Plains WI
Park School Site-Nature Trail through an open oak woodland with a remnant prairie at the top of glacial bluff, lower prairie restored in 1970, rain garden 2007, garden of giving 2010
2001 Park staff restores the nature trail on the school site with consult from DNR landscape architects.
2002 –2 Park teachers attend UW Earth Partnership for Schools
Paired Nature buddies studied the model
Students chose/ordered specific native plants and created paper and clay models of the plants including a prairie mural with root system
Students planted a sample species garden using $250.00 from PTA, a rented tiller and round-up to prepare the site
2003-6 Park teachers attend UW Earth Partnership for Schools
Outdoor Education Team meets monthly
Expanded Nature buddies throughout Park School
Students continue to plant native plants with buddies using PTA funds $300.00
Cover Reed canary grass with carpet remnants
Lower prairie inventory
2004-K/5th grade nature buddies plant 50 native plants in the restored prairie using PTA funds-$87.00
Spring 2005
All students participate in school observation of a prescribed burn on 1 acre of prairie that was restored in 1970. Lower prairie is on prescribed burn schedule that is now done annually but not during the school day.
Summer 2005 Teacher work day-installing Aldo Leopold benches on the upper prairie, removing invasive plants and prepping soil for the new native plantings and seed stomp
Fall 2005
$1950.00 Plant Dane grant for 300 Prairie plants and 1 Acre of prairie seed. Lower prairie is brush-hogged and tilled.
All students participate in an all school seed stomp to add good seed to our lower prairie
Grade level plantings in clumps in the lower prairie:
K-Pale Purple Cone Flower 1st-Smooth penstemon 2nd-White Prairie Clover
3rd Yellow Cone Flower 4th Meadow Blazing Star 5th-Riddell’s goldenrod
Spring 2006 Plant native woodland plants with a small group of special needs students
2006 Outdoor Education team disbanded due to strong emphasis shift to literacy and math
2006 Begin the application process to have the woodland habitat certified as a state school forest.
2006 Plastic Ingenuity approaches Park School about planting a cooperative rain garden-Park is not eligible to apply for another Plant Dane grant until 2007.
Spring 2007 Fifth grade service learning project- Cooperative rain garden with Plastic Ingenuity- All Park staff and students along with 215 middle school students from Glacier Creek plant “more plants than there are people in Cross Plains” 4,000 plants in a 9,000 square foot area. All the fifth grade students participated on committees to plan, design, coordinate and plant the rain garden. The community is invited to assist with the planting
The entire rain garden is planted in a day and a half due to rain.
Funding source-Plastic Ingenuity matching grant and Landscape Architect consult-
$12, 150.00
Funding source- Plant Dane-Graham Martin foundation Matching Grant-$7,200.00 plant grant-Total project-$19, 350.00
Plastic Ingenuity continues to maintain the rain garden twice a year.
Fall 2008 8 acres of land on Park School property is officially certified as a WI State school forest which makes it qualify for school forest WEEB grants-Middleton Cross Plains Area School Forest
Fall 2008 High school students create a trail map using GPS
Spring 2009 - 9,000 square ft. rain garden- First prescribed burn
Spring 2009 Fifth grade students present to the school board on why the Park school nature trail/prairie/rain garden (Now officially –The Middleton Cross Plains Area School Forest) are important to them. The school board is also updated about all the important work going on in our district that relates to environmental education.
Spring 2009 K students pilot Trees unit developed by a naturalist to align with the K Trees Foss kit
Summer of 2008, 2009, 2010-Teachers from all over the nation visit Park School as participants in the UW Arboretum Earth Partnership for Schools/RESTORE Institute.
The Park School site provides teachers with a model for hands on, relevant project/inquiry based student learning in native plantings and ecological restoration
2010 Fifth grade serving learning project-Garden of giving-All fifth grade students participate on committees to plan, design, coordinate and plant food pantry garden-raised vegetable beds with a square foot watering system that is weeded and produce is collected weekly (Donated to Middleton food pantry) by families that volunteer to help out.
Funding source-Lands’ End –Our school won a national contest-$3000.00
Spring 2011-Roots and Shoots After-school Nature Club is held for 20 second and third graders for an 8-week session.
2011 Heartland Farm Sanctuary Service Learning Project –All fifth grade students work in teams on this project to grow food for the animals residing at HFS.
Spring/Fall of 2013-Community groups including the CP girl Scouts, CP Lions Club and the Swamplovers remove invasive species from the trail that runs through the open oak woodland and the lower prairie
Summer of 2013-2 Park teachers participate in a week long Growing Minds Workshop-focused on garden-based education at Troy Gardens in Madison.
Fall 2013-Third graders plant garlic bulbs in one of our classroom garden beds
Fall 2013-Third graders visit the Swamplovers restored land on a field trip and learn about prairie restoration and invasive species. They also collect native plant seeds to add to our Park School Site.
Spring 2014-GO Club (GO Outside, GROW Outside) is offered to 20 second and third graders after-school for an 8-week session.
Future Plans
Provide students/staff/ parents and the Cross Plains community with many opportunities for outdoor learning.
1) Upgrading the signs along the trail
2) Provide maps of the trail in a box at the trailhead
3) Clear the trail using lopping shears in the spring and fall seasons
4) Publicize the trail for use by the community
Create a network of resources in the community to make the trail maintenance sustainable
1) Ice Age trail crews
2) There is a Doctor in Cross Plains who is interested in using the trail to model health and wellness options.
Provide environmental resources on site that will align with the new Next Generation Science Standards. This is a free field trip for students at Park School. Which can provide the opportunity to visit the same site numerous times to observe the changes and differences.
Identify and celebrate that our school district has a school forest within the driftless zone this is a rare ecosystem to have the opportunity to study
Develop a school forest educational plan using WEEB funding
Apply for a WEEB grant to train teachers to use the school forest with curriculum developed specifically to meet the district science standards
Begin Woodland restoration projects including removing buckthorn, honeysuckle, prickly ash
Remove invasive plants from the upper remnant prairie and have firefighters do a prescribed burn on the upper prairie
Provide students with the opportunity to observe a prescribed burn since this has not been an all school event since 2005