FSWCD is a cooperator working with the US Fish and Wildlife service to provide assistance to schools who want to do a Schoolyard Habitat Restoration project.
What Is Schoolyard Habitat Restoration?
SYH restoration projects are designed to fulfill the mission and goals of the school, and should address multiple environmental and educational objectives.
FSWCD can provide on-site technical assistance to educators, administrators, students, and community members who wish to create an effective, sustainable outdoor classroom and wildlife habitat on their school grounds.
Typical projects include pollinator habitats, meadows, forests and wetlands. While the size and scope of a project varies greatly from school to school, all projects must be a minimum of 1000 square feet in size and consist of native vegetation.
FSWCD has copies of the USFWS Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide available. This is a planning guide for creating schoolyard habitat and outdoor classroom projects, It is a valuable tool that takes teachers and administrators through the process and outlines the steps to creating a successful project where students go outside to experience nature. The guide has everything you need to go from concept to completion, and with a successful result: creating a natural space on school grounds where students will observe, draw, write, think, question and learn.