Posted in children in nature, stormwater, stormwater wetlands, wetland restoration, tagged children in nature, floating wetlands, parks, stormwater wetlands, wetland restoration on January 28, 2014| 4 Comments »
Signs of an invasion were everywhere on a recent visit to the floating wetland islands at the Education Village. Plants had been devoured from the floating wetlands like they were buffet tables at SouperSalad. The students’ plantings along the shores of the stormwater pond were also missing. All around were footprints and scat from the prime suspect: nutria.
Posted in Bay-friendly, children in nature, native plants, runoff pollution, stormwater, stormwater wetlands, tagged children in nature, Dickinson Bayou, floating wetlands, native plants, runoff, stormwater wetlands, students, texas master naturalist, volunteers, water quality on November 21, 2013| 2 Comments »
Our first installation of floating wetland islands went into the campus stormwater detention pond at Clear Creek Independent School District’s Education Village in League City. TCWP and the school community launched three islands on November 10
When 72 volunteers, 2 camera crews, and the school superintendent show up to help us undertake something new, it sure is wonderful when it is accomplished with hardly a hitch!
Posted in Bay-friendly, children in nature, freshwater inflows, Galveston Bay, native plants, runoff pollution, stormwater, tagged children in nature, Dickinson Bayou, floating wetlands, outdoor classroom, schools, stormwater wetlands, water quality on September 6, 2013| 1 Comment »
We are moving closer to installing floating wetland islands in what may be the first such project at a school in Texas, and one of the first public installations anywhere in the state. The floating wetlands will be in the storm water detention basin (aka “the pond”) of the Education Village campus in League City TX, part of the Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD).
Left: Floating wetland islands in Canada. Source: Biohavens International. Right: A pilot project in Baltimore Harbor. Source: Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore.
What is a floating wetland? It’s a small buoyant man-made island that grows wetland plants. CCISD’s islands will be made of a dense mesh of recycled plastic fibers produced by Martin Ecosystems. These floating wetlands have plant, soil and root interactions similar to a natural wetland and provide surfaces for colonies of beneficial water-cleaning microorganisms. (more…)
