SCHOOLYARD HABITAT     

In order to introduce students of the Rouge River watershed to the watershed ecosystem and educate them on the lessons of watershed stewardship and human responsibility for a healthy environment , Friends of the Rouge has partnered with the Plymouth-Canton Community School District to begin schoolyard habitats in 5 schools:

Bentley Elementary School

Field Elementary School 

Central Middle School

West Middle School

Plymouth High School, Canton High School, and Salem High School

 As students care for their schoolyard habitats, they learn how personal actions and behaviors can have a positive impact on the watershed.  It allows students, teachers, and parents to learn about the watershed in an easily accessible, cost-effective, and safe school environment.

Schoolyard habitats provide an additional teaching tool outside the classroom in an accessible and safe environment creating hands-on learning for the students.  In addition, it promotes sharing between schools via video conferencing, teacher in-service training for use of the schoolyard habitat and volunteer schoolyard habitat installation.  Each school will be presented with a Schoolyard Habitat certificate from the National Wildlife Federation, encouraging future projects and enthusiasm for other schoolyard habitat projects throughout the district.

This program is important to the Rouge River because it increases natural areas to provide storm water treatment and wildlife habitat and increases student and citizen education and awareness of the Rouge River and its watershed.