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Our school is located in a small rural community. We are located very close to Point Pelee National Park and the Sturgeon Creek Watershed and we enjoy observing the local wildlife. Housing and industry has unfortunately reduced our natural areas to less than 15% and many of the wetlands here have been compromised.
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| Gore Hill students take a break while planting trees |
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Our students have recognized the need to conserve and maintain our wetlands and natural areas and so, over the past five years, we have worked hard to naturalize a two acre area that boasts a prairie grass/wildflower butterfly garden, a large shallow wetland, and a forested area for students and the greater community to learn from and to enjoy. We named it the "Chamberlain Trail", in memory of a special teacher. We planted native shrubs and trees in a buffer zone around the wetland and in the forested areas. We have also planted native herbaceous wetland plugs in a 1000 square foot area that surrounds the wetland. After 2 years of planning, we have now created an outdoor classroom: a large white cedar platform that projects over the wetland. This classroom has bench seating for students as well as access to the water for lessons. We are thankful to our many community partners who have helped us realize this dream.
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The Gore Hill Eco-Club. |
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Other activities that we participate in at our school include the Eco Club, which has grown this year from 10 students in September to over 100 students at present. We meet regularly to discuss and plan activities such as energy audits, garbage audits and playground clean-ups. We have also conducted a school-wide fundraising campaign to build a new courtyard garden at our school. For Earth Day we decorated paper bags with environmental messages and pictures. These bags were delivered back to the business to be given out to customers on Earth Day.
Over the years, the Gore Hill Public School community has made a positive impact on the environment. This year, the students have worked harder than ever and have learned that these positive changes have benefited their community and the environment.
Irene Hartley
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