K – 12 Watershed Projects
We offer hands-on science programs to schools focused on protecting their watersheds.
TenneSEA received a Nonpoint Source Pollution grant from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture 319 Program to provide science programs in three schools and then help them design and build green infrastructure for stormwater treatment on their campuses.
Red Bank High School designed and built their own rain garden.
Thrasher Elementary Environmental Club (TEC) learned about stormwater, investigated their campus and proposed designs to their principal, who then approved them. We then had an engineer (from Stantec Engineering) and a landscaper (Appalachian Design) who built the rain garden. The kids and PTA are taking care of it and Heidi Mies’ science classes do studies out there. It’s cool!!
The coolest project to emerge from that grant was at Skyuka Hall (formerly Scenic Land School) which is a little private school for kids with learning differences.
We provided watershed and water study lesson for four years while they designed and proposed to the landowner, General Bill Raines, the frog and salamander wetland that they wanted to see installed. This spring we held the grand opening of the wetland and the frogs had already moved in!!
The kids have also planted butterfly gardens and gotten approved as a Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat and Monarch Waystation. We will tag monarchs as they fly back through here in the fall.
Signal Mountain Stormwater Permits
Part of our work is a contract to assist Town of Signal Mountain with their stormwater permit requirements for Outreach and Education, so we frequently work with Nolan Elementary and Thrasher Elementary on Signal Mountain.
The Leo Club at Signal Mountain High School is also a group we work with and they are also fantastic volunteers.
Nolan Elementary Water Projects
We did programs for all of the second grade students….they made dirty water and then figured out how to clean it! AND got to check out how baby salamanders and frog tadpoles are different and release them in their own backyard pond!
Check out more of our current and past projects!
- Volunteer Water Monitoring Network Pilot (ongoing since 2011)
- To involve local schools in monitoring of local streams and promote interest among students in protecting their watersheds
- Teacher-led teams will take quarterly water quality measurements
- Report results to Hamilton County Water Quality to make available to the public
- Partners and In-Kind Funding: Hamilton County Water Quality, North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, South Chickamauga Greenway Alliance
- Stormwater Education (ongoing since 2010)
- Create models of stormwater control for area schools and businesses
- Install Best Management Practices (BMPs) and restoration projects
- Educate and involve schoolkids in planting trees and installing rain gardens
- Partners and In-Kind Funding: Raines group, Thrasher Elementary, Scenic Land, Mountain Stewards
- Funding: Tennessee Department of Agriculture, US Environmental Protection Agency
- Kids 4 Clean Water Camp (ongoing summers since 2010)
- Clean Water education for kids aged 8-12
- Partners and In-Kind funding: Hamilton County Water Quality, Hamilton County Waste Water Treatment Authority, North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, South Chickamauga Greenway Alliance
- NEST Project (2011)
- Workshop with 3-5th graders to raise awareness and encourage stewardship of the environment starting in their home neighborhoods through mapping and other outdoor environmental education activities
- Partners and In-Kind funding: Calvin Donaldson Elementary
