November 22, 2004

Students do trail maintenance

St. Paul is a small, close-knit community of 1,000 in the mountains of far southwestern Virginia. It's the kind of town where the high school science teacher remembers having her "first crush" on a boy who is now her boss, St. Paul High School principal Tom Fletcher.

Now, with Fletcher's support, science teacher Terry Vencil works with seniors at the 200-student high school on an award-winning environmental education initiative, Team Estonoa.

Team Estonoa is a group of students engaged in a one-of-a-kind school project in Virginia's Clinch Mountains: helping to keep the local water supply clean. Each semester a different group of seniors helps educate the public about preserving Wetlands Estonoa, then works at the site themselves.

Wetlands Estonoa itself is a small body of murky water, rich in peat moss and other forms of vegetation, encircled by a trail. Lily pads—non-native invaders tossed in by a local woman many years ago—cover its surface. Sycamore and weeping willow border the water, creating a shady walkway for birds, frogs and people alike.

Wetlands Estonoa

This swampy area acts as a sponge for area runoff from roads and lawns, what Vencil calls a "liver for the river," and holds in particulate matters, like nitrates, which would be unhealthy for the river the wetlands flows into, the Clinch. Clinch River is a free-flowing river, home to diverse forms of life, including rare fish and freshwater mussels. It is also one water source for the Town of St. Paul.

A Hands-On Approach to Learning
Vencil, 53, the high school's physics and Appalachian ecology teacher for grades 8-12 and Team Estonoa sponsor all its five years, combines the qualities of a curious scientist and encouraging mentor. "I was forever taking things apart—as a child, from a telephone to a dead snake, Vencil says. "How does this work, what's going on?" she wanted to know.

A former medical technologist, as a teacher Vencil has developed a "pilgrimage" style of teaching, going with all her students on a journey of discovery. And she's always encouraged the student-driven Team Estonoa to have the same philosophy.

See more of Team Estonoa's efforts at www.estonoa.org

One day a week, Vencil's senior students will work on various projects for the wetlands, a two-minute walk from the school. It could be showing fifth graders from the adjacent elementary school how to identify animal tracks and wildflowers. Or clearing the gravel trail of downed tree limbs.

Some can also work on creating a colorful newsletter that shows pictures of young frogs found on wetlands property. Or the latest PowerPoint presentation for a regional or state organization, as the team goes about its work of educating people about the importance of the wetlands, and securing grants for its restoration and construction of a future learning center.

They work in teams or individually, depending on class size (which has ranged over the years from four to 20). They work on Wetlands Estonoa during school time and on weekends, usually logging over 1,000 volunteer hours a semester. Others have also pitched in over the years to help them -- Americorps helped put in a drainage pipe, and regional Job Corps workers helped construct a walking bridge on one side of the wetlands.

This hands-on approach to learning and environmental awareness is one the students can connect with. It "helps make school interesting," admits Doug Witt, 18. "I love being outside—(and) I think designing the newsletter is cool," says Lynlee Hall, 16. "You really learn responsibility," Daniel Surratt, also a senior, points out. "Most classes, they tell you to sit down and shut up. (Here) you're doing it all yourself."

History of Student Initiative
The outdoor program, formally called the Estonoa Learning Center Project, began as a result of student curiosity and initiative. In the spring of 1999, senior Stevie Sabo, who has since gone on to major in environmental science in college, wrote a history of the lily pad-clogged, overgrown mess of what was once a town swimming hole. The three-acre pond had shrunk to one acre over the years, because of school and housing development around it. Estonoa is Native American for "The Land of Blue Waters." It was anything but, and Sabo wanted it returned to its once-pristine state.

In the fall of 1999 Appalachian ecology student Nikki Buffalow learned the small lake qualified for protected wetlands status. Nikki's classmate Jonathan Davis attended a meeting of a regional water quality council that was sponsored by the Black Diamond Resource, Conservation and Development organization and met Blaine Delaney, a grant writer. Delaney offered to help Jonathan realize Nikki's vision of preserving the wetlands and building a learning center next to it.

Students work on floating dock

Black Diamond RC & D has been associated with other school projects over the years. "This is the finest environmental school project that we have been associated with in southwest Virginia," says Delaney.

Local clubs like the Lions Club and Tennessee River Round Table have contributed funds for such small things as signs, and native plants such as paw-paw and lizard tail to plant at Wetlands Estonoa. Larger entities have made larger contributions, such as the Appalachian Regional Commission's $29,600 grant and one from USDA Rural Development for $155,000—funds that have gone towards trail upkeep, construction of a floating bridge to monitor water quality and the effort to finance construction of the planned learning center.

Since 2000, Team Estonoa's members have been winners of the Virginia Naturally Exemplary Schools Award and the President's Environmental Youth Award. The Team's most recent award, for $10,000, was from the Seaworld and Fuji Film Environmental Excellence Award.

Three Team Estonoa members, Terry Vencil and her husband Dean got a chance to visit scenic San Diego this past summer to pick up the award. Graduating senior Tabitha Bush, 18, thought San Diego was "gorgeous" and appreciated the opportunity to work with dolphin trainers and touch the animals up close.

As a representative from one of only three high schools in the country to receive an award, she felt privileged to watch videos of other student projects. "It was awesome to be around students who wanted to make a difference," she says.

Community Support A Necessity
An important partner in the Team's efforts has been its local funding agent, the Town of St. Paul. Mayor Jack Kiser has readily supported Team Estonoa efforts, and the town owns both the wetlands property and the site of the new learning center. But he says there were "some problems" that made it take longer for town residents and council members to come around to supporting the students.

Cole Phillips, 19, is a St. Paul High grad and 2002-2003 Team member. He remembers attending town meetings where residents whose yards bordered the alley by the wetlands said they "couldn't trust the character of the Job Corps," low-income workers who had previously built a bridge at the wetlands. They feared a classroom built so close to their homes would block the view of the wetlands and somehow bring unsavory characters into the neighborhood. It took a few tense meetings, but Ms. Vencil and team members reassured the council they could work things out.

Negotiating with both landowners and the county school board, town officials found a different site for the learning center, next to the elementary school parking lot.

Groundbreaking ceremony for learning center, Sept. 28, 2004

On September 28, Team Estonoa members, town officials, building planners and others who have supported preserving the wetlands came together for a building groundbreaking. The planned 24 x 48 foot wood and concrete structure will have two stories and be able to hold fifty people at one time, and should be complete in time for spring wildlife experiences.

While surrounding development means the wetlands will remain small, the hope of Team Estonoa is that they can preserve what remains, educate others about what it is and how it helps the town, and by maintaining a lively, learning presence at the site prevent others from dumping trash or otherwise polluting this unique environment.

D.J. Mathews is a freelance writer who has written outdoor articles for the Virginia Journal of Education and other publications.

Talk Back

If you've got comments or questions about this story, we'd like to hear them. Send your response to Susan Phillips (susan@connectforkids.org).