Objective 2: Best Management Practices
1) Water Conservation/Water Pollution Prevention
The scope: Indoor and outdoor user behavior- smarter water use, the energy and resource impacts of producing drinking water and treating waste-water, storm water management, erosion control, ways to reduce polluted runoff from the school site that impact watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay.
The scope: Indoor and outdoor user behavior- smarter water use, the energy and resource impacts of producing drinking water and treating waste-water, storm water management, erosion control, ways to reduce polluted runoff from the school site that impact watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay.
- Rain barrels have been places throughout the site to capture rain from the rooftops.
- To reduce pollution we use sand instead of salt on steps, decks, ramps, and piers.
- Environmentally friendly dish soap reduces pollution.
- NCEEC has a Clivus composting toilet system and utilizes a grey water mound for the water coming from the sinks and showers.
- Signage helps educate visitors about water conservation and water turns off in sinks after a very short period of time due to automatic shutoffs on our bathroom sink faucets.
- Native gardens at NCEEC reduce runoff, conserve water and minimize mowed areas. These gardens include butterfly gardens, woodland gardens, raised perennial beds, tree gardens, and raised learning gardens. Buried soaker hoses are used for the first two years a garden is getting established, with use of rain barrels as part of the watering plan.
- NCEEC has pervious road surfaces of gravel and trail surfaces of mulch, both reduce runoff. Use of cover crops help prevent erosion and a shoreline buffer helps prevent shoreline erosion.
- Educational signage about conservation and protection of water resources are found throughout the site.
2) Energy Conservation
The scope: To investigate and reduce energy use, changing facilities and user behavior to reduce energy use.
The scope: To investigate and reduce energy use, changing facilities and user behavior to reduce energy use.
- NCEEC makes use of natural light during the day and solar lights at night when possible. We task light our office rather than lighting the entire office. Visitors are reminded to turn off lights via signage and every fifth grade field trip has two assigned "light savers" who make sure the lights are off when a building is not in use. Timers are placed on the outdoor lights so the lights are not on when staff is not on site.
- The use of trees as a windbreak around the main teaching area and the pavilion helps keep the buildings warmer.
- When moving equipment across the site, staff walks or uses an electric golf cart rather than gas powered vehicles.
- Each fifth grade field trip has two assigned "door keepers" who make sure doors remain shut, keeping heat inside during the winter months.
- NCEEC limits the use of electricity in unused buildings by only turning on small space heaters in the cabins an hour before students retire and turn them off at wake up time. Hot water heaters are turned off during holidays and summer break.
- Vehicles are limited on site by requiring all school groups to carpool on a bus.
3) Waste Reduction
The scope: Resource use, waste disposal and waste management. Examine resource use, with user education and behavior changes to reduce the waste stream.
The scope: Resource use, waste disposal and waste management. Examine resource use, with user education and behavior changes to reduce the waste stream.
- All fifth graders who come to NCEEC participate in a "trash free lunch" challenge.
- Each fifth grade field trip is assigned two "recycle coaches" and two "compost coaches" who assist their class with sorting all meal items which limits the amount of trash entering the landfill.
- NCEEC is a TerraCycle site. Student's drink pouches are collected and recycled. Many schools in Charles County have adopted this plan after visiting NCEEC.
- NCEEC offices have single stream recycle bins, ink-jet cartridge recycling mailing pouches, and a collection area for batteries which are recycled at a nearby transfer station. We publish our newsletter, Notes From Nanjemoy, online and print it on recycled paper when a hard copy is requested.
- Educational signs are posted throughout the site to remind visitors to "use less stuff" and to recycle. A bulletin board is dedicated to those themes, as well as composting and other conservation concepts.
- Our coffee maker uses reusable filters.
- Staff collects grocery bags for reuse (bags are taken to Safeway to be recycled when they can no longer be reused).
- Reusable plates, utensils, and mugs are used by staff and visitors.
- Stickers are used on paper towel dispensers reminding visitors that "these come from trees".
- A composting toilet system is used on site.
4) Habitat Restoration
The scope: Examination of the site for opportunities for improving or restoring habitat, with education on the benefits to the local ecosystem and watershed.
The scope: Examination of the site for opportunities for improving or restoring habitat, with education on the benefits to the local ecosystem and watershed.
- NCEEC has a variety of bird nesting boxes and platforms. These include screech owl boxes, kestrel boxes, wood duck boxes, barn owl box, multiple purple martin houses, and an osprey platform located in the creek near our pier.
- There are 16 bluebird nest boxes on our bluebird trail.
- There are two bat boxes built and donated by a middle school environmental club.
- NCEEC staff has spent extensive time and effort in restoring habitat through the use of native plants. This has resulted in less mowing, less watering, and greater diversity of habitat. These native gardens are used in a variety of our educational programming.
- NCEEC has created four meadows that are carefully managed. The meadows have reduced our mowing area considerably. Bobwhites have now returned to our site since the meadows were created.
- Cover crops are used in a plot that is used for vegetable gardening. A crop is planted in the fall and plowed under in the spring. As the garden crops are rotated, the spring cover crop's location changes year to year. These cover crops provide food and shelter for local animals.
- A vernal pond is located on NCEEC property. It is monitored to ensure the area remains healthy to encourage use for salamanders to lay their eggs in the spring.
- A small pond was created by NCEEC staff by the restroom building. The pond is fed from a rain barrel and is home to frogs and many other organisms. Native wetlands inhabit the pond. Student's are allowed to explore the pond during free time.
- Lined, shallow beds that were once used to raise emergent wetland plants have been left in place to become habitat for native species, bot plant and animal. This area is used a water source for organisms in the area.
- The shoreline buffer along the Nanjemoy Creek has become a living shoreline. After slumping occurred from Hurricane Isabel's impact, a cross-section of wetland plants became established, creating a habitat that didn't exist before.
- Brush piles can be found throughout our site, providing habitat for birds, foxes, and other organisms. We choose to keep the brush out of the landfill, saving gas for the trips and providing habitats.
5) Structures for Environmental Learning
The Scope: Design and installation of habitat enhancing materials for the center to use for ongoing outdoor environmental learning, for restoring habitat, and returning habitat diversity.
The Scope: Design and installation of habitat enhancing materials for the center to use for ongoing outdoor environmental learning, for restoring habitat, and returning habitat diversity.
- Located in rural Charles County, NCEEC can be considered a rustic site. Small classrooms and limits of a composting toilet only allow for one class to be on site at a time. Without air conditioning, television, electronic gaming systems, or good cell phone reception, visitors get an opportunity to truly experience nature without the common distractions of their everyday lives. NCEEC has a variety of indoor and outdoor teaching areas.
- The courtyard features six cabins, the restroom building, and the fire circle. The fire circle is our main meeting area between all activities and breaks, as well as the location for our evening activities. Many outdoor activities begin at this location.
- The pavilion is one of only two indoor teaching areas. It can house up to 45 people at one time. Meals and activities are held in the pavilion during inclement weather. The compost station, by the pavilion, is utilized by all field trips visiting the site. The aquatics lab, the other indoor teaching space, is located near the shore of Nanjemoy Creek. This classroom, which can hold 16 people, is dedicated to aquatic activities such as water quality testing or shore seine sampling.
- The 100 foot pier over Nanjemoy Creek and the 400 foot boardwalk over the marsh are favorites of visitors and staff alike. These areas are used for data collection, making observations, and bird watching. These structures provide a place for students to contemplate the value of a wetland.
- The overlook at Cabin Gut Marsh is an observation site student can use while doing field studies. Picnic tables by Nanjemoy Creek and Cabin Gut Marsh are used during activities.
- Students can view a vernal pond from a nearby pier, which minimizes impact on the sensitive area. Access stairs to a small beach on the Nanjemoy Creek allows students to gather biomass data with a shore seine as they explore what lives in the creek.
- Several trails run through the forest and fields at NCEEC. Most of the trails are used during activities. The trails are heavily mulched to reduce soil compaction. Along the trails fallen logs and snags are left for students to consider the benefits of having decomposition areas in a forest area.
- The observatory is part of a joint venture between NCEEC and Southern Maryland Astronomical Society. During the day, students can collect weather data from the star deck and can compare their results to that of the weather station.
- NCEEC has an observation hive that students use as a learning station during exploration time. The site is also a home to an apiary with three functional hives.
- Every group visiting NCEEC has an opportunity to observe our five resident raptors in their mews. The raptor mews house injured birds that are permitted to be here by the USFWS and Maryland DNR. While viewing the raptors visitors learn more about raptor adaptations and raptor conservation.
- NCEEC has several feeding stations set up throughout the site. These provide places for novice birders to practice their newfound skills. The feeding stations also attract birds for banding projects that the staff carries out throughout the year.
- Multiple nesting boxes dot the site. They help teach students about native species, habitat, and conservation.
- The gardens and meadows on site provide visitors ideas on how to limit erosion and promote wildlife in their own yards. These areas provide opportunity for a multitude of different environmental instruction.
- The Amphibian Oasis and Meadow Maze is an area for students to explore. This area provides them a chance to look for organisms live in a vernal pond and a meadow.
6) Responsible Transportation
The Scope: Examine the transportation options used by visitors and staff. Design and promote responsible and healthy options. Educate the community on the impacts of pollution from storm water from impervious surfaces on the watershed.
The Scope: Examine the transportation options used by visitors and staff. Design and promote responsible and healthy options. Educate the community on the impacts of pollution from storm water from impervious surfaces on the watershed.
- Vehicles are limited on site by requiring all school groups (students, chaperons, and teachers) to carpool on a bus. When professional development is held for teachers at NCEEC, teachers are required to carpool and not drive individually.
- Staff purposely combines errands to save on gas costs. For example, will only pick up our mail when we pick up food supplies (both of which we receive from a nearby school).
- When moving equipment across the site, staff walks or uses an electric golf cart rather than gas powered vehicles.
- When possible, NCEEC staff carpools to professional development events.
- NCEEC has pervious road surfaces of gravel and trail surfaces of mulch, both reduce runoff. There are no paved surfaces on site.
7) Healthy Environment
The Scope: Healthy indoor and outdoor environment, types of cleaners, chemicals, pesticides used, lighting options, drinking water quality, ventilation, purchasing options, and maintenance choices.
The Scope: Healthy indoor and outdoor environment, types of cleaners, chemicals, pesticides used, lighting options, drinking water quality, ventilation, purchasing options, and maintenance choices.
- To reduce pollution running off into Nanjemoy Creek, staff uses sand instead of salt on steps, decks, ramps, and piers.
- Environmentally friendly dish soap reduces pollution.
- NCEEC uses alternative methods for reducing weeds. Before a new garden is planted, fabric is laid down to smother weeds instead of using herbicides. Meadows are managed on a rotating mowing and tiling schedule to reduce the need for chemical intervention. NCEEC holds "garden parties" where we host Master Gardeners and volunteers to help weed the native gardens. Soil is amended with compost and sheet mulch after weeding occurs.
- NCEEC makes use of natural light during the day and solar lights at night when possible.
- All NCEEC staff members have been trained to use a bodily fluids cleanup kit for when a spill occurs.
- NCEEC's building services manager receives regular training from the CCPS Operations and Management division. He has had training in how to properly test the water supply, safe use of chemicals on site, blood-born pathogens training, chemical spills cleanup and safety in the workplace training. He inspects the site several times a day to ensure the safety of staff, students, chaperons, and teachers.
- CCPS Operations and Management division has worked to put integrated pest management in the school system. They also have implemented more environmentally friendly practices such as irrigation systems and building healthy soils instead of the use of chemicals in turf management.
- NCEEC, like all CCPS schools, has a detailed emergency plan in place with a dedicated duffle bag to the equipment needed. All staff members are trained twice a year on the use of the equipment, including an emergency generator, and on proper procedures in the event of an emergency. All instructional staff is certified in First and Aid and CPR.
- Safety reminders are provided to staff for specific activities to ensure the students safety throughout the season.