Grant for Habitat Improvement

USM's Casco Bay Estuary Partnership awards $3350

This grant is allowing students at Friends School of Portland to investigate the effects of invasive species on Mackworth Island and to help restore one small piece of it.

Beginning this fall, Jamien Jacobs, Middle School Science Teacher, will lead Friends School 5th and 6th graders in inventorying native and invasive species on a 50mx50m plot on the island, studying the role of invasives on ecological communities, then manually removing invasive plant species (primarily bittersweet and barberry). Next spring, the students will replant the area with native species, and help develop a 10-year plan of methodical habitat improvement on the island in order to restore hundreds of square meters of land. In addition, they will create a model to educate, inspire, and motivate other Casco Bay Watershed schools and community groups to take action toward invasive species removal and habitat restoration in their own neighborhoods.

Friends School of Portland emphasizes place-based education - using the students' surroundings, in this case Mackworth Island, as a primary resource for learning. This project encourages students to engage in a place-based learning experience in which they practice real science, better understand the complexity of human interactions with nature, and become strong environmental stewards as well as active, involved citizens. Additional project activities include hosting a community planting day and celebration, and preparing an informational brochure for placement at the Mackworth Island entrance gate. The Friends School philosophy of "inquiry, reflection & action," the desire to give students real opportunities to make a difference in their community, and the school's unique location on Mackworth Island all combine to provide an ideal platform for a habitat enhancement project of this kind.