Talawanda High School Outdoor Learning Lab
Talawanda High School will be on the cutting edge of natural science and environmental education with the construction of an outdoor learning land laboratory. The Mary and Leo Erik Environmental Education Area (MLEEA) will consist of an expanded wetland, native grass prairies, oak savannah, quail buffer habitat, and a farm field for agricultural production.
The land lab will be available for hands on learning for biology, botany, aquatics, agriculture, hydrology, water quality, sustainability, conservation development and serve as a microcosm to discuss environmental and natural resource issues.
The wetland enhancement, native grass plantings, oak savannah and more are all made possible through Talawanda School District partnerships with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, local Pheasants Forever chapters, Butler Soil & Water Conservation District, Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, Miami University, and many more.
Jeff Winslow, the Science Instructional Leader for Talawanda School District stated, “This is an amazing opportunity for our students that couldn't have happened without the expertise and resources of our partners, like the Butler SWCD. This will impact a generation of students." The new High School is striving for a Gold LEED certification with the Ohio School Commission, which this outdoor learning laboratory coupled with curriculum correlations will be a major asset to achieving that high of a certification standard.