Procedure Outline for Land Lab Development
Lynn White, Butler SWCD Education Specialist

This is a collection of various outlines and suggestions by teachers and administrators who have organized their own land labs.  

Meet with the teachers
Discuss "What is the purpose of this land lab?" Set specific parameters and goals. Discuss potential problems and solutions. Ask them to make a reasonable "wish list" of things they would like to do with their class. Also include the items needed for those activities.

Inventory the site
List everything on the site. Suggest this as a faculty, student, PTO/PTA, etc. project.
        Plants: trees, flowers, grasses…
        Wildlife: dens in trees, rotten logs, nests…
        Natural structures: ponds, streams, soggy spots…
        Constructed items: parking lots, picnic tables, soccer field…

Set priorities and list them
Compare the "inventory list" to the "want to have list". The more frequently requested items should be targeted first. Set a timeline. Include future meetings and the opening ceremony. Plan for; Donors' sign, lights, fence, storage shed, etc.

Assign "shoppers"
Have volunteers price all the items needed for the stations and overall lab maintenance. Don’t forget the tools, locks, rental fees. Develop a budget accordingly.

Set up committees
Areas to focus on: Fund raising,  Finding and writing grants,  Finding volunteers,  Collecting monetary and material donations,   Publicity,  Finding technical expertise,  Finding additional educational resources

Layout the lab
On a map of the school grounds, as a group, plot where each station should be. Ask people from different professional backgrounds for input. Don’t overlook the obvious.

Discuss the plans with the grounds crew
Make sure the maintenance crew knows what is happening, before construction begins. They might be able to provide weekend, summer or evening help, in addition to different and better ideas.

Gain approval of the Administration
If you haven’t already been given the go-ahead, take the information you now have, and put together a "to-the-point-we’ve-given-this-a lot-of-thought-it’s-an-excellent-teaching-tool" presentation.

Start building
Gather all the equipment and the labor force, and start assembling the lab (a.k.a. "The Grunt Work").

Celebrate and evaluate
When you’re done, take a break and thank everyone who helped.  Then plan to meet again soon after the opening ceremony to start Phase 2 and evaluate Phase 1.

Grant Application                              Points to Remember