Middle School Students Remove Invasive Plants
June 25th, 2016
FVAM Students Remove Invasive Plants
To complete their yearlong Montessori Model United Nations environmental project on water, students from Farmington Valley Academy Montessori spent several hours this week removing invasive plants from the bank of the Farmington River at Fisher Meadows in Avon. The students were advised by local Botanist, William Moorehead and Farmington River Watershed Association Water Quality & Projects Coordinator, Alisa Phillips-Griggs. The students wrestled prickly Barberry, razor sharp Burning Bushes and Winged Euonymus from the ground and returned later in the week to plant native plants that help filter out pollutants from the Farmington River. “It was a pleasure working with the Farmington Valley Academy Montessori students on the Fisher Meadows Floodplain Forest restoration project invasive plant removal. The students worked together with aplomb and maturity and remained focused and hardworking throughout. We were impressed with the students’ tenacity and grit to pull thorny Japanese Barberry bushes and then tackle, uproot and topple a huge Winged Euonymus!” said Phillips-Griggs. The students applied for and were awarded a $1000 grant from the Les Mehrhoff Plant Biodiversity Preservation through the Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists. The grant money allowed the students to purchase $900 in native plants, tools for digging and gloves to protect hands from sharp edged invasive plants
