Limerick Elementary School (Schuylkill Action Students)

On October 17th, 2011, participants in the Schuylkill Action Students program at Limerick Elementary School installed a riparian buffer on their School Campus. About 200 students and their families planted at least 100 trees along Landis Creek, a small waterway flowing to the Perkiomen Creek and, later, the Schuylkill River.  They also participate in a variety of outdoor environmental-science lesson learing about trees, pollution, and things that they can do to keep their Schuylkill River clean.

According to the Philadelphia Water Department, schools own the most riverfront land between Schuylkill County and the city.  Even so, about 230 miles of these waterways are impaired due to polluted runoff stemming from excess fertilizer, dog waste, leaking engine oil and more.  That is why the Schuylkill Action Network coordinates the Schuylkill Action Students program.  Its purpose is to recruit volunteers who will plant grasses, shrubs and trees near waterways like Landis Creek.  This way, polluted runoff is soaked up and filtered naturally by plants.  Schools, meanwhile, gain valuable teaching experiences, outdoor learning spaces, and decreased maintenance costs.

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Information

Work Group: Stormwater

Source of Funding: Schuylkill River Restoration Fund

Date of Completion: 2011

Leading Organization: Berks Nature