Project lets students in Virginia coal country teach others about protecting the environment

The Wetlands Estonoa Outdoor Learning Center, formed in 1999, is owned by the town of St. Paul, Va., but is run by students at Castlewood High School. The environmental education site consists of outdoor and indoor classrooms, and includes a vegetative green roof, rain garden, a native Appalachian flora arboretum and a walking trail. Students have been responsible for turning "an old lake full of trash into a pristine and functioning wetland that filters runoff before it reaches the river," reports Making Connections, which has an interesting 10-minute radio interview on the project and instructor Terry Vencil. To listen to the interview click here. (Making Connections photo: Terry Vencil at the Clinch River)