Native Plant Project Mammoth Elementary School - Fourth Grade

Mammoth Elementary School fourth grade students planted over 200 bitterbrush seedlings to stabilize the slope above their playground and help prevent erosion. The slope was disturbed by the recent construction of the high school football field. Bitterbrush is a native plant. It is hearty, will grow fast and needs no extra watering. The students learned the importance of native plants in landscaping, especially in drought ridden California. This project was funded by a grant from the California Native Plant Society, Bristlecone Chapter, to the Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve's Outdoor Science Education Program, run by the University of California. The University partnered with California Department of Fish and Game who provided the seedlings and instructions on how to plant them.

Sherry Taylor, from the Valentine Reserve and Alisa Ellsworth, of DFG, went into each fourth grade classroom. Alisa gave a slide presentation explaining what native plants are and why we should plant them whenever possible. Sherry showed the students how to remove the seed coatings from pre collected bitterbrush seeds and treat the seeds for winter by planting them in vermiculite and freezing them until they germinate. Next, each class planted seedlings grown from last year's seeds on the slope above their playground.

As the children play, they can watch the plants grow to be two feet tall and several feet in diameter. This project will be a lasting reminder of the importance of native plants.

Page last updated Friday, October 24, 2003