"Houston"'s Cesar E. Chavez High School Magnet Program students are the recipients of a U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Conservation Award. The students enhanced an area on the school's campus that serves as an outdoor classroom for the Environmental Magnet Program, other District students and teachers.
"The area is a rare occurrence within an inner city and even rarer on a school campus. The project entailed creating storm water retention and water quality improvements within the wetland and enhancement of 4800 feet of riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian corridor. Non-native plant species were replaced with native plants along the confluence of Sims Bayou Channel and Berry Creek. The 17-acre site now provides valuable stopover habitat for Neotropical migratory birds and is used extensively by resident bird populations, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
""These students have demonstrated incredible innovation and leadership in the creation of this outdoors wetlands classroom. Their efforts are most deserving of National recognition by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said the Service's Southwest Regional Director H. Dale Hall. "They have set a conservation standard for their community.?
2"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
"NOTE:" Media are invited to attend the award presentation event that begins on Thursday, October 7, at 9 a.m." in the Auditorium of Chavez High School located at 8501 Howard drive, "Houston", "Texas". Following the presentation ceremony there will be a brief tour of the school's wetland providing photo and interview opportunities.
-FWS-
