River Road Middle School will gain an outdoor environmental education classroom thanks to a $37,400 state grant.

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality awarded the grant for construction of wetlands near the school.

Staff photo by Brett A. Clark (ENLARGE)

This wooded area behind River Road Middle School's baseball fields, shown Tuesday, will be converted into a wetlands area for the school. A $37,400 state grant will be used to turn the area into an outdoor environmental education classroom.

The wetlands will filter stormwater from 15 acres of existing baseball fields and 20 acres of new soccer fields, according to a press release. It will stretch 2,000 feet from the new soccer fields around the baseball fields to the main drainage ditch and another 2,600 feet before emptying into the Pasquotank River.

According to the release, the wetlands will contain plants such as arrow arum, pickerelweed, softstem blurush, bur-reed, water millet and cattail. Several kinds of trees, including river birch, bald cypress, swamp blackgum and water tupelo, will be planted every 20 feet around the edge of the wetlands.

The wetlands will give students a chance to learn about water quality and plant ecosystems as well as present findings to their peers and the public. The importance of wetlands and stormwater management will also be showcased during the school's annual science fair.

"It's going to give kids more hands-on experiences," said RRMS Principal Carolyn Jennings.

She said environmental science is currently a part of several science classes. The wetlands will be River Road's first outdoor classroom.

Jennings said work on the wetlands could begin as early as September. She did not know when the project will be finished.

The Albemarle Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Pasquotank County Parks and Recreation Department, the Pasquotank Soil and Water Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service partnered with River Road to craft the grant proposal.