4 minute read
NEW OUTDOOR CLASSROOM OPENS AT WILMINGTON’S COOL SPRING PARK
If you visit the new outdoor classroom at Wilmington’s Cool Spring Park, there are a few simple rules to follow including:
• Find a cozy spot
• Listen to the wind
• Identify some plants
• Enjoy the wildlife
In June, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), the City of Wilmington, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), DuPont Clear Into the Future, and Healthy Communities Delaware opened a new outdoor classroom at Cool Spring Park. The classroom is the result of a collaboration between PDE and the City to educate minds of all ages about the benefits of native plants and their connection to clean water.
“This addition to the park is so exciting,” said PDE Executive Director Kathy Klein. “It has truly been a team effort to create this beautiful and special space where community members of all ages can enjoy nature and have educational experiences that will last a lifetime.”
Construction on this project at 10th and N. Van Buren streets began in March and finished in June. Native plants and blooming trees with names as colorful as they are — purple coneflower, bluestar, goldenrod, and blazing star, as well as butterfly weed and prairie dropseed — adorn the new section, which includes an amphitheater made of recycled street curbstones. These features provide a full sensory learning experience. An outdoor classroom sign written in English and Spanish gives tips on how to enjoy the space.
“Creating an open space in nature for all ages, made out of recycled materials, is an environmentalist’s dream come true!” said Alison Quimby, Manager of Sustainability and Environmental Compliance for the City of Wilmington. “My vision for this outdoor classroom is to encourage our community to slow down and enjoy nature.”
DNREC contributed to the project through its Community Environmental Project Fund. “This project enhances our environmental and recreational opportunities in Cool Spring Park by adding this living outdoor classroom that will serve the community and nearby schools for many years to come as the native plants and blooming trees planted this spring grow and spread,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin.
This project was made possible through support from several funders, including the City of Wilmington, DuPont Clear Into the Future, DNREC through a grant from the Community Environmental Project Fund, and Healthy Communities Delaware. Healthy Communities Delaware funding was received through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities (CDC-RFA-OT-21-2103), as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021.
“We are so excited to see this new outdoor classroom, which was collaboratively designed and created with the community,” said Kate Dupont Phillips, Executive Director for Healthy Communities Delaware. “Healthy Communities Delaware invests in building neighborhood assets to improve the vital conditions for health & well-being. Our wellbeing is influenced by the communities in which we live, and this is a great example of a ‘multi-solving solution’— it improves the environment, provides learning opportunities, and creates space for social connection, all of which improve community and individual well-being.”
“DuPont Clear Into the Future is proud to join with our community partners and support the new outdoor classroom that will help educate and engage students at William Lewis Elementary School,” said Mary Reinthal, Scientist. “At DuPont, we know that kids thrive when they learn in dynamic and vibrant environments, and our grant support will help create green infrastructure in Cool Spring Park where students and the community will experience the natural beauty of rain gardens, wetlands buffer areas, bioswales, and meadows to manage increases in stormwater and flooding.”
So, if you visit Cool Spring Park, here are a few more rules to remember: Ask questions; nature answers. Clean up and leave only footprints. Touch, feel, and explore. Climb rocks, hug trees, and be kind.
STRONG COMMUNITIES: C2.2 / C2.3 / C2.4
