• School Projects—In conjunction with the Milton Public Schools and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), we are working to create outdoor classrooms (schoolyard habitats/gardens) at all Milton Public Schools. Our goal is to create easily accessible natural areas where students will have an opportunity to discover their connections with the natural world through hands-on experiences that will enhance all areas of the curriculum. To date, we have projects underway at three schools: Glover Elementary School, Tucker Elementary School, and Milton High School. Projects for the other schools are in the planning stages.

• Community-Wide Education Program—Since the outdoor classroom project began, it has grown in scope to include the entire community (adults as well as children). The goal of this part of the project is to teach Milton residents how to create natural habitats for birds and butterflies in their backyards, workplaces, parks, and public places. The project will also provide education on water conservation practices (use of rain barrels, etc.), composting, the use of pesticide/herbicide alternatives, and the benefits of using native plants (which require less maintenance and water than exotic species, as well as providing food sources for birds). The community-wide project has been made possible by a $24,000 grant that the NWF received from EPA, which is allowing us to do the following:

Provide workshops to teach Milton residents how to create and enhance natural habitats for birds and butterflies. We already held a presentation in November and will be holding another in the spring.

Train volunteer Habitat Stewards who will help implement the outdoor classrooms at the schools, work with the town to educate residents and beautify public places, and provide assistance to anyone who needs it (choosing native plants that attract birds, installing birdfeeders, etc.).  Some of the projects that we hope Habitat Stewards will work on include developing wildflower meadows and habitat areas in our parks, traffic islands, libraries, the hospital, and long-term care facilities. The free Habitat Steward training will be held this spring, as shown on the attached flyer.

Hold a NWF teacher training session this spring to show Milton Public School teachers and parents how to create outdoor classrooms.

Provide an identical teacher training session for private schools in Milton (including preschools) to encourage them to create outdoor classrooms as well.

The ultimate goal is to get NWF habitat certification for our entire community. We hope to be the first community in New England to get this status. (There are only 6 NWF-certified communities in the entire U.S.) In order to become certified, we need to certify the following with the NWF: 150 backyard habitats, 5 outdoor classrooms at schools and 5 public sites, workplaces, and/or parks.

The Milton Outdoor Classrooms project will have many benefits to our community. It will:

• Encourage a sense of community—people banding together to learn about and help the environment;
• Give Milton a positive focus;
• Provide a way to involve residents in beautifying public parks and buildings, such as the Milton Public Library, Council for Aging, town hall, Kelly Field, etc.;
• Recognize Milton as a leader in environmental education;
• Teach our children and residents to love their natural surroundings so that they will protect our environment; and
• Put Milton on the map as a NWF-certified community wildlife habitat.