On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, staff from Fairfax County’s Stormwater Management Program helped 68 Fairhill Elementary School fifth-grade students, their teachers, and a few administrators transform a bare dirt surface around a storm drain into a budding native garden.

1. A Fairfax County, VA, publication
Department of Public Works and Environmental Services
Working for You!
Fairhill Elementary School Planting Event – April 30, 2019
Revitalize, Restore, Replant (R3)
May 2, 2019

2. Revitalizing, Restoring, and Replanting Fairhill Elementary’s Playground
On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, staff from Fairfax County’s Stormwater Management Program
helped 68 Fairhill Elementary School fifth-grade students, their teachers, and a few
administrators transform a bare dirt surface around a storm drain into a budding native
garden.
Six hundred native plants were installed near the school’s playground in Fairfax, Va. The
hands-on learning event was provided by Revitalize, Restore, Replant! (R3), a program in
which students learn how native plants with long roots improve water quality by soaking up
excess nutrients and hold dirt in place better than turf grass.

3. Revitalizing, Restoring, and Replanting Fairhill Elementary’s Playground
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During recess many students expressed their excitement for this new space and took interest
in the project. The Friends of Accotink Creek also participated by educating students on the
importance of soils and exploring the life that healthy soil supports. This was the second R3
planting event this spring led by freshwater ecologists from the county’s Watershed Education
and Outreach section.

4. Storm drain before planting
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5. Danielle Wynne talks about native plants’ long roots
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6. Students install native plants
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7. Danielle helps students install plants
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8. Students look for life in a tub of soil
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9. Native plants are installed
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10. Teachers and administrators helped install plants
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11. Native plants enhance the area around the storm drain
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12. The Friends of Accotink Creek teach kids about healthy soil
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13. Storm drain after native plants installed
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14. Additional Information
For additional information, please contact
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks
The Watershed Education and Outreach Section
watersheds@fairfaxcounty.gov
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/stormwater/watershed-education-and-outreach
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