Wetlands Edge

  Environmental Center

 
Visitors' Guide

PLEASE NOTE:   Regular school programs at Wetlands Edge Environmental Center only serve school groups from Decatur City Schools and other public school districts, except for occasional public offerings.  Individuals and/or public groups such as garden clubs, scout troops, birders, etc. who wish to use the trails within bp's wildlife habitat are asked to contact Harlow Fikes at 340-5489.  The availability of bp's Wildlife Habitat for use by the public is subject to the current alert level desginated by America's Office of Homeland Security. Please refer to the REGULATIONS section below for additional information.  Information regarding the hours the trails can be used is posted at the trailheads.

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for your interest in WETLANDS EDGE ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER (WEEC). This guide provides basic information concerning the use of WEEC, including regulations and restrictions, program options, preplanning, and scheduling.  Undoubtedly, there are other questions not covered here that the visitor may wish answered.  If so, WEEC staff members will be available to provide further information upon request.  You may call the Center between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. 256-301-1559.  Further information, including FAQs, can be found by accessing WEEC's web site at www.weec.dcs.edu or by e-mail to Susan.Estes@dcs.edu

ABOUT WEEC

WEEC is the culmination of a partnership formed by bp and Decatur City Schools (DCS) to offer DCS students, students from other public school systems, bp employees and their families, and the public a chance to learn about nature "up close and personal." Located on 500+ acres of bp's award winning Certified Wildlife Habitat, WEEC offers students and teachers the opportunity to experience the joy and excitement of studying environmental-based concepts across the K-12 curriculum in a nontraditional setting using the outdoors as the classroom.  The property contains several different habitats including a wetland swamp, a marsh, a pond, grasslands, bottomland hardwoods, upland species, a young stand of pines, and an oak grove climax community all of which enhance the study of biodiversity.  More than two miles of trails traverse the property, and along the way visitors will find benches, picnic tables, and interpretive markers. Inside the Center are two classroom labs, a computer room, and more than 30 living habitats including two floor touch tanks, one marine, and the other freshwater.  Most of the exhibits contain flora and fauna native to North Alabama and to the entire state of Alabama.

REGULATIONS

School programs at WEEC are only available to teachers and students in Decatur City Schools and out-of-district public schools with the exception of a couple of special activities designed for a larger audience. The Center is not open to the general public except during special advertised activities. The Wildlife Habitat trails, which are bp property, are open to the public subject to the current alert level designated by the US Office of Homeland Security. 

WEEC is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM- 4:00 PM. Regular field trips are scheduled from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM. Tuesday through Friday. A full credit high school class in Environmental Field Studies meets daily beginning at 2:30 PM with other times scheduled for special activities. 

Please call the center to discuss group size as large groups cannot be easily accommodated.   Adequate adult supervision and group discipline is the responsibility of the teacher and accompanying chaperones and is to be maintained throughout the visit. Parents who would be required to bring preschool children should not be asked to chaperone. All rules in the Decatur City Schools' Code of Conduct are in effect.  All out-of-district public school students are also subject to their system's code of conduct.

The requested adult-to-child ratios for group visitation are as follows:

K - 2 = 1 : 5      3 - 5 = 1 : 8          6 - 8 = 1 : 15             9 - 12 = 1 : 25

Prior to visiting WEEC, teachers are asked to familiarize themselves and their students with the activity plans and preplanning suggestions if provided for their field trip.  Teachers bringing students needing special accommodations are asked to notify WEEC staff members prior to their scheduled field trip so that appropriate preparations may be made. Teachers must also bring any necessary emergency/medical information on the field trip.

All visitors to WEEC and the Wildlife Habitat are expected to practice good stewardship of the environment:  Mistreatment of the center and/or the Wildlife Habitat in any way is strictly prohibited. Collecting plants and animals from the habitat is generally prohibited. If a class activity warrants collecting it can only take place under the supervision of WEEC staff members.

CURRICULUM  PATHWAYS

Program for Out -of-District Public Schools:
Please call WEEC at 256-301-1559 to discuss available programs.  In general, programs will begin around 9:00 AM and last approximately three hours. Programs may include both indoor and outdoor components unless the weather is inclement.   All programs correlate to the National Science Standards, the Alabama Course of Study in Science, and the AHSGE. Implemented by the WEEC staff, programs are designed to provide valuable reinforcement to the regular classroom program and may serve to introduce, extend, enhance or culminate major units of study.  The program fee is $5 per student. Teachers and chaperones are not charged.  Payment arrangements may be made by calling Sandra Couch at 256-552-3000.

Programs for DCS students:
DCS teachers may choose program options within four different curriculum pathways: All programs and curriculum offerings are keyed to the National Science Standards, HASP/AMSTI, the Alabama High School Graduation Exam Standards, and the Alabama Course of Study in Science as well as in other disciplines. Implemented by the WEEC staff, each activity is designed to provide valuable reinforcement to the regular classroom program and may serve to introduce, extend, enhance or culminate major units of study.

Curriculum Pathways:
WEEC Staff-Led Activities:
• Grade-Level Based Programs: Programs in this pathway are broad based and complement the HASP/AMSTI units and the Alabama Course of Study for each specific grade level. (For details, click the appropriate grade:  K-5,  6-8,  9-12 .
• Theme-Based Programs: Topics in this pathway meet curriculum requirements for a specific grade but allow the classroom teacher and WEEC staff some leeway in tailoring a program to fit within a central theme identified by each teacher.
• "You Tell Us What You Want..." The visiting teacher provides WEEC staff members with the specific concepts s/he wants taught as an introduction, extension, enhancement, culmination, or infusion into his/her regular classroom offerings.
• "Do Your Own Thing:" Teachers who do not wish to take advantage of the staff-led programs but would like to utilize the Wildlife Habitat may develop and implement lessons on their own approved by the WEEC staff. ('Approved' here refers to making certain other groups are not scheduled to do the same thing at the same time as you plan to conduct your own program, etc.)

Non-School Programs: Occasionally during the year special programs will be offered to bp employees and their families and to the community at large. Information about these activities will be made available on the WEEC web site and calendar, and through other media.

Teacher Inservice: Inservice for teachers will be offered on a regular basis. Information about these opportunities will be available on the WEEC web site and calendar and through the Decatur City Schools Supervisor of Staff Development.

HOW TO REQUEST A SCHOOL FIELD TRIP

Complete instructions for using the online interactive application may be found by following the appropriate links on the School Field Trip Information web page within the Wetlands Edge Environmental Center website: www.weec.dcs.edu

PRE-PLANNING

Teachers are asked to observe the following planning suggestions prior to their visit. Additional information will be sent in advance of the field trip once reservations are confirmed.
• Familiarize one's self with the Visitors' Guide and all Field Trip Preparation Materials.

• For each student in your class, send home the Parent and Teacher Info Sheets, the school permission slip (DCS studetns only), and the bp liability release form to be signed by parents/guardians.

• To ensure student safety, please try to secure the minimum number of chaperones required. (See ratios in REGS Section.)

• Please notify WEEC staff in advance of your field trip if you have any students who require special accommodations so that appropriate preparations may be made.

• Advise all participants as to appropriate dress. Casual clothing (in general: long pants, heavy socks, comfortable walking shoes) is recommended. During the hotter months shorts may be acceptable depending on the activity. Insect repellent is advisable during certain seasons!

• Prepare a roster and name tags (printed 1" letters readable from a distance) for all students, teachers, and chaperones.
• Outline and discuss basic rules of behavior for the field trip.