range from hands-on experiences to administrative work .
All participants are required to find both a community mentor and a Loudoun Valley staff mentor for their project . FBRM was the community mentor for the Sleeter Lake project . The community mentor is responsible for guiding the student during the project .
Loudoun Valley ’ s Capstone team worked with FBRM and the staff mentor to review and approve FBRM ’ s plan for the Sleeter Lake project before the students were authorized to leave the school campus . As part of the project , the students prepared an excellent report on the project . The following sections quotes extensively from their report .
“ One of the first things we did was sample the soil using a soil auger . We found that the soil is sandy , which is ideal for water absorption , however the soil was nutrient deficient . With this information and guidance from Sustainable Solutions we picked plants best suited for the Sleeter Lake shoreline and added biochar , a natural fertilizer , to the soil to improve the nutrition . Biochar is made by burning biomass in the absence of oxygen . This converts the organic material into stable carbon which is used by the plants in photosynthesis .
“ We selected the site for our bioswale in part by rolling a ball down a hill and through the parking lot to imitate the flow of rainwater at the park . We found a site that will collect an optimal amount of runoff water from the surrounding area . We also calculated the size of the swale based upon the area of impervious surfaces around the site . We designed the swale to be 12 feet long , 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep , effectively collecting 24 square feet of water .” According to Peter Weeks , FBRM President , the project successfully accomplished its several objectives . Yes , it demonstrated what a bioswale is and how it can naturally help reduce runoff and keep pollution from waterways . Admittedly , the demonstration was on an exceedingly small scale , but it illustrated the concept and demonstrated the potential .
From FBRM ’ s perspective it is just as important that the project successfully achieved its other two objectives . It gave high school students real world experience working together and working with private firms to address an environmental problem . It also successfully brought together the private sector , government , a not-for-profit and the school system to focus on a specific community problem . All of us will continue to build from the lessons learned here .
Norman Myers is Vice President and Land Use Committee Chair of the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains ( FBRM ) and owner of Myers Appraisal Service . One of his specialties is appraising conservation easements , which is heavily promoted by FBRM . He has helped facilitate a portion of preservation of over 40,000 acres of land through the Virginia voluntary easement program . Larry Malone is the executive director of FBRM . Following a career in finance and city planning , he and wife Toni moved to Purcellville in large part for a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains . After many happy days backpacking along the Appalachian Trail in the Blue Ridge , they decided there was no better place to settle than at the base of the Blue Ridge .
Training Programs . We work with a wide range of horses and riders from those just started undersaddle to competing in the Grand Prixs with customized plans for each horse and rider .
Quality Horse Care . We take care of all the details involved in managing and caring for the horses to allow the horses to perform their best and allow their owners to focus on enjoying them .
Sales . We are happy to assist you in selling your horse or finding your next partner . We accept select horses on consignment .
www . bel-montfarm . com dornataintor @ gmail . com michelle . mahoney @ live . com
( 571 ) 334- 5295 Dorna ( 703 ) 835- 6859 Michelle