Mertzon Elementary Students Unite In Community Project to Better the Environment

An ambitious group of young scholars gathered in the Irion County Elementary School Courtyard Monday morning for an outdoor project to benefit the community. As the children sat in a semicircle, guest speakers, Retired Army Veteran Dan Flournoy, Lloyd Tankersley, and local "Native Ornamentals" Nursery owner Steve Lewis educated and reiterated what the children's science teachers have been instructing in class over the last few weeks.  

Tankersly said, "Twenty years ago, over one billion Monarch butterflies migrated from the Northern United States down into Mexico." To show the decline in the species, he had a 50-75-foot-long red rope to signify the amount. Tankersley asked if anyone could guess how many Monarch butterflies were around now. One child stood at the halfway mark. Tankersly said, "That was a good guess," but then cut off a piece of the rope, around 12" long saying, "No, this is how much." The children gasped realizing that it was such a huge decline in the species. He then asked if anyone knew why. 

One child said, "It's because we are destroying their habitat," and all agreed we have to do our part to help in population regeneration.

Lewis explained the importance of the various life cycles from the butterflies, birds, bees in pollination, and food sources and how they affect our crops.  

"The average butterfly will fly one mile per hour and has a life span of only 6 weeks to 2 months, so it is important they keep reproducing," said Lewis. "One single butterfly cannot make the journey alone."

This is where today's activity and the students' help came into play.  

  
Alexis Jackson, 4th-6th grade Science teacher said, "There are milkweed plants and host plants being planted today. The butterflies will lay their eggs; their caterpillars will feed on the milkweed, turn into the pupa/cocoon, and then, when they are born, get their nectar from the host plants."

Overall, 120 kids took part in the planting, and 150 milkweed plants were provided for the kids to take home and plant as well.

"I'm amazed, and it is a great testimony to us as teachers that they take responsibility and part, showing they're proud by listening and learning," said Jackson. "A lot of the plants are from this area and drought tolerant. They will die off in the winter and come back in Spring, and we will be monitoring them." 

The guest speakers then took questions from the audience, and offered 'factoids.' Aydin O'Brien, soon-to-be 3rd grader, described the difference between the Viceroy and Monarch Butterflies.  

"The Viceroy has a line across its wings, which are darker than a Monarch's wings," said O'Brien.

For his summer vacation, O'Brien said he plans on spending time practicing football, and when asked if he would be coming to the school on his off time to tend to the plants, he said with a grin, "Maybe."

One of the speakers used sauerkraut as an example for one response, and a few minutes later, the speaker asked if there were any more questions. In deep thought and contemplation, second grader Ryan Anthony Kolton raised his hand, stood front and center and asked, "What is sauerkraut?" It was an ice breaker for the tension and anxiety because of the task all were about to embark in.  

Children were led in groups, by their chaperones, to organized prepared flower beds and the planning of the layout and digging began. Initially, some students watched, but then joined in. Smiles, laughter and busy hands were displayed throughout the area for the next hour.

Flournoy, now perched on a bench, said, "I have been involved for many years with the Texas Wildlife Association and think educating kids about the outdoors is very important. These kids are fortunate to live out in the country.  I live in Houston and there is so much cement; developers kind of run the city." Looking towards the children scrambling to dig holes in excitement as they worked in teams to plant the milkweed and host plants, Flournoy said, "Look at that; this is so great!"

Flournoy added that he, the Game Warden, Justin Jackson and Justin's wife Alexis came up with the idea a couple of years ago, and they recruited Lewis.

"My wife Ruth is the head of the Houston Arboretum, and our daughter Sarah is head of the Belaire Nature Center," said Flournoy. "Their work has inspired me to get involved as I'm really worried about the habitat, especially the pesticides we're putting on everything."

Ruth added, "It's mostly the herbicides. People use Round Up like crazy; it's not healthy for humans and it kills a lot of things, even the milkweed." She added that an alternative environmentally safe product is full-strength vinegar for nuisance weeds between cracks and stones in their ornamental landscapes. She said she is hoping these kids will also learn to be more "organic," rather than learn to rely on so many chemicals.

Overall, this small group of elementary kids made a big difference today helping out Mother Nature and their community. Flournoy said he'd "like to do more events such as this."

"It's good for the kids to be aware of their environment and how we all can help its need to be sustained," he stated.