Middle School Goes Hands-on at Orcas Transfer Station

 — by Margie Doyle, corrected March 25 at 7:30 p.m. —

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The entire Orcas Island Middle School dug in — literally — to the newly constructed bioswales at the Orcas Transfer Station to replant the area so that it can function to remediate the wetlands.

Pete Moe, Executive Director of the Orcas Recycling Service / The Exchange (ORS) said the planting effort was part of the reconstruction of the roads at the site. County regulations included revisions to the the stormwater plans at the county-owned site, which the ORS is leasing. The plan was designed pro bono by Conservation District Engineer Tom Slocum. Gardener and artist Marguerite Greening organized the effort, as part of the Capital Construction campaign to raise the $375,000-plus still needed to construct a new Exchange building on the site.

Science teacher Laura Tidwell learned of the call for hands to work on the project, and recruited the other Orcas Middle School teachers, Kelly Carpenter and Phil Carter, to bring the kids to the Orcas Transfer Station on Wednesday morning, March 23. Laura Tidwell said, “We’ve been studying bio-remediation in science class and this is a very important project — for the community, and to understand the science behind what we’re doing and get fresh air and exercise!”

When the school bus dropped off the three dozen or so students, Marguerite Greening, her husband Chuck Greening, ORS Director Pete Moe, Jason Ontjes and Matthew Hamilton were already working in the grey, drizzly weather to excavate and plant snowberry and salmonberry plants, sword ferns, conifer trees and other plants in the two bioswales.

Pete Moe was gratified by the teachers’ response and the kids’ hard work, and welcomes anyone who’d like to help with similar projects in the future to contact him at info@exchangeonorcas.org