Kids help develop conservation area

The sign at the Gempp conservation area

Fifth graders from Sappington Elementary School are helping to develop a local conservation area near their school. Their latest project is to add a butterfly garden.

That’s just the latest development in the Claire Gempp Davidson Conservation Area in south St. Louis County. The area already has nature trails and a wetlands area.

The butterfly garden is part of a prairie that will feature only native Missouri plants.

Eleven-year-old Taylor Noce said a few weeks ago he and his classmates put in three to four hours on a butterfly garden. He said kids put in plants to house and feed butterflies.

Taylor Noce

He said teachers also “gave us bird feed and we put that in a bird feeder.” During a nature hike, he said he saw a bluebird and two cardinals. “I also saw a hawk’s nest,” he said.

The development of the Gempp conservation area was mentioned last month during an regional environmental awards dinner. The Gempp project was an entry in the school category of the 2004 Environmental Excellence Awards competition for Choose Environmental Excellence, Gateway Region (CEEGR).

The path to development of the Gempp site started in 1992 when land in an estate was donated to the Missouri Conservation Department. In turn, the MCD asked the City of Sunset Hills if it would take over development.

Madeline Sartorius

Sunset Hills officials recruited the Lindbergh School District to help make an outdoor science laboratory.

Sappington Elementary School Principal Joe Sartorius said, “If we hadn’t done something, the land would have been developed commercially and lost forever.”

Most conservation development has been in the last five years. The largest project was putting in an acre of wetlands. That includes a 200-foot earthen dam and a wooden boardwalk so kids can walk right over the wetlands.

Eleven-year-old Madeline Sartorius is the daughter of her school’s principal. She was on the work team to develop the butterfly park. “Each kid planted a tree or a plant all for the butterflies,” she said.

She also learned about the growth stages of a butterfly. That starts with a caterpillar, “who eats a lot and then makes a cocoon.” Later, the butterfly breaks out of the cocoon.

Will Richards

Ten-year-old Will Richards said he liked the nature hike that was included during their butterfly garden work experience. “I saw a salamander but he got away. I also saw the tail of a hawk,” the fifth grader added.

The Gempp conservation area is used throughout the year for ecology and science trips.

Also, kids will be helping with future development. Recent developments include covering the nature trails with material to make them handicapped-accessible.

There are interpretive signs that explain different parts of the area. Then, every years, kid crews go through the pull weeds and clean up trails.

All of the Sappington kids said they enjoy playing in the outdoors.

Will said, “I like to explore the creek that is practically in our backyard.” He said in the summer, he hunts crawdads in the creek. “We only eat the claw meat. The rest we use for bait when we go fishing,” he said.

The boardwalk in the wetlands area

Madeline said she has a pond in her yard, along with three bird houses and a birdbath. “We also have woods right behind our yard,” she said.

Asked about keeping the two birdfeeders filled, she said, “That’s my dad’s job.”

Taylor Noce said his family has a backyard garden, with both flowers and vegetables. He said he likes to eat vegetables and “fresh from the garden is best.” He said the cherry tomatoes are likely to be the first home-grown vegetables he’ll get to eat this summer.

Will Richards said his family had a garden when they lived in Houston, Tex. “But, since we moved here, we have two dogs,” he said.

When they tried a garden in St. Louis, “ the dogs trashed it.” As soon as the flowers bloomed, the dogs dug up the plants. He said they liked the white flowers the best.

He said the family does have two mulberry bushes. They use the berries to make pies “if we can pick them before the bluebirds get them,” he said.

The kids say they try to improve the environment with recycling at school and at home.

Sappington School has a recycling program for the kids’ work papers. At home, the kids recycle newspapers as well as aluminum cans.