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Wetlands Enrichment Tours Wetland’s Enrichment Tours, or WET, is a newly designed educational program aimed at bringing the Hermitage’s living shoreline restoration to life for Norfolk Public School students. The program, offered to students in grades four through six, teaches what a wetland is, creatures and features of wetlands, why wetlands are important, and the flood buffering and filtering effects of wetlands.
The program consists of a vocabulary activity that will equip students with working terminologies used in describing wetlands, a hands-on activity where students build a wetlands model and record experiment findings in addition to the opportunity to see, touch and smell the native plants living and growing in the Hermitage wetlands and buffer areas. Key vocabulary terms in this program include erosion, invasive plants, phragmites, water table, habitat, hydrophytes, living shoreline, sediment and pollution. The cost of the program is $4 per student and meets the following Virginia SOL requirements:
We invite you and your students to join us for this exciting new program. Transportation assistance is available to some schools. For more information on Wetland’s Enrichment Tuesdays, including program content and date reservations, please contact Public Programs at (757) 423-2052 x 203. This program is sponsored in part by:
The Lafayette River wraps around the Hermitage on three sides, providing not only a beautiful backdrop to walk through the gardens, but a natural habitat for hundreds of plants and animals. Over the years as nearby development increased bulk-heading, the Lafayette changed its currents and washed away most of the original wetlands, submerging 2 acres. The Wetlands Restoration Project has been underway in an effort to add 5,265 square feet of native tidal wetlands, to restore 6,375 square feet of wetlands, and to restore 11,635 square feet of riparian buffer, which together will act as a natural filtration system, improving water quality in the Lafayette River, a major tributary of the Elizabeth River.
The Hermitage was recognized for its achievements in January of 2008, receiving “Model Level” status from the Elizabeth River Project’s River Stars Program. This level, the program’s highest, was awarded to the museum for its efforts in creating a new “living shoreline” comprised of an oyster reef, riparian buffer, and wetlands. The award also reflects the educational efforts of the museum involved in the restoration over the past year, including student plantings, community clean ups, and volunteer oyster bed enhancements. Additionally, efforts have been made to reduce the number of herbicides and pesticides used in the gardens by 50%. In December 2008, the Hermitage was recognized as a 'Sustained Distinguished Performance River Star'. This represents the completion of significant new initiatives by a River Star and was earned for the museums's continued efforts in habitat enhancement, pollution prevention, and community outreach and education. The 180 foot boardwalk, stretching across the tidal marsh area on the east side of the property, completes the Wetlands Restoration Project that began in March of 2006. The boardwalk is open to the public and can be accessed from a path off the main drive or through entrances in the East Garden.
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