What is Lake Stewards?

Lake Stewards is a MWEE program for ninth-grade Environmental Science students that focuses on hands-on, place-based learning.  Lake Stewards utilizes a learner-led, inquiry-based framework for a meaningful watershed educational experience. MWEEs are intended to empower students to be informed on local environmental issues and contribute to solutions in the community. Since Mariners’ Lake is a part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the program guides students in understanding how watersheds are interconnected with the surrounding environment.

During this program, students and teachers learn ways to protect our fragile watershed and are empowered to become leaders of community solutions. A unique student-led action project caps off the experience and fosters a sense of stewardship among our students. Lake Stewards supports students’ academic achievement and understanding of the Chesapeake Bay through hands-on experiences that demonstrate environmental stewardship as an individual responsibility.

Lake Stewards students and teachers grow and plant native eelgrass (Vallisneria americana) in Mariners’ Lake to help improve water quality through substrate stabilization and increased oxygen production. The long-term goal is to send improved water into the James River, and by extension, the rest of the watershed. As the program continues to evolve, The Mariners’ Team is excited to provide a new experience for our local students and teachers.  

As our Team gears up for year six of the program, we are excited to shift the focus of Lake Stewards from a reactive response to watershed health to a proactive one. Starting in the spring of 2027, students will plant native plants in Copeland Field to create a wildflower meadow. These plants will not only support other wildlife but will continue the work of improving the health of the watershed by filtering out pollution from runoff.

NNPS TV – This Just IN:
May 2022: James River Association and Mariners’ Museum were featured.