BP America Donates $30,000 to Decatur City Schools Foundation for Wetland’s Edge

BP America and the BP Decatur Chemical site today donated $30,000 to the Decatur City Schools Foundation to support the Wetlands Edge Environmental Center (WEEC). A partnership formed 15 years ago between Decatur City Schools and BP, the Wetland Edge Environmental Center has provided an important educational mission, improving wildlife education in the heart of Decatur.Decatur City Schools Foundation believes that every student deserves a chance to succeed and that the future well being of our community starts with our schools. Educational opportunities such as Wetland’s Edge provide our students with an enhanced Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) experience to prepare our students to be competitive in science.

The Decatur City Schools (DCS) system serves more than 8,600 students in Decatur, Alabama. The district is composed of two high schools, three middle schools, and 12 elementary schools. WEEC has served over 60,000 students and adults from Decatur. The partnership provides environmental and conservation educational opportunities to students from the Decatur schools’ K-12 curriculum who visit the facility and the 530+ acre wildlife habitat. The Wetlands Edge Environmental Center and the hands-on learning opportunities that it offers have become part of a special curriculum that is unique to the Decatur City Schools’ educational experience.

The center houses numerous live displays, showcasing more than 70 native species. In addition, more than two miles of trails traverse the habitat, enabling visitors to see several diverse ecosystems, including a swamp, a marsh, a pond, bottomland hardwoods, upland species, a monoculture of young pines, and an old oak grove climax community.

As one of the largest taxpayers in Morgan County and an employer of over 430 employees, BP Decatur plays a vital role in the economic infrastructure of the region. Since the 1960s, the BP Decatur site has supported North Alabama organizations that provide advancements in areas of education, health, human services, and environmental awareness. More information on BP is available at www.bp.com.

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