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AISD Opens 'First of a Kind' Outdoor Learning Center

courtesy Austin ISD

The Austin school district is opening a district-wide outdoor learning center this evening next to Pleasant Hill Elementary school in South Austin. The quarter-acre center (PDF) includes 150 species of native plants, 22 habitat sites and a rainwater harvesting system.

Marya Fowler with the National Wildlife Federation says it’s the first of its kind in Central Texas.

“Children today are so disconnected from nature, and when students learn in the outdoors, they tend to be more focused and they tend to grasp concepts a lot more quickly and retain them because the learning is hands-on,” Fowler said.

The habitat cost about $55,000 and was paid for with help from corporate grants and individual donors.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion-dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on X @KUTnathan.
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