Kelowna

Photo: Contributed - Wikipedia: Matt Young

The underside of a Western painted turtle.

One local school has been named as a recipient of the World Wildlife Foundation’s Green Community School Grants Program.

Ecole KLO Middle School was one of six BC schools to win the Fall 2012 honour for their Fascieux Creek Restoration and Wetland Habitat Enhancement project.

A group of endangered Western Painted turtle eggs were discovered in the school’s long jump sandpit and some concerned students stepped forward.

The creek that bisects the school’s property had been covered with concrete pads when the school was built, which destroyed some of the turtles natural habitat. The adult turtles continued to return to the area to lay their eggs, but the hatchlings were no longer able to easily re-enter the creek.

The sandpit has since been fenced off to protect the turtles and the eggs, and students have also begun to restore the habitat by planting gardens and installing nesting boxes.

Each school received up to $5,000 in grant money to complete their projects.