The main purpose of the outdoor classroom is to help teach students. The area would encompass about five acres of land from the parking lot of the high school to Hwy. 78 and would include a wetland ecosystem and forest ecosystem, with a focus on Alabama species. Swift plans to complete the project in phases as money allows.
He has already earned a grant from the Leeds Education Foundation to plant 18 trees, and he has planted 200 saplings, which were made possible through donations from Fred Capps, Alagasco and the Alabama Forestry Commission.
His goal now is to get feedback and ideas from those within the Leeds community. He is also looking for volunteers to help with the project.
The Leeds Historical Society, a nonprofit organization founded in 1998, meets on the second Sunday of each month. For more information, see the society’s Website at
www.leedshistoricalsociety.org
