Municipal solid waste landfills are convenient means of disposing of society's waste; once closed, they become a liability to the community due to attributes which contribute to soil and water contamination. Regulations state that adequate vegetation be used to maintain the integrity of the soil trash cover. Alternatives to leaving a landfill derelict include establishing meadow-type communities that enrich floristic diversity while providing adequate cover to protect the soil cap over the trash. In 1993, an experimental study was conducted at the Roanoke Regional Landfill where a mixture of native wildflowers and grasses and the standard revegetation mixture were sown on plots on varying aspects at the landfill. In 1993, the plots sown with the native mixture had a higher average species richness than the plots planted with the native mixture. Plots with the standard revegetation mixture had higher cover than plots planted with the native mixture. In 1993 and 1994, an observational study was conducted at the Chancellorsville landfill in Spotsylvania county. Wildflowers had been seeded on part of the landfill in 1992. It was observed that the wildflower mixture decreased in species richness. The areas revegetated with the standard revegetation mixture had high richness due to the presence of invasive plants. Average cover over time was higher in areas planted with the standard revegetation mixture. Without regulations quantifying standards for aboveground cover, other methods should be implemented to determine to what extent revegetation mixtures are maintaining the integrity of a soil cap. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to observe high school students as they progressed through a Science-Technology-Society (STS) project that involved the closing of a landfill. In this STS project, students investigated the best vegetation for reseeding a closed landfill. This project was initiated because a highway was to be built across the landfill to Explore Park. The director of Explore Park requested an experimental vegetation instead of the standard vegetation mixture. He wanted a vegetation that was aesthetically pleasing and environmentally acceptable. The study investigated the involvement of students in the construction of knowledge of local environmental issues. Students shared their perceptions about the STS process through interviews, journal entries, a questionnaire, field notes, and written artifacts. All data were transcribed and coded for themes. Ethnographic methods were used to tell this story in twelve vignettes. The results of this study are important because they show how educators can use local issues to build classroom curriculum. Students became actively involved in the learning process as they advanced through identified STS instructional goals. The first goal was the Foundations Level. Basic content associated with landfill management and revegetation issues were introduced. Facts about garbage and the need for reducing, reusing, and recycling were investigated. The second goal was the Issue Awareness Level. This goal included becoming involved, identifying the players, and investigating values and beliefs. The third goal was the Investigation and Evaluation Level. Students were exposed to concepts and strategies necessary to investigate and analyze the issues and evaluate alternative solutions. This level encompassed designing plant experiments. The fourth goal was the Citizenship Responsibility Level. Students were introduced to strategies necessary for making responsible decisions concerning solutions to the issues. The conclusions of this study suggest that for many students, the teaching of science through local technological and societal issues allowed them to become actively engaged in the learning process. Students who took ownership of their investigations created opportunities to enhance self-esteem, made connections, and enhanced their knowledge of scientific investigations and scientific content in the context of real life issues. / Ph. D.