St. Paul High School is the smallest of six high schools located in Wise County, Virginia. The students from the Appalachian Ecology and Physics classes decided to create Team Estonoa. The primary goal of this new organization was the preservation and protection of Wetlands Estonoa. This natural wetland area serves as a buffer zone for the Clinch River, which is the primary water source for the town of St. Paul. In order to address the issues concerning the wetland, the team developed an action plan to restore the wetland in four phases.

In Phase One, the group focused their efforts on removing exotic species from the site. They planted over 300 wetland plants and developed a walking path around Lake Estonoa. The students were also able to secure three conservation easements from private landowners and the town of St. Paul. These important land acquisitions would allow the area to serve as an environmental buffer and would help to facilitate educational access.

In Phase Two, Team Estonoa constructed two footbridges and a large span bridge along the trail. They also constructed a floating dock to provide additional access to the wetlands and have secured the architectural design for a new learning center. In order to increase public awareness about the Estonoa Wetlands, the team developed and mailed project literature to nineteen schools in a five county area. In the spring of 2001, the team began posting water quality data on the GLOBE website and had plotted 2,500 data points by April of 2002.

In Phase Three, construction on the learning center will begin. Team Estonoa has been able to successfully secure three major grants to fund the building project. They received a $100,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program, a $29,600 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, and an $8,000 donation from American Electric Power. The group plans to create a native plant arboretum and a special interpretive area that will illustrate the gradual transition from an upland forest to a riparian forest.

Every year, new students are encouraged to join the team and work to improve the wetlands. Team Estonoa hopes to create educational workshops and activities that will benefit students, teachers, and their neighbors for years to come. The Estonoa Landscaping Project incorporates youth empowerment and service learning into environmental preservation. The project teaches the importance of organizational skills, community involvement, teamwork, and provides students with the confidence to affect positive change. Their commitment and resolve can be clearly seen by reading the message that they wear on their team shirts, "Remember when you were young and thought you could change the world? We are!"

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation stated, "The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is pleased to support the Estonoa Landscaping Project in developing a comprehensive plan to restore the historical wetland system in their community. This student-led effort embodies the Foundation's mission of promoting the conservation of native ecosystems through an array of partnerships. The Foundation applauds the commitment of Team Estonoa to an integrated approach to wetland restoration."