Rain Gardens as a Tool to Reduce Runoff

/
0 Comments
A rain garden is a shallow depression that collects a few inches of rain water and allows it to be absorbed into the ground or by plants, instead of running off directly into nearby streams and lakes.

Plants and soil trap, absorb and filter pollutants found in stormwater runoff, including fertilizers, pesticides, oil, metals and pet waste.

Rain gardens help us:

  • improve water quality
  • increase the amount of water that filters into the ground, therefore recharging the aquifer
  • prevent flooding, erosion and drainage problems
  • protect stream and lakes from pollutants carried by urban stormwater
  • enhance the beauty of our community
  • provide valuable habitat for birds, frogs, butterflies and beneficial insects
Recently, I joined the Central Davidson horticulture and animal science students for an activity called Rain Garden in a Bottle. Students learn about rain gardens, how their made and why they're useful. Then, they get to make their own rain garden in a bottle using their choice of materials, including plants, soil, sand, clay, rocks, straw, moss and more. Lastly, students competed to see whose rain garden retained the most water and whose rain garden filtered water the best. 
Students assemble their materials in their bottles.

Students wait to see whose rain garden was the best as retaining and filtering water.




You may also like

About Post Author

Kalysha Clark is a recent graudate of North Carolina State University where she earned a Bachelor's of Science in Zoology and a minor in nonprofit studies. She is currently serving as a member of AmeriCorps and will return to NC State in January to begin her Master's program in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

No comments :

Powered by Blogger.

Hello!

Hello!

About me

I am a graduate of NC State University with a Bachelors of Science in Zoology and a minor in Nonprofit Studies.

I am currently a Master's Student at NC State studying Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Part of my thesis will focus on how state action plans and policies look at and incorporate climate change and land use change. I am highly interested in habitat use, movement ecology and behavior, and hope to study these during my Master's and, later, my PhD.

I am currently working on my North Carolina Environmental Education Certification.

My skills include: Radio telemetry, Camera Trap Installation and Calibration, Animal Handling, Data Entry and Management, Animal Husbandry, Animal Behavior, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Raptor Handling, Project Planning, Fundraising, Public Speaking, Time Management and Organization

Classes I'm Currently Taking

-Conservation Biology
-Quantitative Methods in Education
-Wildlife Seminar
-Resource Selection Functions

Current Projects

-Evaluating Efficacy of Conservation Planning in the Southeast
-Evaluating the Household Dynamics of Wildlife Value Orientations

Honors, Awards, and Certifications

-Bachelor of Science in Zoology, 2015
-Minor in Nonprofit Studies
-Dean's List, Spring 2012, Fall 2013
-Roots and Shoots Founders' Award, $100, 2012-2013
-Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation Certification, March 2013
-Visionary Leader Certificate, Spring 2012

Visits in the Last Month