host posted on September 09, 2010 13:09
A Raingarden was planted Friday, April 30th, at Trippe Lake Park Shelter in Whitewater, WI. It was funded through a grant called Freshman for Freshwater given by the Regional Workforce Alliance of Southeastern Wisconsin. The goal of this grant is to introduce freshman and other students to water quality related issues within our region. Linda Reid, associate professor of business law at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater secured the grant and had the idea of creating the rain garden to prevent rainwater runoff from a newly constructed picnic pavilion from entering Trippe Lake. Linda contacted Chris Kaplan, Project Manager with Tallgrass Restoration, to assist with the rain garden design and installation. The Raingarden installation was planned for Make-A-Difference Day, which is a national day of helping others held annually each spring. The goal is to clean up the city of Whitewater while building relationships between the citizens of the community.
The crew, which consisted primarily of UW-Whitewater students, staff, and members of the Whitewater Parks Department, created the depression to store the runoff, installed over 1,350 native prairie/wetland plants, created a boulder retaining wall, and mulched the entire area. At one point there were over 20 students digging, hauling, planting, interacting, and all the while learning about the benefits of water infiltration and the planting of native species. The event provided students a hands-on learning experience while benefiting the water quality of the nearby lake and beautifying the landscape for generations of park goers.