Rain Garden Project 2007
THE PARTNERS

The Rain Garden Project is a partnership between Kenny Community School and several organizations and neighbors:
  • $4,000 Hennepin County- Department of Environmental Services through their grant program Natural Resource Incentives for Critical Habitat (NRICH)
  • $750 Minnesota Lake Ecology/Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Service-Learning Project
  • The Toro Company: volunteer labor and machinery in-kind
  • $500 Kenny Neighborhood Association
  • Kenny School & Neighborhood Volunteers in-kind donation time and labor
  • Professional services Landscape Architect in-kind donation
  • Professional services Master Gardener in-kind donation
  • Kenny School PTA plant donation
THE PROJECT

There are three components to the Rain Garden Project:

Creating Rain Gardens: There will be a series of three rain gardens on the east side of Kenny school to improve the school grounds and to collect rainwater and snow melt that currently drains to nearby Grass Lake and Minnehaha Creek.

Student Education: Students in 4th and 5th grade will learn about watersheds and the importance of protecting them by studying sources of pollution, soil testing, native plants, and garden planning. They will then put this knowledge to practice by evaluating the school site to determine the need for rain gardens, prioritizing where these gardens would be most beneficial. In groups, students will then design rain gardens that incorporate practices that promote a healthy environment and beautify the landscape.

Community Ground Breaking: The community groundbreaking celebration for the rain gardens is scheduled for the afternoon of May 12, 2007. This is a shared date for the annual Garden Day at Kenny Community School where students and their families, alumni, Kenny Neighborhood Garden Club and other community members come and ready the garden for spring. Tasks include weeding, edging, cutting back and dividing perennials, removing sod, moving rock, and installing new plant material.

The afternoon will be devoted to the Rain Garden Ground Breaking Celebration. There will be information tables on rain gardens for residential landscaping and water quality. Participants include Master Gardeners from the University of Minnesota Master Gardener Program who will have information on incorporating rain gardens in residential landscapes, The Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University will provide an exhibit titled WaterShed, REI's PEAK community outreach program will give presentations for children on" Leave No Trace" principles that help to minimize human impact while enjoying the outdoors. An artist from ArtStart will lead visitors in making sun hats using materials from their reuse store ArtScraps, Minneapolis Blooms will have information on their rain garden workshops. The celebration is still in the planning stage and will include more informational organizations.

THE BENEFITS

Kenny Community School environmental focus aims to enlarge the circle of stewards of our land. The Rain Garden Project provides tremendous learning opportunities for the students of Kenny Community School and our neighborhood residents. All participants will equally share in community building through partnerships with the efforts resulting in immediate and long-term benefits for our environment.

Installing rain gardens is a conservation effort with many benefits.

Kenny Community School
Current and future students will benefit from learning about water conservation, native plants and local wildlife firsthand in the garden. The beauty of the rain gardens will create a learning environment that is enriching and aesthetic. There are many wonderful learning moments planned and unplanned that take place in the garden. Ultimately this opportunity provides the children with the knowledge that their involvement in such a project can make a difference that reaches far beyond the schoolyard.

Kenny Neighborhood
Kenny Community School may be initiating the rain garden project but the entire community will benefit and will be invited to participate from the beginning. We hope to educate our neighbors, foster a sense of community and enhance the beauty of our neighborhood. It is our hope that the rain gardens will inspire stewardship in promoting conservation and set precedence in the community.

Natural Environment and Greater Community
Our planned rain gardens can produce substantial local and regional environmental benefits. Increasing the amount of water filtering into the ground recharges the groundwater and helps reduce the amount of pollutants that might end up in our lakes and streams. Reducing the volume of water flowing into the lakes and streams will reduce the erosion of the lakeshores and stream banks. Installing native plant materials will provide restorative natural green space and provide valuable wildlife habitat and food sources. Minnehaha Creek is our connection to the Mississippi River.

START AND END DATES
Classes on rain garden design, water and soil April-June
Design selected April 30
Materials purchased May 10
Demolition May 10 and 11
Rain garden installment to begin, Garden Day May12: 8:00am-12:00pm
Ground Breaking Celebration May 12: 12:30-2:00