New rain garden installed on The Ridges grounds
The newest addition on the grounds of The Ridges, a 100-square foot rain garden installed near the Child Development Center, was a collaborative effort among students, 工作人员, and faculty at the 沃伊诺维奇学校 of Leadership and Public Affairs.
Rain gardens help divert storm water from storm sewers and allow for the rain water to infiltrate into the ground naturally.
The project was spearheaded by the 沃伊诺维奇学校’s Energy and Environment team, the Environmental Studies program at the 沃伊诺维奇学校, several units within newbb电子平台’s Facilities Management, and the Child Development Center. Funding for the project was provided by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Section 319 of the Clean Water Act grant.
To be finished in May 2018, the rain garden will be composed of more than 15 different plant species, including types adapted to wetland habitats such as sedges, rushes and several other flowering plants, according to 沃伊诺维奇学校 environmental specialist Nicole Kirchner. Kirchner was instrumental in planning the design, 位置, plant selection and coordination of various partners on the project.
珍妮Brancho, a first-year master’s candidate in the Environmental Studies program (MSES), organized and facilitated the rain garden installation, under Kirchner’s leadership. A recent graduate from Kent State University, Brancho studied environmental and conservation biology, with a concentration in environmental policy and management, before joining the 沃伊诺维奇学校 MSES cohort in fall 2017. She has worked closely on this project’s design, along with other watershed restoration work for the 沃伊诺维奇学校 and Raccoon Creek 合作伙伴hip，从那时起.
“I think the rain garden is a meaningful, and really enjoyable project for me because I’m very passionate about water quality,”布兰奇说。. “I think there is a disconnect in many communities between their everyday actions and pollution in rivers, so I think the rain garden is a great way to make that connection with really young children and their parents.”
Fellow MSES candidate and graduating second-year 布鲁克·斯托克斯 helped complete the installation. “Storm water and greywater use/reuse are great ways to reduce water consumption, and I think it’s great that we are working to incorporate these concepts into University buildings,斯托克斯说.
The rain garden will provide local ecological benefits to The Ridges ecosystem, as well as house a memorial. A plaque on-site will commemorate Patrick Murphy, a student at the Child Development Center who passed away just after his second birthday in March 2017.
“We hope to have this be a lasting memorial to him,” said Dr. 娜塔莉·克鲁斯, an associate professor at the 沃伊诺维奇学校 and member of the Parent Advisory Board with the Child Development Center.
The Child Development Center’s Parent Advisory Board is accepting donations towards Patrick’s memory stone and plaque, as well as funds towards replacement plants in the future. 联系 the Child Development Center at 740.593.1819 for more information.