Spreading Understanding of Water Problems and Solutions
This spring, Friends of Bolin Creek teamed up with AP Environmental Science students from Chapel Hill High School to promote rain gardens as a final class project. Skyler, Kat and Bryanna brought many strengths to this project, including artistry, excellent research skills, tenacity and enthusiasm. After researching rain gardens and their functions to capture and clean storm water, improve infiltration to groundwater, provide wildlife habitat and add an aesthetic element to the landscape, the students gained first hand experience by working to maintain their school rain garden.
This garden, a joint project undertaken by the Town of Chapel Hill, CHHS, NC State and Friends of Bolin Creek, was badly in need of some weeding! Skyler, Kat and Bryanna put in 6 hours each of weeding this garden, digging out over 20 bags of invasive species and other weeds. In the midst of this grunt work, the students completed the impressive aesthetic component of their project. Inspired by the potential beauty of rain gardens, the students painted an acrylic landscape piece which they donated to Friends of Bolin Creek.
In their painting, they captured the role of rain gardens to offset the impervious surfaces of the urban landscape, the power of deep roots to provide a cleansing pathway for runoff to rejuvenate groundwater, and the overall beauty rain gardens provide to our landscapes. We will use this lovely painting to create educational materials about rain gardens in support of our Homeowners Raingarden Initiative. We will also be auctioning off the original painting to raise funds for this Initiative. Thank you Skyler, Kat and Bryanna for your amazing efforts in support of Friends of Bolin Creek and our environment!
