Littoral Society Works with Vineland School to Install Our Largest Rain Garden to Date

By Richard Strittmatter, American Littoral Society Delaware Bay R-Corps

Construction of a new rain garden is currently underway at the Compass Academy Charter School in Vineland, NJ. The project area used to be a stormwater basin. But now, it will be the largest rain garden the American Littoral Society will oversee to date.
 
Plans for demolition, backfilling, planting, and landscaping were developed in conjunction with the Association of New Jersey Environmental Conditions (ANJEC, a non-profit organization that helps New Jersey environmental commissions, individuals, local and state agencies preserve natural resources and promote healthy communities. 
 
After several days of hard work, the site was cleared of wild vegetation and filled with topsoil and mulch. Most of the remaining work will be to fill the rain garden with native plants.

This rain garden will serve a few purposes:

1. Like others the Littoral Society oversees, this one will capture rainwater and runoff to filter it of pollutants and prevent erosion;
2. It will also provide habitat and resources for important pollinators like bees, butterflies, and songbirds; and
3. It will serve as a living classroom for the students of Compass Academy.

 
Dawn Payne, a science teacher at Compass Academy, is excited to have her students outside in hands-on lessons focused on such things as ecosystems and the water cycle. Of special note is her plan to have the children raise monarch butterflies for the milkweed that will be planted in the garden.
 
These rain gardens are not one dimensional in their use. They can not only serve an important environmental role, while also being useful for education and community engagement.

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