The Clarkston Watershed group hopes interested volunteers will show up in the city’s downtown area Saturday, June 9 with shovels, trowels and gloves to help install a new garden in celebration of River Day.
The group will work between 9 a.m.-1 p.m. to install native plants and flowers along the Mill Pond parking lot located at the corner of Main Street and Washington.
Storm water runoff from the adjacent parking lot has caused erosion and sedimentation in the pond, but native plantings, say group members, will assist in stabilizing the area and deter further damage.
‘It’s not a rain garden, but the idea is similar,? said Trish Hennig, owner of American Roots Native Plants and Wildflowers, who is a member of the Watershed Group. ‘We’ll start along the fence and move in a southerly direction, using plants that will serve as a buffer to absorb storm water before it flows into the pond.?
The project was made possible through a grant from Oakland Native Partnership Initiative.
The Initiative aims to ensure native plantings are designed, executed, and maintained into the future with strong commitment and informed respect for the land.
Clarkston was awarded the grant in 2006 as well, for the installation of the rain garden near the city offices at Depot Park.
The Depot Park rain garden, located near the village offices, is a collection of native plants set in the drainage path from the village parking lot to the park Millrace and Clinton River, a design that helps prevent storm water runoff from dumping pollutants into the river.
The garden was funded by a $750 grant from Oakland Native Partnership Initiative. The grant is meant to pay for native plantings and other measures to prevent runoff, as well as encourage public concern for water and shorelines.
River Day is an annual event coordinated by the Clinton River Watershed Council, a non-profit organization working to protect, enhance and celebrate the Clinton River, its watershed and Lake St. Clair.
Communities throughout the area plan events for the day, including fishing derbies, kids? crafts, nature hikes, park clean-ups, and other stewardship projects.
The Clarkston Watershed Group is working in cooperation with the River of Life, North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy, and Women’s Farm and Garden Club during Saturday’s event.
Facilitators ask volunteers to park in the lot on the east side of the intersection at Main and Washington.
Food and refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Laura Gruzwalski of the Clarkston Watershed Group at 248-454-6856.