The Clarkston Watershed Group was filled with renewed energy Wednesday as three UM students returned to discuss their developing ideas for Depot Park.
The students, all a Master’s of Landscape Architecture candidates at the UM School of Natural Resources and Environment, have been working with the watershed group since last spring to develop a master plan for the park and other designated areas of the city.
The group plans to focus the majority of available resources on the park, which serves as a focal point of the community as well as a staging area for many of Clarkston’s traditional evens – summer concerts, art fairs, a local farmers market, and the annual village picnic.
Combining ecological design with aesthetics to make the park a pleasant and educational place for its many events and users, the students said, would help develop the park into an ecological showcase to help demonstrate environmentally sound practices residents can use at home.
Low-impact development’ecologically sensitive design configured to minimize the impact of humans on the environment’is key in the concepts and ideas the group is working on.
The students showed group members a preliminary handbook likely to be part of their final presentation. The book, A homeowner’s guide to the watershed, offers photos, diagrams, maps, graphs and useful information about protecting the watershed.
The students also discussed the possibilities of solar sculptures to promote alternate energy sources and off-set long-term energy costs to the city.
Additional ideas for Depot’s ‘impaired and underutilized? 36-acre wetlands, including possibilities for an environmental education center, amphitheatre, and environmentally friendly boardwalk through the marshy area, could be included in the groups final presentation.
In their presentation, the students also told the group Depot Park’s close proximity to Main Street could be utilized to draw more people into the park to see the ‘ecological showcase.?
The group would also like to expand on projects and ideas already implemented by the Watershed Group.
‘We’re interested in using more rain gardens,? said Susie Mattke-Robinson, one of the group’s three students. ‘The existing rain garden is doing a pretty good job at handling a lot of the storm water run off coming right from the parking lot.?
The 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.
However, she said, improvements could be made with a few alterations to the parking lot.
Mattke-Robinson, along with fellow students Stephen Layton and Eric Bauer, a 2000 Clarkston High graduate, also discussed concepts such as alternative lawns, rain barrels, and native plantings’including what types of native plants to use, and showing residents how to display native plants to look more like a traditional garden.
The Watershed Group’community volunteers interested in maintaining or improving the environmental quality of the Clinton River watershed’hopes a master plan for Depot Park will promote community awareness and interest, and therefore help to secure funding.
The group hopes to implement the final master plan, though it will likely be a gradual process.
The students will likely make another appearance in January with their final presentation in March or April 2008.