Botanist Aimee Weber Supervised The Planting. The rain garden plot plantings were coordinated by Aimee Weber, a volunteer botanist with rain garden installation experience. Aimee helped develop the plant order, picked up the plants, and worked with her plans and the plans of landscape architect Jenny Morgan and four Master Gardeners and the installing volunteers to come up with the final layouts. She was one busy person trying to keep up with so many helpers and so many different plants going in so many different locations.
Earlier Plot Preparation. Before the planting could begin, volunteer plants that were emerging from the rain garden area had to be transplanted, weeds had to be removed, and the plots had to be rake graded. The plot designs were laid out earlier and the three paths separating four of the demonstration areas were covered with wood chips. And prior to that Parks Department had the parking lot center area prepared with the amended soils required for rain gardens. In other words there was lots of work that had to be done before the actual planting, by a number of different groups that was finally completed by the Saturday's volunteers.
Over 300 Native Plants Planted. The number of native plants that were planted on Saturday numbered over 300, which included some sword ferns that came from the Illahee Preserve. The number of different species is about 20. Because of security issues the taller native species rain garden plants were not installed. Note that there will likely be other native plant species eventually planted in the representative species plot at a later date.
Rain Garden Interpretive Signs Later. Now that the Rain Garden is essentially complete the planning for the interpretive signs will begin. There are eight interpretive signs being planned to describe and promote rain gardens for area residents.
Demonstration Rain Garden Authorized by DOE/Port Grant. The demonstration part of the rain garden is authorized as part of Port of Illahee/Department of Ecology grant Parametrix report that found bio-retention facilities (or rain gardens) would help both with storm water and aquifer issues.
Rain Garden Plots are Primarily for Illahee Residents. The demonstration part of the rain gardens are installed primarily for Illahee residents. There are two important reasons for informing residents of the need to consider installing rain gardens on their properties.
To Help Decrease Storm Water Surges. There are places in Illahee and north of Illahee where storm water is tight-lined into Illahee Creek rather than being slowed down and retained in detention ponds. This was done before retention facilities were required. Those areas greatly contribute to the storm water surges that run through the Illahee Creek corridor and then out into Puget Sound waters with brown silt laden storm water that can be seen for miles out in the bay. Residents in these areas provide one of the keys to solving the sediment pollution problems in Puget Sound if they would install a rain garden on their property.
To Help Replenish Critical Aquifers. And in other parts of Illahee there are critical aquifer recharge areas where rain garden infiltration of storm water is crucial for maintaining the stream flow (called base flow) in Illahee Creek.
Pictures Coming. Photos of the planting event were taken and we are expecting to put them on the illaheecommunity.org website. We will provide a link to the photos at a later date.
Another Tree Planting Event to Note. We have attached a pdf file that notes that in April 2010 Illahee resident and arborist Jim Trainer will plant his 1,000,000 tree on Blake Island. Congratulations Jim!!
Lost Dog in University Point Area. We just received the following lost dog report that was sent to our website (illaheecommunity.com).
My name is Gabriela Jablonski and I live off of University Point Circle. Yesterday as I walked my dogs on the beach, one of them wriggled out of her collar and took off in full sprint after something. I was unable to retrieve her and she is now lost. Her name is Koda, she is a large white fluffy Great Pyrennees without her collar. If you see her or have her please call 633-7224 or cell: 832-528-5167.
Jim Aho
