This year has been an exciting one for the West Michigan Environmental Action Council's newest water quality program, Rain Gardens of West Michigan. The program is creating a model of how to educate communities about stormwater issues by planting beautiful gardens as part of the solution. Rain gardens feature species of plants native to the region, so in addition to reducing stormwater runoff, they also provide habitat for native butterflies, birds and animals.

The rain garden program has been a favorite this year with WMEAC volunteers and interns, and the group gained some excellent partners. A builder invited WMEAC to collaborate on the Spring Parade of Homes, and a Green-Built Parade home (Lee Kitson Builders) in Kentwood features three rain gardens as part of the landscaping. WMEAC also partnered with the Dominican Center at Marywood to install a rain garden there to help manage stormwater for a parking lot.

The City of Grand Rapids parks department and WMEAC volunteers created a wetland rain garden next to a parking lot in Fuller Park. That site also features large, wet-tolerant native trees planted to shade the parking lot. Environmental education is part of the program, and each of these sites will feature signage and community education.

More rain gardens will be planted in the next 12 months. Information about the demonstration sites and other products of this program will be posted at www.raingardens.org. Rain Gardens of West Michigan is funded by Grand Rapids Community Foundation, the Steelcase Foundation, the Frey Foundation and the City of Grand Rapids.