WHAT: Rain Garden Planting & Dedication Celebration
WHEN: Wednesday, August 3 from Noon – 1:00 p.m.
(Brief presentation at Noon, followed by ceremonial tree planting.)
WHERE: The Cathedral Church of St. Paul
815 High Street, Des Moines, IA
WHO: The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa,
The Very Rev. Dr. Cathleen Bascom, and other Church Dignitaries
Frank Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines
Brad Riphagen & Leslie Berckes, Trees Forever
Jeff Berckes & Rachel Glaza, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
John Spinks, Jr. & Dr. John D. Johnson, Neighboring Business Leaders
Anita Ogara, REAP Conservation Education Board
and Others!
WHY: Dedication of downtown garden space that features a rain garden and other features designed to demonstrate stormwater management practices that reduce run-off and purify the water. The culmination of a large landscaping and renovation project on the church grounds.
Downtown Des Moines is getting one more oasis of green with the completion of a landscape renovation project at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 815 High Street. With the help of numerous state and local partners, St. Paul’s took a portion of a large church parking lot and converted it back to a highly functional and aesthetically pleasing natural area. The new green space includes numerous tree and native plants, a rain garden, a bioretention cell, porous pavement and other features designed to reduce stormwater run-off and impurities in the water.
A ceremonial tree planting and garden dedication will take place at the church site on Wednesday, August 3, beginning at Noon. Various partners will speak about the value of such a project in downtown Des Moines, including stormwater management, improved air and water quality, environmental educational opportunities for nearby schools, and increased wildlife habitat. Representatives from Trees Forever will do a tree planting demonstration and discuss the many other benefits of trees and native plants.
Trees Forever helped fund and coordinate the installation of plant materials for this project as part of a special program funded by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. The goals of that program are to demonstrate techniques to improve water quality in the Upper Mississippi River Basin and to enhance wildlife habitat in the area.
For more information on the August 3 dedication ceremony and tree planting event, please contact Trees Forever Field Coordinator Brad Riphagen at 515-370-1291, or via e-mail at briphagen@treesforever.org. You can also learn more about Trees Forever and their National Fish & Wildlife Foundation program at www.treesforever.org.
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