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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Work day to bring 'life' to local park and water supply

by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published May 29, 2009

Detroit - Earth Day may be past, but it's never too late to be good stewards of the earth God provided for us.

Saturday, June 13, offers a chance for people to help protect one of the earth's resources by expanding Clarkston's Depot Park's rain garden and waterfront garden, which both help protect the planet's water. From 9 a.m. to early afternoon, volunteers can help add more plants to the park's rain garden and waterfront garden. There will be suitable work for all ages.

"The importance of the project itself is to help protect our water," said Lola Koch, a member of St. Daniel Parish and the River of Life, a faith-based environmental organization that encourages each parish promote environmental practices and projects. "Paying closer attention to what we were given and what is happening to it through human consumption and lack of thought as to what we're doing to the water - we need to think about that and take care of it."

River of Life has been working with the village of Clarkston for several years, putting in place the gardens to stop water from running from the park's paved parking lot - and, in the winter, taking snow-melting salt with it - into the mill stream, which drains into the Clinton River and, eventually, Lake St. Clair. The rain garden slows down the runoff; since the initial project, two waterfront gardens also protect the mill stream and mill pond.

Koch explained that the gardens also serve a second purpose: Being demonstration gardens, they allow the community to see the benefits of having a rain garden or waterfront garden in their own yards and how they could build one of their own. Koch hopes to eventually have signage put up at Depot Park explaining the plants' roles.

On the work day next month, Koch expects a strong contingent of St. Daniel volunteers, as well as a few from other parishes, and the Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops through St. Daniel; one local Boy Scout has organized the planting as his Eagle Scout project. Also, a native plant specialist will be there, offering expertise and selling some of her native plants.

The park itself is about a half mile away from the parish, so it is very much a part of the parish community, Koch said. She got involved in River of Life at St. Daniel Parish because of her love for the environment, and after the parish hosted several Earth Day fairs at the parish, members decided to put that energy to work with an actual project to help the environment, she explained.