Above / Homeowners can learn how to use native plants for landscaping to earn a Conservation@Home certification from The Conservation Foundation during a workshop on Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens, and Solving Water Issues from 1-3PM on Sunday, March 25, at McDonald Farm in Naperville. (2012 File Photo)
Harvesting rain and using it in homes and gardens is pretty easy once you know how it works. A Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens, and Solving Water Issues Workshop from 1 to 3PM on Sunday, March 25, at The Conservation Foundation’s McDonald Farm in Naperville will show homeowners how to use this natural resource on their land.
With a presentation beginning at 1PM, Land Preservation Specialist Jim Kleinwachter will show how rain barrels and rain gardens work and how to install them to capture the rain that falls on your land. Kleinwachter is also the Conservation@ Home manager and will show ways to put the rainwater to good use with a nature-friendly habitat in your backyard.
Rain barrels will be available for purchase for $75 each. These rain barrels are repurposed, recycled, and recyclable and come equipped with spigots, screens to prevent mosquito breeding, and overflow valves.
The presentation will be followed at 2PM with an educational tour of the 60-acre McDonald Farm, a showplace of conservation in action and the headquarters of The Conservation Foundation. The Farm features on-the-ground examples of rain and butterfly gardens, rainwater harvesting, solar and wind energy, permeable paving, and native plants.
These earth-friendly practices improve our local water quality, increase habitat for bird and butterfly species, and provide beauty and opportunities for our families to connect with nature right in our own back yards.
Homeowners can learn how to transform their little patch of earth and become part of The Conservation Foundation’s Conservation@Home program, which recognizes homeowners for environmentally responsible landscaping efforts.
This event is free, but registration is suggested since attendance is limited to 50.
Register in advance
Go to Eventbrite here or visit theconservationfoundation.org and click on the Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens, and Solving Water Issues link under Events.
The presentation will begin at the Clow Education Center at McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Rd., Naperville, 60565.
With more than 4,000 members, The Conservation Foundation is one of the region’s oldest and largest nonprofit land and watershed conservation organizations. Since it was founded in 1972, TCF has helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, restored and cleaned miles of rivers and streams, and educated thousands of kids by engaging them in nature and the outdoors.
TCF’s mission is to improve the health of our communities by preserving and restoring natural areas and open space, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of our environment.
Work is focused in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties to preserve and restore nature in your neighborhood.
For more information, visit theconservationfoundation.org.
Story submitted by Sandy Kaczmarski, Media Relations, for The Conservation Foundation.
