By Mikaela Richardson, FCD Big Sky Watershed Corps Member
Randy Hohf has had a dream to have a native plant garden in his backyard, while assisting in the preservation of the groundwater aquifer and Flathead Lake. Luckily for him the Flathead Rain Garden Initiative was able to help make that a reality for him this June. The program, built through a partnership between the Flathead Conservation District and the City of Kalispell, enables homeowners to build rain gardens in Flathead County by providing plant funds through a homeowner incentive agreement and by issuing technical assistance whether that is through site visits, drawing garden designs, or assisting with the construction and planting of the rain gardens. This gives homeowners of Flathead County an opportunity to implement a practice that can help reduce the amount of nonpoint source pollution that ends up in Flathead Lake while adding extra beauty to their property.
Randy, a long-term resident of Flathead County, was one of the first homeowners to participate in the program and the first to place a rain garden in the ground. As a public-school science teacher and education coordinator for sustainability programming, the Initiative’s goals to protect the Flathead Valley’s bodies of water through constructing rain gardens paired well with his lifestyle and enabled his project to turn out as a great success. After Randy heard about the program, he quickly jumped on the opportunity by having Initiative representatives from both the City and the Conservation District set up a site visit to discuss his plans. From there the encouragement and incentive from the Initiative allowed the project to progress smoothly, and within a week a final garden design had been drawn out and construction in his backyard had started. Before long, native plants were getting placed in the ground and an effective and functioning rain garden had been built. Representatives from the Initiative were pleased to assist Randy and his family as needed through the process to make this a success for him. The Flathead Rain Garden Initiative hopes that Randy will serve as a champion program participant to other homeowners who have been itching to learn more about rain gardens and build their own.
“I’ve long wanted native plants in my yard, both for the sake of pollinators and to help me feel more like I’m in the places I love, such as Glacial National Park. This way I can bring a piece of the wilderness and mountains into my city backyard. It added a beautiful component to my yard while helping to protect the aquifer and our local lakes from pollution.” -Randy Hohf
The property before rain garden construction during the initial site visit.
The property after the construction of the rain garden.
There are several other homeowners who have participated in the program, resulting in three fully constructed and functioning rain gardens. Several more are in the designing process and will be built in the coming weeks and months. As a new, upcoming program, the Initiative hopes to not only continue helping homeowners get rain gardens in the ground, but also to educate the public on the importance of rain gardens and reducing nonpoint source pollution.
If you’re interested in learning more about rain gardens and want to participate in the Flathead Rain Garden Initiative, reach out to the Flathead Conservation District for more information. Keep an eye out for upcoming rain garden workshops as well. Let the Initiative help you help our watershed!
