Hampden to install rain garden with help of UMaine Cooperative Extension
Contact: Laura Wilson, (207) 949-2167; Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777
*Note to members of the media – The best opportunity to see the garden in progress and speak to volunteers and Hampden Mayor Matthew Arnett will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 18.
HAMPDEN, Maine – Hoping to set an example for residents, the town of Hampden has teamed up with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and others to create a large-scale rain garden in front of the town office.
The garden will be installed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19, by UMaine Cooperative Extension Assistant Scientist Laura Wilson and a group of volunteers, including three cadettes from the Hampden Girl Scout Troop and members of the Cyberhounds 4-H Club. Wilson welcomes more volunteers, who will work in shifts from 9 a.m. to noon and noon to 3 p.m. both days.
There are several environmental benefits to installing rain gardens, which help reduce rainwater runoff by allowing it to soak into the ground as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters causing erosion, water pollution, and flooding.
Hampden’s garden will include all native Maine plants, such as swamp milkweed and high bush blueberries.
As part of the collaborative effort, both the town and the Bangor Area Storm Water Group paid for the garden to be designed by CES, Inc., an engineering consulting firm in Brewer. The Town purchased the materials, which were obtained with help from the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The native plants all are hardy perennials and don’t require fertilization so are more environmentally friendly.
“The town of Hampden wants to provide an example to the community of what can be done to treat stormwater before it reaches the local streams,” says Wilson. “They hope individuals will also install these on a smaller scale on their own property.”
A free guide from UMaine Cooperative Extension about how to install a rain garden in your yard is available.
For more information or to volunteer, call Wilson at (207) 949-2167.