Seventh-graders in Pete Degen’s science class capped a weeks-long lesson about watersheds by planting a “rain garden” around the Chilkoot Indian Association office last week.

The garden of indigenous plants will be fed by rainwater off the building’s roof, but also is intended to slow urban runoff, a leading cause of pollution in oceans and rivers. The project was a partnership with the Takshanuk Watershed Council.

Buildings, roads and other manmade surfaces tend to accelerate the path of water and sediments into waterways. Redirecting drain water to plants allows vegetation to use the water and process some of the sediments, including harmful ones that catch a ride on runoff.

“We build all these things that increase runoff and we’re trying to counter that a little bit,” Degen said. “The idea is to slow the movement of water between here and the ocean.”

A perforated pipe beneath the shrubs and flowers planted by seventh-graders last week will carry excess water into a local wetland area, where sediments and water not absorbed by plants may be treated “naturally” by other plants there, Degen said.

Students planted a range of natural vegetation including salmonberries, raspberries, willow, dwarf dogwood, roses, ferns, forget-me-nots, lupines and irises. A sign is planned at the CIA office to explain the project.

Student Claire Waldo was in a group responsible for finding plants for the project, some that came from the woods at her Lutak Road home.

“I think the garden will help in collecting the runoff,” Waldo said. How a rain garden works and the water cycle were among the things she said she learned in the class.

Waldo said the project wasn’t difficult. “The class actually designed the sign that’s going to go up. What took the most time was perfecting the sign.”

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