Welcome, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, college interns and others! We are glad you are here, and have we got hours for you! There are many opportunities to get involved with Rain Gardens of West Michigan. The dedicated involvement of individuals, schools, businesses, municipalities and organizations have made our project what it is. Which is FABULOUS.
Rain Garden Volunteers 2009
If you are thinking about being a rain garden volunteer, please contact us! Hands-on rain garden work awaits you this growing season, along with flowers and butterflies and lots of fun and satisfaction!
Wednesday morning work parties: 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Enjoy flowers, gardening and wildlife at the Plaster Creek Native Plant Nursery!
Get down and dirty. Join us! Bring your favorite garden gloves and tools. Call 616-451-3051 x 29 for directions and more information (or email Patricia from the contact form). If you can't make a weekday morning, there will be some Saturday work parties.
Our second nursery, The Three Ponds Native Plant Nursery, got a habitat restoration grant for the summer of 2009. Would you like to help transform three ponds and lots of bare soil and weeds into model native plant ecosystems? Join us in this adventure, led by our GVSU intern for 2008-2009, Connie Redding and by Linda VanAndel, recent grad of Calvin College. Email patricia @ raingardens.org for more information.
Volunteer Opportunities
We Need Your Help with the Rain Gardens
Volunteers have helped our project in the following ways:
- rain garden stewards (care for a rain garden over the growing year)
- site managers (take full responsibility for education and planting on a rain garden site)
- native plant nursery stewards
- give presentations or accompany exhibits at conferences
- help dig rain gardens
- help plant rain gardens
- design rain garden layouts, and more!
We welcome inquiries from volunteers, and from students who are interested in volunteer internships or opportunities for service learning. We couldn't do all these rain gardens without your help!
Demonstration Sites: We Need Your Help!
We now have over forty public rain garden sites in the West Michigan area. The public and school sites need YOU to help keep them looking their best. People travel from outside the state to see them! Do you have time to adopt a rain garden for the summer? We are delighted to teach you how to take care of one and we appreciate your stewardship. Call us at the office (616-451-3051) or email us through the contact form on this website.
Business Partnering
Your business can be associated with Rain Gardens of West Michigan by by identifying engineered bioretention sites with our project and helping us support our program. Let us know if you are interested!
We encourage businesses sponser rain gardens at Grand Rapids City schools as part of WMEAC'S T4W program. This year, Herman Miller donated funds for a student-created rain garden at Grand Rapids Montessori Middle School. This option helps educate communities, enhances more meaningful education, and greens our city.
Advertise Your Business
Are you a rain garden and bioretention professional, a landscape designer who specializes in landscaping for water quality, or a developer who uses better site design and "green" building techniques? Advertising your business on our website helps customers find you, and helps us keep our project going. Please contact us about advertising on our site.