Alcona Students Take the Lead on Stormwater Efforts

A rain garden at Harrisville Harbor is helping to protect the water quality of Lake Huron while serving as a teaching tool for students and a showpiece for stormwater management in the coastal town.

Kathrin Luce’s environmental science class arrived at the harbor the morning of May 30 and got to work filling a mulched and irrigated garden space with 450 native plant plugs. Laughing and digging with their bare hands, the students were clearly enjoying one of the few remaining days of the school year outside with their peers.

This is where Alcona Community School shines. This rain garden project is the latest undertaking in the school’s commitment to place-based stewardship education. These have included partnering with Huron Pines in managing their school forest for invasive species and environmental learning opportunities at our Hubbard Lake Preserve.

The rain garden project was the result of a site assessment at the harbor followed by months of planning. Students chose a site with the greatest potential to capture stormwater runoff from a parking lot, then selected the best plant types according to their aesthetics, usefulness to native pollinators and their ability to help runoff infiltrate the ground where it’s filtered by roots and soil.

“They’re motivated by place-based learning opportunities like this one,” Luce said about her students. “I can tell they enjoy the hands-on aspects of what they’re studying and I’m pleased they chose a project that perfectly corresponds with what they’ve learned in class. This is a positive, real world experience for my class.”

Because it is situated between a large parking area and the harbor, this rain garden will be able to capture thousands of gallons of stormwater annually, filtering out pollutants and litter before they have a chance to reach Lake Huron.

Abby Kozlow, a senior who graduated the week prior, returned to see the project through its completion.

“It was all hands on deck and I have no problem with hanging out at the harbor for the day,” she said. “I like how we were able to take native plants into consideration, because we have a lot of issues with biodiversity and small steps like these have a big impact.”

To help finance the project, students applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the Lake Huron Forever Partners Program, awarded in March. Facilitated by Huron Pines, the initiative supports community actions and on-the-ground work which promote the well-being of residents and their surrounding natural resources in coastal communities of Lake Huron. Funding comes from the Consumers Energy Foundation through the Bay Area Community Foundation.

“Alcona Community Schools have long been a strong and self-motivated partner of Huron Pines,” said Abigail Ertel, Community Program Director. “Because they create space for students to lead their own projects, we’re able to connect them with the Lake Huron Forever initiative to amplify their stewardship of the community and their environment.”

Additional funding and support for the project came from the Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative and Michigan State University Extension.