Urban Conservation

Just as they do on the farm, conservation practices used in the urban setting can help increase food and shelter for birds and other wildlife, control soil erosion, reduce sediment in waterways, conserve water and improve water quality, inspire a stewardship ethic, and beautify the landscape.

For a complete list of information about urban and backyard conservation, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service website.

Rain Gardens

A rain garden captures rain from rooftops, driveways, yards and streets. A rain garden is a depression or a shallow bowl made in the landscape that is level from side to side and end to end. Runoff that travels to a rain garden is temporarily ponded - but it doesn’t stay ponded for long. Capturing runoff in a rain garden allows water to infiltrate into the soil rather than run into storm drains. Dirty runoff that enters storm drains is sent directly to “receiving waters” - our rivers, streams, lakes, ponds or wetlands.

For more information on how you can manage rainfall, visit Rainscaping Iowa!