by Mary Travaglini When my dad was a child growing up five miles from downtown Philadelphia, he and his friends would lie in the roadway gutter pans during rain storms…
Managing Water in the Landscape
Clean water is a basic requirement of life, and the choices we make in our lives and in our landscapes can help or harm both above- and below-ground water supplies. Keeping water on site, preventing erosion, and reducing use of pesticides and fertilizers all contribute to improved water quality.
Paving the Way (Permeably) for John Hancock Charles River Walk
by Trevor Smith The rising sun peeks over the Charles River, golden rays explode through the towering oak canopy. The heavy sweet scent of Clethra perfumes the air with undertones…
Landscape as Infrastructure: The Importance of Simplicity and Lovability
by Jonathan Ford While we undoubtedly and without exception have winning personalities away from the calculators and drafting tables, civil engineers are not typically known for expressing human emotion and…
Woodies and Water: A Case for the Use of Shrubs in Reducing Urban Stormwater
by Ethan Dropkin and Dr. Nina Bassuk This article is a condensed version of Cornell University Urban Horticulture Institute’s publication of Woody Shrubs for Stormwater Retention Practices, a guide for…
A New Approach to Landscaping in Long Island: Changing the Process to Protect Our Waterways
by Tia Novak Across Long Island, the very thing that makes the place so special is under attack: water. The degradation of water on Long Island is nothing new, but…
2,000 Gallon Project
by Nick Shannon The 2,000 Gallon Project envisions a healthier Gowanus community through a conventional dumpster planted with native trees and perennials. Each dumpster provides a visual representation of the…
Rainwater for Gardens: Why Plants Love Rainwater Best
by Jesse Savou Reprinted with permission from BlueBarrelSystems.com. It might not come as a surprise that there’s no water plants love better than rainwater. Imagine your thirsty plants doused in…
Filtering Stormwater with Trees: A Case Study
by Sandra Tremblay Last fall, StormTree in partnership with the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD) completed the installation of three tree filter systems for stormwater management on the North…
Beebe School Rain Garden Retrofit: an Unusual Collaboration
by Clay Larsen A case of illegal dumping helped to fund a lesson for sixth graders on stormwater management and how manmade rain gardens can clean up polluted rivers and…
Nature’s Dam Builders Help Remove Harmful Nitrogen
by ecoRI News staff This article appeared in ecoRI News and is reprinted here with permission. A research team from the University of Rhode Island has found that beavers help…
Twelve Years Later: Update on a Lakeside Restoration Project
In 2002 landscape architect Amanda Sloan began a five-year project working with the town of Sharon, MA to restore the worn landscape at Memorial Park Beach, Lake Massapoag. The project…
Strategies to Protect Vernal Pools in the Built Environment: Raising Awareness
by Bruce Wenning There are many types of wetlands in our environment, but all of them are declining. Learn more about the special nature of vernal pools, our smallest wetlands,…
