We are thrilled to announce that we have launched a new campaign map and registry that will show where current projects are located and provide a simple tool to register new ones. With this new map you will be able to not only see where rain gardens are located but also use the map to check out where the most recent or most popular gardens are located in your community. One of the most exciting aspects of our new map is the streamlined registration process so that we can capture all the good work being done out there. It has never been easier to register and add your garden to the 12,000 Rain Gardens movement. We have included a comment feature so you can ask a questions or provide input about any rain garden. Anyone can quickly pull up the map and add a rain garden to the map, comment on the status of a project or request a garden in your community. This map is part of a big push to get all Puget Sound rain gardens registered to capture our goal of 12,000 rain gardens by the end of 2016. If you are a municipality or landscape contractor with a list of rain gardens waiting to be registered, please contact us!
In other news, we recently launched our newest grant program to assist with funding rain garden installations. We partnered with RainWise and King County to create the RainWise Access Grant, which provides up to $500 for RainWise eligible homeowners and $1,000 for larger non-profit owners in the Lower Duwamish Watershed. We developed this program to make rain gardens accessible to all who want one. Until now, there were no resources to cover the up-front costs of an installation – costs that eventually get rebated through the City of Seattle’s RainWise program. The new RainWise Access Grant bridges the gap between the rebate amount and the actual cost of the project, which could result in a free rain garden for those who cannot afford the up-front costs of a rain garden.
If you want to learn more about the RainWise Access Grant here or email the 12,000 Rain Gardens’ Project Manager, Aaron Clark at ac@stewardshippartners.org
