New Water Conservation Demonstration Garden at IRMS Thanks to Partnership with the County

LEAVENWORTH, WA – On Oct. 10, Icicle River Middle School (IRMS) received a botanical upgrade. Every student in the school planted one native plant, either a perennial flower, succulent, grass or shrub, in one of eight large rectangular planter boxes that now run along the school’s south-facing side. These native plants, along with the truckloads of small river rocks that have replaced all the turf that lay between the school and the east-west running sidewalk, will reduce the school district’s water consumption and serve as a demonstration site for neighbors curious about drought hearty plants that also contribute to beautiful landscaping.

The middle school students were engaged with this project every step of the way, and this culminating event took place a year and a half after the idea first emerged.

“Last year, in a Parent Advisory Council meeting, I brought up the idea of cleaning up the area in front of the building that was overgrown with plants,” said James Swanson, IRMS principal. “We wanted it to be student driven, but we lacked the appropriate funds and human resources to make it a reality at that time. Mary Jo Sanborn [a district parent] was in the meeting and came to me later with an idea of partnering with Chelan County to look at a potential remodel of the landscape in the front of the building.”

Sanborn knew the funding sources and partners to make this a reality because she helps implement a large variety of such projects in her role as the Senior Natural Resource Specialist with Chelan County Department of Natural Resources.

Sanborn explained that this water conservation demonstration garden was able to fulfill one of the many projects implemented as part of the Icicle Strategy as determined by the Icicle Work Group. The Icicle Work Group first convened about a decade ago and spent several years developing the Strategy, which consists of a comprehensive list of projects that address issues and seek out collaborative solutions for water management of the Icicle Creek watershed.

“Funding to support the overall effort and development of the Strategy comes from the Washington Department of Ecology’s Office of the Columbia River,” said Sanborn.

With a funding source, the approval of Superintendent Tracey Edou, and a connection to the district’s core value of the outdoors, planning began.

“Our STEM classes embedded this project into the curriculum,” said Swanson. “Students studied everything from landscape design, basic surveying, and native plant selections, to why water conservation is an important topic to our local community. Over the course of the year, students worked together to create a design for the front landscape which included the removal of grass and sprinkler systems as well as the creation of an outdoor classroom area.”

A contractor brought in the rocks and built the planter boxes over the summer. Sanborn and her colleagues at Chelan County devised the final layout of the plants and purchased all 261 of them (to exactly match the student population), representing 31 different species, from Derby Canyon Natives.

On the 10^th, Chelan County staff led groups of students throughout the day to pick one plant, dig a hole to equal the size of the plant’s root ball, and carefully remove the plant from its pot by squeezing a little to release the roots. After patting the dirt in place, some students also chose to give their plant a name. It would be easy for any or all of the students to keep track of their plant’s growth over the months and years ahead.

In fact, the students, staff and locals will have an opportunity to observe a lot of change as the plants grow in height and width, bear flowers, and attract wildlife such as honeybees and butterflies. A few final elements of the project will include a new drip irrigation system, signage to share the demonstration site’s purpose and origin, and small placards identifying many of the plants. Additionally, adjacent to the planter boxes, IRMS has repurposed some picnic tables required for outdoor lunch during the pandemic to begin an outdoor learning area. A few new cut rock benches also adorn the area, and a shade structure will be installed in the future.

As the second largest water consumer in Leavenworth, this water conservation demonstration site serves the practical purpose of reducing CSD’s water consumption and inspiring neighbors to do the same. It also opens up an outdoor area for a plethora of new uses, scholastic, creative, scientific and uplifting.

For more information about the Icicle Strategy list of water management projects, go to: www.iciclestrategy.com. More information about the impetus behind the funding can be found at: www.ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who-we-are/our-programs/office-of-columbia-river