About this ProjectGolden Hills has been awarded funding from Iowa Department of Land Stewardship's Water Quality Initiative. "Bringing Urban Practices to Rural Communities" is a multi-site project that will add urban water quality practices (bioretention cells and rain gardens) to fairgrounds and other sites in Avoca, Glenwood, Malvern, Oakland, Red Oak, and Sidney. We will also add a rain garden at our office in Oakland. Each site will include education and outreach for youth and adults. See the bottom of this page for scheduled events. Learn more about IDALS' Water Quality Initiative here.
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2021 Updates
We installed a projects at the Fremont County Courthouse in Sidney in May 2021 and are currently finishing a large bioretention cell at the Mills County Engineer Office in Glenwood in June.
Outreach & Education
This effort includes public education and outreach. Prior to each project build, we will host an educational session targeted towards youth (but open to all ages). 4-H and FFA members are especially encouraged to attend, but you do not need to be a member of either to join. These sessions will discuss issues related to water quality and quantity and tie back to our local Nishnabotna watershed. This information will help people understand why practices like rain gardens and bioretention cells are important.
Each project site will be visible to the public beyond county fair time and able to be used for additional education and outreach about both water quality practices such as rain gardens, bioswales permeable pavers, and native vegetation. Each site will have a kickoff event as well as a public ribbon cutting when completed. Project partners will have an informational booth at the sites during county fairs to educate fairgoers about the water quality practices.
We will use the following resources for the educational component:
Each project site will be visible to the public beyond county fair time and able to be used for additional education and outreach about both water quality practices such as rain gardens, bioswales permeable pavers, and native vegetation. Each site will have a kickoff event as well as a public ribbon cutting when completed. Project partners will have an informational booth at the sites during county fairs to educate fairgoers about the water quality practices.
We will use the following resources for the educational component:
- There’s No New Water! is a water conservation and water quality curriculum grounded in a simple yet powerful concept that water is a non-renewable, finite natural resource whose quantity and quality must be responsibly preserved, protected, used, and reused.
- Rain to Drain—Slow the Flow is to master the science of how water moves and help to design a community where water moves into the ground, becoming a helpful resource instead of becoming a flood.
Project Construction
We will rely on volunteers to help build each project. We are seeking donations for mulch, sand, rock, plants and equipment. . At each of the sites, we will host a ribbon-cutting event once the project is complete.
Project Photos
The photos below include all of the sites constructed in 2019.
2019 Dates
Fremont County Fairgrounds
- Youth Outreach Event - June 6, 1:00-4:00pm
- Project Build – June 20 (Adult Volunteers: 9am-noon; Youth Volunteers: 1-4pm)
- Outreach & Education at the Fair:
- Thursday, July 18 - 12:00pm-7:00pm
- Friday, July 19 - 8:00am-3:00pm
- Saturday, July 20 - 8:00am-4:00pm
- Sunday, July 21 - 11:30am-3:00p,
- Youth Outreach Event – June 8, 9:00 to 12:00
- Project Build – June 10 (Adult Volunteers: 9am-noon; Youth Volunteers: 1-4pm) and June 11 (Adult & Youth Volunteers: 9a-4p)
- Outreach & Education at the Fair:
- Saturday, July 13 - 8:30am-3:00pm
- Sunday, July 14 - 10:00am-1:00pm
- Monday, July 15 9:00am-4:00pm
- Youth Outreach Event – June 1, 9:00 to 12:00
- Project Build – June 13 (Adult Volunteers: 9am-noon; Youth Volunteers: 1-4pm)
- Outreach & Education at the Fair:
- Thursday, July 18 - 12:00pm-4:00pm
- Friday, July 19 - 10:00am-2:00pm
- Saturday, July 20 - 9:00am-2:00pm
- Youth Outreach Event = June 1, 1:00 to 4:00
- Project Build – June 19 (Adult Volunteers: 9am-noon; Youth Volunteers: 1-4pm)
- Outreach & Education at the Fair:
- Thursday, July 18 - 4:30pm-7:00pm
- Friday, July 19 - 9:00am-1:00pm
- Saturday, July 20 - 11:00am-3:00am
- Sunday, July 21 - 9:00am-1:00pm
Project Partners
Golden Hills RC&D and East and West Nishnabotna River Watershed Coalition staff will work closely with several important partners throughout the four counties. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, and East Pottawattamie Counties) will assist with outreach and education. County Fair Boards in Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, and Pottawattamie Counties will provide sites for implementation, and equipment such as skid loaders for project implementation. Plants and other materials were generously donated or discounted from Diversity Farms, Midwest Natives Nursery, Ion Exchange, Early May, and Greentree Co.
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