GOLDEN HILLS RC&D
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Water Quality Initiative

About this Project

Golden 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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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:
  • 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. ​

2022 Updates

Project construction/installation was completed in 2021 and we're working with partners to maintain the practices. 
Volunteers needed!

Golden Hills is looking for a few volunteers to help clean up our bioretention cell (rain garden) at the Mills County Engineers office, located at 305 Railroad Ave Glenwood, IA 51534. Stop by any time between 3:30 and 5:30pm on Thursday, May 19 as part of Share Omaha's Do Good Days. We'll be picking up litter and pulling weeds in this water quality practice that was installed last year.
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2021 Updates

We installed a projects at the Fremont County Courthouse in Sidney in May 2021 and a large bioretention cell at the Mills County Engineer Office in Glenwood in June. 

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,
Mills County Fairgrounds:
  • 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
Montgomery County Fairgrounds:
  • 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
East Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds:
  • 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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Address

712 South Highway Street 
P.O. Box 189
​Oakland, IA 51560

Contact

Phone: 712-482-3029
General inquiries: info@goldenhillsrcd.org
Visit our Staff Page for email addresses and office hours.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Job Openings
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do >
      • Community Partnerships
      • Arts and Culture
      • Water Resources
      • Local Foods
      • Outdoor Recreation & Tourism
      • Land Stewardship
    • Where We Work
  • Events
    • Grant Writing 101
  • News
  • Donate