Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners May Meeting - Transforming Stormwater: From Rain Barrels to Rain Gardens by Jim Kleinwachter

Description

Join us on Tuesday May 20, 2025, at 6:45 p.m. at the Batavia Public Library located at 10 S. Batavia Ave. for our May meeting which will focus on water, one of our most important resources.

Jim Kleinwachter will teach how to transform your property into a water-wise oasis! Discover how to capture and channel rainfall through beautiful, practical solutions, such as rain gardens and rain barrels, that benefit both your landscape and our environment. This engaging presentation by The Conservation Foundation reveals how simple changes in your yard can make a significant impact on water quality, water conservation, and your own backyard water woes. 

Jim Kleinwachter began his relationship with The Conservation Foundation as a volunteer. In his volunteer efforts, Jim helped organize the annual DuPage River Sweep since its inception in 1991. In fact, he was organizing DuPage river clean ups in Warrenville prior to the Foundation’s involvement. Since then, he has worked on prairie and wetland restoration projects at Warrenville’s Johnson School and on several educational endeavors of the Foundation. Jim is also the recipient of the 1999 Paul Butler Memorial Award presented by The Conservation Foundation for outstanding volunteer service.

In 2004, Jim joined the staff becoming the Land Preservation Specialist for The Conservation Foundation. He developed the Conservation@Home and Conservation@Work programs to reach home and business owners, getting them going on a more eco-friendly approach to landscaping. The program is unique, in that it offers on site help and advice. He lectures all over the region on local environmental issues, and works with other staff to cover a six county region of Illinois. 

The presentation is of interest to gardeners with an interest in how water plays a vital role in our environment.
 
The Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners is open to all persons interested in gardening. For more information, see our website at bataviaplaindirtgardeners.org, or contact us at bataviaplaindirtgardeners@gmail.com

Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes a love of sustainable gardening and the natural world through education and volunteerism