by Kellie Herman
On Friday, July 20th I attended the much anticipated ribbon cutting for the new Watershed Center at Valley Water Mill located in north Springfield. This is a big deal, folks! The Watershed Center is a one-of-a-kind nature center built purely to educate the public about water conservation and it is AWESOME! This site is unique because of the number of diverse ecosystems found in such close proximity to one another. As you walk the trails, you will find monitoring wells, glades, forests, sinkholes, caves, springs, a wetland, a seventeen-acre lake, and a small creek. A 21⁄2 mile walking trail loops around the entire site, connecting the four major outdoor classrooms—or learning stations—located at the spring, wetland, lake and stream.
The Watershed Center’s main education building is LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and implements many energy and water conservation management practices. Water adheres to rain chains that guide storm water from the roof into a growing rain garden. A cistern collects water to be used as grey water to flush toilets and serve other areas of the facility. And these features are just the beginning of the great things about this new center! I challenge you to take a drive over to Valley Water Mill as the weather begins to cool. The fall leaves are spectacular on the trails that wind through this 100 acre site!
For more info go to: http://www.watershedcommittee.org.
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