Rain gardens are a beautiful and very functional addition to any yard, city greenspace, or walking path. They are composed of native plants which are adapted to the climate, in our case, the Southwest Saskatchewan hot dry summers and cold dry winters. Native plants are the best at holding together soils to prevent erosion and sedimentaion into creeks, wetlands, lakes, and rivers. They can also help filter water as it passes through of extra sediments and pollutants.

A rain garden is a man-made area in which water runoff from rainfall, flood, or other precipation events flows into and the flow is slowed, allowing the water to soak into the ground, filtering through the roots and soils of the garden. This helps mitigate flooding in addition to removing sediments and pollutants from the water before it reaches either the surface waterbody, or soaks into underground sources of water.

In addition to providing a crucial function, rain gardens also add an aesthetic appeal to any area, and even promote a variety of wildlife to be present. This can include insects as well, such as butterflies and bees. Birds, small mammals and even the odd reptile or amphibian may also use these areas as a place to rest, take shelter, or find something to eat!

The Northern Leopard Frog is a Species at Risk that we have in the Swift Current Creek Watershed! Helping to provide clean and ideal habitat not only benefits this little frog, but also the entire ecosystem of the watershed!