IN PROGRESS | Plants for Power

IGC Capstone Project | Interfaces of Global Change

Keeping Freshwater Fresh:  A Community Outreach Project on the Drivers and Impacts of Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Areas

Student Members:

• Erin Crone, Biological Sciences
• Natalie Hermosillo, Geosciences
• Emily Matthews, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• James Moloney, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor:

• Dr. Julia Gohlke, Public Health Sciences

This group plans to install an accessible native plant garden with a limited need for upkeep and maintenance at Warm Hearth Village (WHV) in the Kroontje Healthcare Center memory care unit. It will provide residents an interactive, outside area to engage with, while improving habitat for wildlife.

They have established contacts at WHV who are providing guidance on accessibility and safety needs for the installation, in order to meet unique requirements of the residents. Alongside the garden, they will develop a written guide, detailing how to construct a similar garden with the intent of publication in an outreach journal. They also intend to host a garden opening event at WHV Tall Oaks Hall for a wider audience from WHV and the community to hear about the project, including photos from installation and benefits of gardening with native plants.