Adapt & Thrive in Washtenaw County

Ann Arbor STEAM Northside leveraged the School and Community Habitat Grant to develop an incredible project at their school. Utilizing class participation, they applied for and installed a native pollinator garden on school grounds. They were engaged with real problems like erosion, enhanced plant diversity, and put on a showcase of the diverse native plants found in Southeast Michigan.

Before the snow, a local community member successfully transformed a section of their lawn into an efficient rain garden. As a solution to managing stormwater runoff, the project was executed using tools from our tool lending library and successfully absorbed a 1.5-inch rainstorm immediately after completion.

The EMU Children’s Institute successfully utilized the SCHG to create an interactive Rain Play Garden. Supported by partner Feral Flora, the project mobilized over 40 community volunteers and students to dig and install "mini-raingardens" directly into the nature playground. This hands-on initiative exists as an educational space that inspires environmental curiosity while improving the resilience of the school's landscape.