The Red Oak Rain Garden soaks up rainwater, enhances the campus and community aesthetic and educational experience, and promotes well-being for everyone who visits.
Constructed in 2006 by Prof. Tony Endress and his NRES 420 class, the garden renovation honors this original effort and gives it a future. The new planting palette installed Fall 2019 has earned recognition from several conservation organizations.
As part of Illinois Extension, the Red Oak Rain Garden Team believes in providing excellence in educational programming and providing accessible programs that help people solve problems. The rain garden does both! The Team creates service-learning opportunities for students and community volunteers and inspires visitors to find out how they can create healthier landscapes where they live.
The Team sees the Red Oak Rain Garden as an opportunity for growth, not just for the plants, but also for our community. We seek collaborators from a variety of organizations and University departments to bring an array of talents. Care for the garden is provided in partnership by Champaign County Master Gardeners and East Central Illinois Master Naturalists in coordination with Facilities & Services.
What People Say
“We are happy to showcase this fabulous project.”
Heidi Leuszler, National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) Instructor
Thank you for the informative and delightful program. Your planning and work certainly transformed that space! I’m sure several of our members will want to create their own rain gardens. Thanks again for helping people to plant native plants, too.
Cathy Montgomery
Program Chair, Illinois Prairie Chapter Wild Ones
“This is the best Extension project I’ve ever seen.”
Karen Folk, Master Naturalist Lead
“Now that going inside to the greenhouses to learn about growing things is limited, having an outdoor space that can serve a similar purpose is wonderful.”
Lynn E. Bell, M.Ed. Associate Director UIUC Child Development Lab
redoakraingarden.org 