Author Archives: raingardenuiuc

By Abbey Ascolani, RORG Student Team Howdy! This was the typical email greeting the Red Oak Rain Garden team would receive from former RORG Project Engineer, Tony Heath, who I recently had the pleasure of interviewing. While Tony contributed a great deal to the early development stages of the rain garden, his professional journey isContinueContinue reading “Interview with Tony Heath”

by Stormwater Interns Madelyn Craft, Gary Liu, and Chantal Korde RORG Director Eliana Brown asked the Stormwater Interns each to write a blog summarizing their time with us: what they worked on, what they learned, and what’s next for them. Read about their experiences below! Madelyn Craft It’s strange to think that another season ofContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG experience: Summer 2023 Stormwater Interns”

By Maddy Craft, RORG Student Team Welcome to Scandinavia!Since I began my journey as a Sustainable Design student, I have always enjoyed the idea of studying abroad. Even back when I started volunteering at RORG in 2021, I wondered what sustainable landscape designs looked like around the world. So, when the opportunity arose, I knewContinueContinue reading “RORG Intern Travels: Maddy in Sweden”

By Abbey Ascolani, RORG Student Team Introducing Gabriel Harper-HagenMeet Gabe, a recent graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has been the Volunteer Coordinator for the Red Oak Rain Garden since January 2022. As he takes the next steps in his career path, we commemorate the highlights of his educational and professional journey. BackgroundContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG Experience: Gabe Harper”

By Piper Siblik, RORG Student Team It seems hard to believe I’ve wrapped up my time with RORG and the RORG Team. It was just over a year ago that I was first meeting with RORG Director Eliana Brown to discuss her desire to develop an interactive, web-based app to showcase the species of theContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG experience: Piper Siblik”

Written by Emily Steele. Originally posted as an Illinois Extension news release. When caring for a rain garden, one of the most helpful tools may not be a rake or a pruner, but a map. The Red Oak Rain Garden interactive map shows the layout of the garden’s native plant placement. This makes maintenance easier andContinueContinue reading “Mapping the Red Oak Rain Garden”

By the RORG Team This year’s Year in Review is dedicated to Prof. Bill Gamble, center. Our bridge could not have been built without him. He passed away May 2022. Photo by Travis Tate. Welcome to RORG’s Year in Review — our third one! You can read about prior years here and here. Before weContinueContinue reading “RORG’s 2022 Year in Review”

by C. Eliana Brown, RORG Director The Red Oak Rain Garden celebrates GivingTuesday with a campaign to fund a RORG Maintenance Endowment. On November 29, 2022, we join millions around the world participating in the GivingTuesday global generosity movement. GivingTuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. Their global network inspires generosity aroundContinueContinue reading “Giving Tuesday 2022”

By Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer As of July 7, 2022, a portion of east-central Illinois, including where the Red Oak Rain Garden is located, is now listed in severe drought by NOAA and the National Integrated Drought Information System. This is the driest we’ve been here since the dreaded drought of 2012, which isContinueContinue reading “Rain Gardens & Drought”