Standing on the property today, it’s hard to visualize how high the water really got during the historic June flooding.
Can you see the “scum line”? Yuck!
Every day at the Nature Center, we strive to teach a respect for nature. After the flooding, we are simply in awe. We have to ask, how much of what happened could be prevented in the future?
The Nature Center works toward this prevention, and part of what we are here to do is leave open, green space. Sure, a lot of water all at once will always cause flooding, but having green space slows the potential. If everything is paved, water moves quickly, and ends up in our rivers and streams as fast as it rains down. Soil and vegetation hold moisture, and even when fully saturated it slows the water down. This is a pretty simplified explanation, and there are MANY reasons why there should be undeveloped places in our cities…
(Again, picture provided by the wonderful Marion Patterson. Creative Commons, okay?)