Cole Creek

Nathan Hale Takes Learning Outside

tgleason — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:48:19 +0000

May 18, 2010, was planting day at Nathan Hale Middle School for the new Hale Horticulture class. The project was funded by a 2009 mini-grant from The Cole Creek Project. Read more about it here.

Green Garden Workshops

tgleason — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:18:24 +0000

Is there a better way to manage your yard? The City of Omaha is offering a series of workshops on how to create and maintain rain gardens and other sustainable landscapes in March. Participants will learn the ins and outs from experts in the fields of landscape horticulture, soil science and landscape design. The cost is $20 per person, which includes a take-home rain garden manual developed by the City of Omaha through a grant from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The workshop dates, times and locations are as follows:

Saturday, March 20
9:00am to noon
Metropolitan Community College, Fort Omaha Campus, Building 7
30th and Fort streets

Thursday, March 25
6:30 to 9:30pm
Douglas County Extension Office
8015 W. Center Road

Saturday, March 27
9:00am to noon
Douglas County Extension Office
8015 W. Center Road

To register, email greengardens@lovgren.com or call Nancy at 402.397.7158.

Happy Holidays

tgleason — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:15:46 +0000

The 2009 construction season on Cole Creek has come to a close. A lot has happened in the past 12 months, both on site and in the community. For a look back on all that’s been accomplished, visit the news releases section of www.colecreek.org. Happy Holidays!

Interpretive Signs Installed

tgleason — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:43:00 +0000

If you’ve been wondering what’s happening in Orchard Park lately, wonder no more. Three interpretive signs outlining the goals of The Cole Creek Project have been installed at the project site. The first explains how the use of native plants is a great way to conserve water, add color and attract wildlife. The second explains how the project’s two bioretention gardens work, capturing and cleansing stormwater runoff before it enters Cole Creek. The third explains the current construction under way at the project site, which is returning the curve to Cole Creek. For more information about the project, call 402.554.4010.

World O! Water

tgleason — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:28:18 +0000

The Cole Creek Project will be participating in this year’s World O! Water festival for kids and adults Sunday, Sept. 13. This free event will be held from noon to 4:00pm at the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District’s Natural Resources Center at Wehrspann Lake, 154th Street and Giles Road. It will feature music by Mike Mennard, prizes and drawings, demonstrations, canoeing, kid’s science experiments, water education, games, entertainment and free food (while supplies last). For more info, visit www.worldowater.com.

Tour Stop

tgleason — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:33:53 +0000

Photographer Damian Dan Montez recently captured this garden activity.

The bioretention gardens in Orchard Park will be featured in an upcoming tour of stormwater management projects in the metro.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Stormwater Work Group is sponsoring a Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Tour Friday, Aug. 7. The event, which kicks off at the Douglas/Sarpy Extension Office, 8015 W. Center Road, will run from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Registration begins at 8:30am.

The tour is open to landscape designers and contractors, master gardeners, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension staff and anyone interested in the design/construction/maintenance of rain gardens, bioretention gardens, porous paving and other green infrastructure solutions to stormwater management.

For more information, contact Kelly Feehan at kfeehan2@unl.edu or 402.563.4901.

Mini-Grants Awarded

tgleason — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:09:53 +0000

Two neighborhood associations and one middle school in the Benson-Ames Alliance (B-AA) are the recipients of 2009 mini-grants from The Cole Creek Project.

The mini-grant program, part of the project’s community outreach component, has awarded $1,000.00 to three projects that address stormwater management or water conservation in the B-AA. They are:

Clairmont Heights Neighborhood Association
Rain Barrel Project

Nathan Hale Middle School
Hale Horticulture

Metcalfe-Harrison Neighborhood Association
Plant the Peanut

For details, visit the news section of www.colecreek.org.

Stream Restoration Phase Begins

tgleason — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:31:58 +0000

Work on returning the curve to Cole Creek is under way.

Last week, crews began work on the stream restoration phase of the project. This phase will restore the creek’s more natural flow, create pools and riffles to slow the flow of water, and create buffer strips along the banks to slow the flow of water over land before it reaches the creek.

The first step in the stream restoration phase is the removal of dense vegetation, including trees, from the creek’s banks. For each tree that is removed, three native trees will be planted. The goal is to create a diverse natural habitat that’s attractive to wildlife.

A total of 191 trees will be impacted by the project, so 573 native trees will be planted. A portion of the plantings will include native deciduous shrubs. In the places where shrubs are used, three shrubs will be planted in lieu of one tree.

The removal of the vegetation is expected to take about a week, weather permitting. Stop by and watch the project in action!

Organizational Meeting July 13

tgleason — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:20:46 +0000

A new neighborhood association is forming in the Benson-Ames Alliance.

The Orchard Park/Hartman Neighborhood Association will hold an organizational meeting Monday, July 13, at Hartman Elementary School, 5530 N. 66th St., beginning at 6:30pm. The tentative boundaries of the new association are 60th to 66th and Hartman to Camden. All those who live, work and play in the area are invited to attend.

For more information, contact Ron Abdouch, executive director of the Neighborhood Center, at 402.561.7582.

The Plants! The Plants!

tgleason — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:03:58 +0000

The planting of the bioretention gardens is under way. The gardens have been designed to capture rainfall runoff, allowing it to soak into the ground - where it can be stored for plant use - or slowly filter into Cole Creek. Here’s a list of what will be going into the ground May 18-19:

Big Bluestem
Switch Grass
Indian Grass
Black-eyed Susans
Butterfly Milkweed
Little Bluestem
Penstemon Albiduis
Prairie Blazing Star
Prairie Cone Flower
Pale Purple Cone Flower
Blue Gamma Grass
Bergamont
Blue Lobellia
New England Aster
Blue Flag Iris
Fox Sedge
Buffalo Grass Sod

These native plants have deep roots that create large pores, allowing the water that collects in the bioretention gardens to move deep into the soil. They will add color to the project area during the spring, summer and fall months, and they’ll also attract a wide variety of birds and other animals.

Stop by and watch the planting process! For more information about The Cole Creek Project, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org.