Ten Illinois schools will be pilot participants in this green initiative. Involvement of school children in rain gardening will ensure that the initiative has a key educational component. Students from schools across Illinois will learn about native Illinois plant and animal species, microclimates and green infrastructure projects designed to prevent flooding. Working with educators and master gardeners, students will locate, design, rototill soil and plant rain gardens consisting entirely of native plant species on school grounds.

The press conference was held at Cumberland Elementary School in DesPlaines, Ill. Cumberland School is the site of a successful rain garden where, since 1999, lush native plants were seeded and have replaced approximately 1/4 acre of turf grass that formerly flooded after most rain events. John Rogner explained to students and attendees that the root systems of native prairie plants here eliminated the standing water because they penetrated soil much more deeply than the root systems of turf grass, thereby acting as underground 'sponges? for storm water.

Also, The City of DesPlaines, located just outside of Chicago, had just recently suffered the effects of Spring 2004 floodwaters.

?In the past week, communities along the Des Plaines River have suffered from record flooding, which has disrupted the lives of thousands of families,? said Quinn. ?As we look toward the future, we should encourage the next generation of environmental stewards to use the Illinois Rain Garden Initiative to take control of local flooding and storm water management issues.?

Lieutenant Governor Quinn hopes that this initiative will lead to the creation of at least one thousand new rain gardens in Illinois.