“Getting Ready For The Rainy Season”
SPAWN sponsors rain garden tours and workshops to encourage community water conservation and to protect local streams.


What & Where:	
TWO RAIN GARDEN TOURS-- On Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th, The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) will host two tours showcasing local rain gardens and rain catchment systems, one tour in West Marin, and the other in the San Rafael/San Anselmo area.		

	TWO RAIN GARDEN WORKSHOPS—10AM -2PM on Saturday, October 3rd, and Saturday November 7th, SPAWN will host two different workshops at local residences to teach the basics of rain garden design to ‘slow, spread & sink’ precious rain water into the ground water table. Workshop participants will build and complete a native rain garden during the course of each workshop.

COST: Each Rain Garden Tour and Workshop is: $15 members, $25 non-members, or $40 for tour/workshop plus an annual family membership- help support SPAWN's great work year-round + receive discounts for additional workshops coming up.
We are requesting pre-payment since these tours are very popular and fill up quickly! 

To confirm your reservation please email Rainwater@tirn.net and then mail a check to Att: Rain Garden Tour/Workshop, SPAWN, POB 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933. To use a credit card, call 415-663-8590 x111.

Why: 	Because of residential and commercial development, impervious surfaces (rooftops, driveways, parking lots, streets) abound and force rainwater, a valuable resource, down gutters and drains and finally out to creeks and bays. Besides resulting in the loss of rainwater as a freshwater resource for our landscapes and to replenish our groundwater, this also causes creek erosion and creates hardship for the endangered salmon fry fish. The fry, too small to fight the unnaturally heavy flow of water during and after storms, are washed out to sea before their time. 

SPAWN received a grant in 2008 to bring rainwater harvesting projects to the community and was overwhelmed with interest. They installed 18 on-the-ground projects at local schools and residences and have since been leading well-attended tours of the projects for the public. SPAWN is actively collaborating with MMWD's Conservation Department and advocating for rain harvesting and rain gardens as components of Marin's conservation efforts.

Who:	SPAWN--  The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (http://spawnusa.org/) works to protect endangered coho salmon and steelhead in the Lagunitas Watershed. The protection of these keystone species leads to the protection of all the wildlife of our community, and indeed the protection of ourselves and our land. SPAWN uses a multi-faceted approach to accomplish its mission, including grassroots action, habitat restoration, policy development, environmental education, collaboration with other organizations, and media campaigns.”