What’s with this gigantic swiss cheese?
These Playful Sculptures at the Des Moines Botanical Garden have Greater Meaning
Okay, you and I both know it’s not Swiss cheese. This installation for the month of April at the Botanical Garden does have deeper (dairy free) meaning, however.
April Showers
I stumbled upon the two colorful accoutrements perched on a terrace that overlooks the river behind a hedge. I turned a corner and was greeted by the big cheese. I assumed that this was just quirky public art themed for the garden’s Water Month educational programming and snapped a couple of photos. It wasn’t until a Hidden Des Moines follower shared a video featuring the work’s creator, Nate Page, that I would learn more.
The yellow and porous rain coat and accompanying red umbrella are part of a greater initiative dubbed #raincampaign. If you look at the the umbrella and rain slicker above, the obvious inclination is that they’re not good for keeping rain out. The work might prompt a viewer to ponder what kind of materials are (and aren’t) permeable in this way, though Rain Campaign takes it a step further. In a natural environment like the prairies and light forest that cover Iowa, rain water can soak into the ground. By extension, one can infer that the same is not true of urban environments like Des Moines.
So what’s the big deal?
The homepage of RainCampaign’s website says it plainly. “Like an umbrella, our built environment sheds water instead of allowing it to naturally soak into the ground leading to flooding and water quality problems across the Des Moines metro and other urban areas in Iowa.” This is important, particularly when there is some concern about water quality in our state. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports that half of our waterways face some sort of environmental impairment.
So what do I do?
If you own a home in Iowa, I strongly suggest you visit raincampaign.org. They promote a variety of rainscaping practices that help create a more permeable landscape on your property. One can liken it to making the area less like an umbrella and more like an absorbent sponge. Rain Campaign even has a comprehensive list of funding resources for individuals looking to make rainscaping changes to their property.
Learn more about Iowa’s water quality on the Department of Natural Resources website. This page is a great place to start. It describes the kind of pollution that is most common in Iowa waterways and where it comes from. This includes greater sources of pollution like industry.
Tell your local representatives you care. For example, if you are living outside of Des Moines and your locality does not have rainscaping rebate initiatives, your voice could be the first to change something. Rest assured, this is a matter that interests both of our major political parties. First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds is a retired soil and water conservationist. As an outdoorsman he continues to care about the state’s natural resources.
Share this information with others. You don’t have to share this blog post, though I would greatly appreciate it if you did, you could simply take family or friends to the Botanical Garden and view Nate Page’s playful work. Start a conversation about watershed and keep it going.
The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is featuring a variety of programming for Water Month. Admission will be free for Earth Day on April 23rd, 2022.