Rain Gardens

Another Way to Keep Bad Medicine Clear and Clean

And Some Help to Do It!

By Linda Anderson

The Becker County Soil and Water Conservation District (BCSWCD) is one of our key allies in keeping our lakes clean and clear. We all try to do this to keep Bad Medicine pristine-we don’t fertilize near the lake, some of us have allowed our shorelines to go back to natural, so the yard run off doesn’t reach the lake, and the BCSWCD can help us do more! They have the expertise to help us create shoreline buffers and rain gardens. Shoreline buffers consist of natural plants which can absorb run off and rain gardens are planted with indigenous plants and some underground tiling to collect the water that runs off our driveways or roofs. AND-BCSWCD might be able to provide matching funds to help defray the costs! Bad Medicine is considered a “pristine” lake and is at the top of the priority list for being selected for matching funds for rain gardens or shoreline buffers. If you are interested, contact Shoreline Specialist Claire Olson at 218-846-7360 or at their office in Detroit Lakes at 809 8thStreet S.E.