LEHMAN, Pa. — It's empty now, but once a storm rolls through, a basin at the Lehman Sanctuary in Lehman Township will be filled with runoff stormwater that will be naturally filtered.
"This is the teaching rain garden, and so used for primary education for the community. We'll be to show them what polluted water looks like and how it affects everybody," Chris Miller said. "Stormwater is polluted water, and that leads to pristine sources of life, which are watersheds."
That rain garden works to protect the forest of wetlands and the habitats within it.
"The pristine bodies of water, the vernal pools, the spring seeps, the streams that has rare amphibians and spring peepers and all kinds of creatures in our source of water and life and leads into a marsh which has a remarkable concentration of Great Blue Herons."
But when this is in full bloom, it's going to do more than just filter water.
"It'll also be in a matter of a month, emerging with all of these wildflowers and drought-resistant and flood-resistant vegetation that we planted that will be an incredible habitat for all kinds of creatures and be a source of pollination for bees and all kinds of pollinators."
It's right next to the field house, another new addition to the sanctuary.
"It's going to be a resource for nature programs for the community, all kinds of nature programs, one of which will be starting up in a few weeks about pollination," Miller said.
