July 15th: GCD’s Education & Outreach Center and the power of native plants!

The Education and Outreach Center at the Gallatin Conservation District in Manhattan is full of excitement! The Center includes a conservation demonstration garden, raised beds (with fresh veggies available to the community to pick & eat!), a xeroscape garden, pollinator habitat and lots and lots of native plants! The GCD offers programming every year at the Center— check out their Summer Stewards program and their varying events and workshops on their website.

 Visit their garden or participate in their summer programs and get a stamp in your Steward Passport!

The Education & Outreach Center is an outstanding example of the role that native and drought tolerant plants play in water conservation. Native plants trap and hold nutrients better than non-native plants, which help to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff. Drought tolerant plants use 50-70% less water than turfgrass. Besides watering, drought tolerant plants make gardening and landscaping easier-- they require less maintenance and require no fertilizers or pesticides, they also provide habitat for pollinators! If you live in the City of Bozeman and you purchase qualifying drought tolerant plants, you might qualify for a plant rebate! Find more information here.

Planting native plants and/or participating in the City’s Residential Rebate program also gets you a stamp in your Steward Passport!