Keeping landscape lush in the high desert is a perennial challenge. Some areas demand irrigation, while others can be sustained by other means. The Patagonia Union High School is trying to find ways to cut back on irrigation, and Borderlands Restoration members are training students to identify areas where irrigation can successfully be replaced by rainwater harvesting techniques.
On September 12, a group of 14 volunteer high school students, accompanied by PUHS science teacher Kathleen Pasierb and Caleb Weaver of Borderlands, worked to create rainwater harvesting trellises along a dirt and concrete embankment that links the middle and high school pods. Using shovels, picks, and wheelbarrows, students leveled the ground into slightly sloped shelves that are ideal for catching and holding water.
During the summer, Borderlands Restoration youth participants completed half of the project, filling the left side of the embankment with native plants, such as evening primrose, milkweed, desert willow, and four o’clock. These plants attract and sustain bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
This living laboratory is a science project. Kathleen Pasierb, who oversees the effort, is pleased that 14 students turned out for this second phase, adding, “The young people of our community really care about the environment and want this project to benefit wildlife, especially pollinators.”
The difficult work of structuring the beds is complete, but a few more work sessions will be needed to add rock support and plant native vegetation. The perks to this hard work were a pizza and pool party put on by Borderlands. The food and fun were part of the satisfaction of contributing to this lasting and sustainable school landscape.