Go Green Program

2023 Rain & Garden Show

The City of Westlake is hosting its 10th Annual Rain and Garden Show on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at  the New Westlake Community Services Center,  28975 Hilliard Blvd, Westlake Ohio 44145. The event is free and open to the public from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. 

Families of all ages will enjoy a variety of vendors, demonstrations and exhibitors. The robust list of more than 30 vendors and exhibitors include Master Gardener volunteers of Cuyahoga County, the Greater Cleveland & Lorain County Beekeepers Association, Aqua Doc,  Cuyahoga County Soil and Water and more. The Kid Zone is open from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and includes a face painter, balloon clown and special guest star and show! We will be introducing a play area for the kids to take part in different  and chances to win their very own door prizes. 

 The purpose of the Rain and Garden Show is to promote sustainability within the local community and the  importance of reducing our ecological footprint to make a positive impact in our environment! We strive to provide a great opportunity for education and dialogue about our local ecosystem.

Volunteer Opportunities

 For this event on April 1, 2023,  we have openings for volunteer hours  ranging from 2hr to 6hr shifts. Please review the available volunteer slots for job duties and times on SignUp Genius. If you have any questions on the type of volunteer duties, please reach out to Westlake Engineering Dept, by email or call our office at 440-617-4145. 

Vendor Information

Find a list of vendors registered for the 2023 Rain & Garden Show by clicking HERE

2023 Rain & Garden Show

2022 Rain & Garden Show

The City of Westlake and the Westlake Watershed Group hosted the 2022 Rain and Garden Show on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the new Community Services Center, 28975 Hilliard Blvd. Westlake, Ohio 44145. Due to popular demand, we extended the Kid Zone by an additional hour, with newly added child passport stops! As part of our Kid Passport, asked for book donations for the new Goodwill Bookstore in Westlake! Kid's Door prizes, were awarded every half hour from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Passport participation. 

There also were several great activities and crafts for kids, including instruction on how to plant their own garden, coloring materials and more. The first 100 kids received free giveaway bags! 

Our intended theme for this year’s event was native plants. Native plants are indigenous to a given geographic area in geologic time. When creating a small garden or restoring acres of land you should choose to plant native plants. These plants support local wildlife and play a huge role in soil and water conservation. Native plants offer solutions to environmental problems along with the assortment of colors shapes and textures are eye catching. To learn more on why you should plant native, please visit Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Vendor Information

Find a complete list of vendors registered for the 2022 Rain & Garden Show by clicking HERE.

The City of Westlake would like to thank all of the vendors that took part in this year's event and are listed on the City's website. Many of them sponsored door prizes including the following: $50 Giant Eagle gift card from PMA Shows Home & Pet Expo; $50 gift cards and planter baskets from the Westlake Service Department; a bee house from the Garden Club; books, blankets, chargers and reusable bags from Westlake Porter Public Library; and Wish Bracelets by Linda.

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Educational Outreach

The City of Westlake, Department of Engineering has teamed up with Cuyahoga County, Soil and Water Conservation District to raise awareness of storm water quality and teach a sustainable life style. 

Cuyahoga SWCD, offers various educational opportunities and resources

Educational services are also provided through print media and include the On the Land newsletter, informational brochures, posters and pamphlets.

The Root Flare Army

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District has launched a virtual Arbor Day spanning the entire week, April 20-24, with blogs, videos, storytelling etc.

The organization also introduced its ‘Let the Flare See the Air’ program, designed to get citizens involved in identifying locations with poorly planted trees. During last year’s Tree Care and Root Flare workshop, participants learned how trees often are planted too low and with mulch piled around them in a volcano formation. This is so harmful to the trees and in 10 years or less they will need to be replaced!

What can you do to help:

Join the Root Flare Army and help identify locations that have improperly planted trees.

What will be done:

A member of the organization will contact the property owners to bring such issues to their attention with the intent of assisting them to correct the situation and not make these choices in the future. To learn more about this program, follow this link: https://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/programs/let-the-flare-see-the-air

Public Input Sought for Cahoon Creek-Porter Creek Watershed Plan

Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District is working with Chagrin River Watershed Partners and West Creek Conservancy to develop a watershed management plan for the Cahoon Creek-Porter Creek watershed. The plan will formally identify causes and sources of water quality and habitat degradation in the watershed and recommend overall strategies and specific projects to address these issues.

In October and November 2018, public open houses were held in North Olmsted and Bay Village, respectively, to explain the process and to gather information and ideas from the community about the watershed. 

Chagrin River Watershed Partners is hosting several surveys to continue to solicit information for the development of watershed plans in Northeast Ohio.

Go directly to the survey for the Cahoon Creek - Porter Creek Watershed Plan

Cahoon-Porter Creeks Watershed Plan flyer

Important Reminder

All storm water flows directly into Lake Erie untreated. It is our duty as Westlake residents
to be conscious of our environment for future generations.

Westlake Watershed Group

 
The City of Westlake is determined to assist our residents and our world by working to improve the quality of life and our environment through keeping our local waterways clean and sustainable. Should you have any questions about what the city can do for you or has already done, please contact us by email or call 440-617-4145.

The City’s environmental education and involvement projects are directed by our citizen’s committee, the Westlake Watershed Group. The group is made up of Westlake residents, business people and employees.  Please join us to lend a voice and a hand, at our meetings. We hold them at least 4 times a year at City Hall. During the meeting there is a continental breakfast provided. Please join us!

Subscribe to Receive Email Notices

Subscribe to receive notices of meetings, volunteer projects such as the stream cleanups, Rain and Garden Show flyer, etc.! Please send an email with the subject line of "Westlake Watershed" and the word "subscribe" in the body to engdept@cityofwestlake.org to opt-in.
 
Learn more about the Westlake Watershed Group