WCCD to help Klager turn underused courtyard into a discovery garden!
The front courtyard at Klager will be turned into a discovery garden, including a rain garden, 100% native species, a water feature, seating for 25 students, and interpretive signage. Photo courtesy of Ellen Supers.
by Sara Swanson
Luther C. Klager Elementary School announced earlier this month that they have been awarded the 2026 Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD) School & Community Habitat Grant to convert their underused front courtyard measuring 38 feet wide by 118 feet long into a native-plant outdoor classroom, featuring a rain garden, a pollinator habitat, a small water feature, interpretive signage, and seating for 25 students. The garden will be planted entirely with Michigan-native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
The Klager Discovery Garden, as it has been named, is another addition to their environmental learning initiative, which includes an agricultural studies program, a greenhouse currently under construction, and the school’s plots in the community garden.
Principal Widad Luqman explained that the Discovery Garden will provide the 270 students with regular, direct access to nature — supporting well-documented benefits for attention, stress reduction, and environmental identity development. She added that replacing non-native ornamental plantings and turf grass with 100% Michigan-native species will support native bees, butterflies, and the birds, will reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality, will sequester carbon and improve air quality, and will create a publicly visible demonstration of native planting that may inspire families to replicate these practices at home.
The garden is something Klager has been working toward for three years. Luqman explained that the school embarked on a schoolwide initiative to establish green learning spaces three years ago, stating, “We wanted to give students a hands-on opportunity to learn about plants, pollinators, and the natural environment while helping them develop a greater appreciation for the world around them. The WCCD grant was a great opportunity to help bring this vision to life.”
The WCCD grant was specifically created to help schools establish gardens and wildlife habitats. The support includes native plants, trees, shrubs, planting supplies, garden design, and consultation. Luqman stated that they will coordinate with WCCD to determine exactly what is included in Klager’s award but that WCCD can also provide installation assistance and access to its tool- and equipment-lending library, and it may coordinate with partner contractors for additional support within the grant budget.
She added, “We will determine the best approach for preparing the space and planting the garden. Depending on the work involved, we may also invite school staff, families, and community volunteers to help. This is a wonderful opportunity to get the school community involved in the project.”
The timeline for the garden is dependent on arrangements with WCCD, but Luqman hopes to have it completed by spring.
She thanked the WCCD for this grant and their continued partnership, the River Raisin Watershed Council for helping bring this opportunity to her school, and teacher Ellen Supers who put in the work to make the grant happen.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Supers.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Supers.
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