Virginia Tech's Community Design Assistance Center, an outreach center of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, invites residents of the Stroubles Creek Watershed to attend a Rain Barrel Workshop on Saturday, April 19, and Saturday, May 3, from 1 to 4 p.m. to learn how rain barrels can help the creek, and consequently, the New River, get healthier.

Workshop attendees will also have the opportunity to create their own rain barrels to use at home. The April 19 workshop will be held at the Hahn Horticulture Garden Pavilion on the Virginia Tech campus. The May 3 workshop will be held at the Blacksburg Community Center at 725 Patrick Henry Drive.

When it rains, sediment and pollutants that get swept into the creek and add up fast. A little education and a rain barrel or two can go a long way toward improving the health of our local waterways.

This workshop is restricted to Stroubles Creek Watershed residents and attendance is limited to 25 per session; early registration is suggested. Co-sponsors of the workshop are Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Town of Blacksburg, New River Valley Master Gardeners, and Clean Virginia Waterways. The workshop is made possible by a non-point-source pollution mini grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Register for the workshop online. To register, go to http://cdac.arch.vt.edu/RainBarrels.htm. For more information, contact Kim Steika, Community Design Assistance Center, at (540) 231-7259.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is composed of four schools: the School of Architecture + Design, including architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture; the School of Public and International Affairs, including urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy and government and international affairs; the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, which includes building construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and construction engineering management in the College of Engineering; and the School of the Visual Arts, including programs in studio art, visual communication and art history.

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