Armed with Hoses, Aqua Angels Keep Charleston Parks Growing
Conservancy horticulturist Kellen Goodell demonstrates proper watering techniques.
The Charleston Parks Conservancy is seeking additional volunteers for its annual Aqua Angels program. Now in its fourth year, volunteers water in city parks throughout downtown Charleston, in West Ashley and on Daniel Island during the summer and into the fall. Even though the Conservancy carefully selects native and drought-tolerant plants for the parks, they still need a drink, especially in parks with new plantings that need more time to establish their root systems. In 2013, the Conservancy planted almost 8,000 plants and bulbs and that means we need lots of volunteers to fill the 62 watering shifts per week.
Parks are divided into “zones” and watering a zone takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour. These are the 16 parks Aqua Angels will be watering this year: Allan, Brittlebank, Cannon, Chapel Street Fountain, Corrine Jones, Elliotborough Community Garden, Etiwan on Daniel Island, Courtyard Garden at the Gibbes Museum, Hazel Parker Playground, Logan Street Triangle, Magnolia Park and Community Garden in West Ashley, Marion Square, Riverland Terrace, Simonton, Tiedemann Park & Nature Center, Windermere Boulevard Community Garden on James Island.
Volunteers have flexibility to water at times convenient to their schedules and in parks close to their home or work. Volunteers are asked to commit to at least six hours of watering over the course of the season. No experience is needed. A member of the Conservancy staff will meet with a volunteer to explain proper watering techniques.
Sign up for a shift via VolunteerSpot. Simply enter your email address, select your shifts and VolunteerSpot will send a confirmation and reminders.
That’s a lot of watering!
– Number of plants and bulbs the Conservancy planted in 2013: 8,000
– Number of Aqua Angels in 2013: 38
– Number of Aqua Angels expected in 2014: 45
– Number of parks the Aqua Angels water: 15
– Number of hours watered in 2013: 371
– Minimum number of hours Aqua Angels are asked to volunteer: 6
– Feet of hose used to water in the select parks: 1,800
– Hours spent watering each month: 100′