NDSU fifth-year landscape architecture students will display their alternative solutions to address flooding of the Red River from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2 at the Red Raven Espresso Parlor, 916 Main Ave., Fargo.
The exhibit, “Landscape Interventions for the Red River Basin,” is a collection of 30 large-scale projects that address social and ecological issues in ecosystems prone to flooding and drought. A reception and chance to visit with the designers is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 21, from noon to 5 p.m. at the same location. The event is free and open to the public.
The Red River Basin, the land that drains into the Red River, extends from Lake Traverse in South Dakota to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. It contains more than 28 million acres of land, which ultimately contributes to issues of flooding and drought. Much of the basin was formed by glacial Lake Agassiz.
Each project inventoried a separate one million acres, from the Turtle Mountains in the west past Detroit Lakes in the east, to determine the most urgent programs that could be implemented basin-wide.
Design proposals include basin-wide flood flow reduction strategies, alternatives to flood diversions, constructed wetlands, settlement basins, habitat restoration, cultural and educational facilities, eco-tourism and recreational facilities and eco-system services as solutions. A scaled contour model of the entire basin will help visitors to frame the context of the smallness of our cities in comparison to the Red River Basin.
“This project was assigned to students to challenge them to find the most urgent issues in the Red River Basin (such as flooding and drought in relation to water, people and habitat) via geographic systems mapping and modeling,” said Dominic Fischer, landscape architecture adjunct faculty member and instructor for the course. “Seen as one of our responsibilities of a land-grant university, students engaged in this project to both research basin-wide water issues, and to propose alternative design solutions to issues currently on the mind of the public.”
Fischer hopes the project will give students a new ecological lens to view future design work in the field of landscape architecture and realize the complex web of solutions each design problem poses.
Samantha Lott, a student in the class, said the project helped her learn the importance of social welfare in landscape architecture. “We were not only encouraged to design something that would help the flood fighting efforts, but were asked to provide an intervention that can serve multiple needs of the community. I learned how important wetlands can be for agriculture; the ecosystem services they provide can help boost crop yield and save valuable top soil,” she said.
Another student, Zachary Sager, said it is vital for students to engage in community issues such as this. “Not only are students a part of the community, but we are in the position to educate the community on an issue that they may not know of.”
Lott agrees. “As a landscape architecture student, I see a wonderful opportunity to not only educate myself on design but also the environment around me,” she said. “It is so important to respect our community and design with them in mind; after all, we are part of the community.”
Sager said it has been an exciting project to work on. “In previous years, we have done projects that are hypothetical problems. The project we find ourselves in now is an issue that affects thousands of people every day and also has international ties.”
Both students hope to inspire community members with their designs. “The idea is that, if everyone does their part, we can significantly reduce water flow and help communities,” Lott said.
For more information on the project, visit www.landscapeinterventions.com or contact Fischer at dominic.fischer@ndsu.edu.