By Erica Haugtvedt

Students in ENGL 289: STEM Communication for Public and Technical Audiences are partnering with Trinity Eco Prayer Park to leverage their science expertise and science communication skills to help the park face real-world problems. Trinity Eco Prayer Park is a private park owned by the Trinity Lutheran Church Foundation that models sustainable stewardship of the environment. The park naturally filters stormwater for 2/3 of its concrete-heavy city block through native plant species that represent five local biomes from the Great Plains and Black Hills. 

The students have listened to the park director’s goals and concerns for the park and are developing recommendation reports to help address existing problems. Two groups are working on public relations and outreach for the park, as the park operates on donations and volunteer labor but needs more of both. One group is working on recommendations for replacing the Kentucky blue grass lawn (in a flood plain) with a native species of grass but doing so in a way that will fit the park’s needs and uses of the space. 

The director of Trinity Eco Prayer Park, Ken Steinken, is excited to see what the students come up with. The park has already benefited from several senior design projects from Mines, so Ken is eager to partner with Mines again.