Stormwater Information and Resources

What is Green Infrastructure?

Green infrastructure captures rain water where it falls and absorbs water into the ground, keeping it out of the sewer system. This is especially important in places with a lot of paved surface.

Green Infrastructure, as opposed to gray infrastructure like sewers, can take numerous forms like rain gardens, barrels, and porous pavers for parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks. All of these strategies store or absorb rain where it falls, keeping it out of our sewer system, which helps:

Protect rivers and lakes from water pollution.
Keep it from becoming someone else’s headache downstream.
Reduce the risk of basement backups, flooding, and sewer overflow.

Greenfield Bridge Mural

The Greenfield Bridge Mural painted by Nova Czarnecki signifies the gateway to the Harbor District. The mural showcases many of the native species still found in the area. Read below to learn more about all the birds, fish, and other wildlife that inhabit the Harbor District.

Great Blue Herons live in almost any wetland habitat in North America and Central America. They are the largest bird in North America ranging from 3-4.5 ft. tall and they can live to be 15 years old. 90% of their time awake is spent searching for food.

The Black-crowned Night Heron are native to North America and are found in aquatic habitats such as marshes, wetlands, swamps, rivers, lakes, or ponds. These birds like to nest with other bird species. As a defense mechanism, young Black-crowned Night Herons will vomit.

The Northern Cardinal is located throughout the central and eastern regions of North America. These birds do not migrate and they prefer to live in grassland and woodland landscapes. Unlike most songbirds across North America, both a male and female cardinal can sing.

Crows are found all over the world and the North American Crow prefers open areas. These birds are known for their adaptability and intelligence. A group of crows is referred to as a murder.

The American Goldfinch lives in floodplains and weedy fields throughout the United States and Canada. These birds mainly feed on seeds and typically live 3-6 years. The record age of a Goldfinch is 11 years old.

The American Robin lives in both wooded and urban areas throughout most of the United States. These birds are mostly active during the day. Most robins migrate south for the winter, but occasionally they will overwinter.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are common in many Eastern forests and woodlands and have continued to spread northwestward further into the Great Plains. They are noisy birds that have a variety of calls.

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are common to many deciduous forest habitats near streams and marshes across the Midwest of North America. These birds migrate during the winter. They feed on insects, fruit, and seeds.

Western Meadowlarks can be found across western and central North America. They live in grasslands, pastures, fields, meadows, and on the edges of marshes. They migrate south in the winter and they feed mainly on insects.

Pileated Woodpeckers are found in the Northern half of North America and they like to live in heavily wooded areas. They dig rectangular holes in trees with their bill to find ants. This is the largest woodpecker in North America.

The Common Yellowthroat is found in thick marsh vegetation across North America. They feed on mostly insects and they typically migrate at night.

Red-winged Blackbirds live in grassy areas and wetlands. They inhabit both saltwater and freshwater marshes, especially if cattail is present. The oldest wild Red-winged Blackbird was known to be 15 years old.

The House Sparrow is native to most of Asia, the Mediterranean Basin, and Europe. It is now the most widely distributed wild bird due to its accidental and intentional introductions to many other regions, including the Americas. These birds are very social and nest in colonies.

The Northern Pike likes to live in rivers, streams, and lakes with dense vegetation throughout the northern hemisphere. Northern Pike have long, sharp teeth and bright yellow eyes. Also, they can swim up to 10 mph.

Rainbow Trout are native to the North Pacific Ocean and Eastern Asia. Today, rainbow trout have been introduced to every continent except Antarctica. Rainbow Trout are predators that will eat almost anything they will catch.

Pumpkinseed sunfish live in warm, calm freshwater bodies that have vegetation throughout North America. They travel in schools with other sunfish and bluegills. These fish contain spines that are sharp and aid in protection.

Sturgeons are native to lakes and coastlines of North America and Eurasia. Most are bottom-feeders that migrate upstream to spawn. Sturgeons have barbels that help them locate prey hiding on the bottom, such as snails, clams, and insect larvae. Lake sturgeon can reach 6 ft. long, weigh 200 lbs., and females can live up to 150 years.

Brook Trout are freshwater fish that is native to Eastern North America and Canada, but they have been introduced throughout North America and even Alaska. They can grow to be 3 ft. long and live up to 9 years. Brook Trout are a good indicator species of pollutants because they require clean water to live.

Yellow perch, also known as lake perch, are native to the Atlantic, Arctic, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River basins, as well as some other areas of Canada. They live close to the shore of slow-moving rivers, streams, and lakes, feeding on small fish and insects.

A girl is a young female human, usually a child or adolescent. Humans are characterized by erect posture, bipedal movement, high manual dexterity, and heavy tools use. They also have open-ended and complex language, and a general trend toward complex brains and societies. Humans are known for greatly altering their environment to suit their needs and wants.

Stormwater Information and Resources

What is Green Infrastructure?

Greenfield Bridge Mural

Harbor District, Inc

Bid 51

Funded By: