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Treasured perspectives spur drive to save landscapes on a large scale
Steps to broaden local government participation in the Bay cleanup
Bay states at odds over definition of sprawl, how to measure it
Spring. Finally. If you’re like me, there is something comforting in this season of rebirth. Bird songs now mingle with my morning alarm clock and spring peepers break the silence of night. Gray landscapes are morphing to green. Throughout the watershed, residents are working in their yards: cleaning, planting, watering and fertilizing.
Americans have a love affair with lawns; large expanses of short green grass perfectly manicured to perfection. These seemingly lush, but actually sterile, landscapes dominate the open spaces of our cities, towns and neighborhoods. And, they are a source of nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.
Nutrients—nitrogen and phosphorus—are found in organic matter, fertilizers, pet wastes and more. When it rains, nutrients from streets, lawns, farms and sewage-treatment plants wash into streams and rivers, eventually entering the Bay. These excess nutrients fuel the rapid growth of algae blooms that cloud the water and reduce sunlight reaching underwater plants and animals. When these large blooms die, huge amounts of oxygen are used up as they decay.
Sixteen million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Each of us contributes to nutrient pollution. One way to reduce the amount of nutrients is through conservation landscaping, sometimes referred to as “BayScaping.”
Typical landscapes need high inputs of chemicals, fertilizers, water and time, and require a lot of energy (human, as well as gas-powered) to maintain. Environmental impacts can be reduced more by decreasing the area requiring gas-powered tools, using native species that can be sustained with little watering and care and using a different approach to maintenance practices.
One of the simplest ways to begin is by replacing lawn areas with locally native trees, shrubs and perennial plants. Native plants naturally occur in the region in which they evolved. The structure, leaves, flowers, seeds, berries and other fruits of these plants provide food and shelter for a variety of birds and other wildlife. The roots of these larger plants are also deeper than that of typical lawn grass, so they are better at capturing rainwater.
Because native plants have adapted to local soils and climate conditions, they generally require less watering and fertilizing than non-natives. Natives are often more resistant to insects and disease as well, and thus are less likely to need pesticides.
Conservation landscaping requires less maintenance over the long term, while still presenting a “maintained” appearance.
Like any new landscape, some upkeep is required, but it is usually less costly and less harmful to the environment. New plants, for instance, need watering and monitoring during the first season until they are established. Usually, garden maintenance is reduced to only minimal seasonal cleanup and occasional weeding or plant management.
Conservation landscaping can also be used to address problems such as steep slopes or poor drainage. Native species planted on slopes, along waterbodies or drainage ditches help to prevent erosion and pollution by stabilizing the soil and slowing the flow of rainwater runoff.
Habitat is where wildlife finds food, water, shelter and breeding or nesting space. Planting a variety of plants is gardening, but for greater ecological value, plants can be grouped and planted according to the growing conditions.
Instead of planting a tree in the middle of a lawn, group trees, shrubs and perennials to create layers of vegetation. These layers provide the structure and variety needed to support wildlife. Plants that produce seeds, nuts, berries or nectar provide sources of food. Stems and seed heads of flowers and grasses can provide food and cover throughout the fall and winter.
You don’t need a lot of time or money to begin conservation landscaping. Start by removing invasive or exotic plants and replacing them with natives. Another step doesn’t involve any gardening or landscaping at all...instead it involves long-term planning:
Take a plat of your property, or make a scale drawing, and sketch out your existing trees and other plantings. Look for ways to connect isolated plantings, and to reduce the amount of mowing needed.
Plan to eliminate lawn that is only “used” while mowing. Design paths and seating areas.
If you need a visual of where your new beds might eventually go, lay it out with string. For a temporary three-dimensional view, mow areas you plan to keep in grass and leave longer grass where you plan to create new beds. When you are done planning, pick a small, manageable area from your plan to convert. As time and money allow, you can add additional beds to your property.
By redefining landscaping goals and gradually shifting to native species, landowners receive greater rewards, in terms of environmental quality, improved aesthetics, cost savings and bringing wildlife to the property. The region’s wildlife, plants, habitats and network of streams and rivers leading to the Bay are tremendous resources.
As the population in the watershed grows and land use pressures intensify, it is increasingly important to protect our remaining natural areas and wildlife and by reducing the nutrients flowing into the Bay.
Individual actions are great, and every bit helps, no matter what size. By working together, the Bay and its treasures can be conserved for future generations.
For information about conservation landscaping, nurseries that provide native plants, and examples of BayScapes, go the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service BayScapes web site at: http://chesapeakebay.fws.gov/. A guide, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping – Chesapeake Bay Watershed, can be accessed at http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake.
