Ecosystem Gardening https://www.ecosystemgardening.com How to garden sustainably, conserve natural resources, and create welcoming habitat for the natural wildlife. Thu, 07 May 2026 15:55:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.10 https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ecosystemgardening-favico.png Ecosystem Gardening https://www.ecosystemgardening.com 32 32 Is Ecosystem Gardening Too Hard to Learn? https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/ecosystem-gardening-too-hard.html Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:12:01 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=2466 I was chatting with Doug Tallamy recently for an Ecosystem Gardening Radio episode, and we were talking about how much misinformation is out there about the value of native plants to wildlife and how gardeners really need to learn to do their homework before adding plants to their gardens.

The sad fact is that most nursery owners, horticulturalists, and garden center managers have little to no understanding of the ecology of a garden or its relation to the environment beyond the garden fence. And very few gardeners have this information either.

Its not their fault. As a culture we dont teach ecology in school, and only those with an interest in the subject choose to study it.

But its not like only those with an interest in ecology need to have a healthy environment. We all need that.

Imagine how different our world would be if at a very minimum every politician, whether local, state, or national, understood ecology and the important ecosystem services that are provided by a healthy environment, which our survival is dependent on. I dont think they would be so quick to enact policies that trash our environment if they really understood the long term consequences.

In the meantime, the responsibility for acquiring this knowledge falls on each of us as homeowners, business owners, and land managers.

And yes, it is a lot to learn:

Ive been told that this is simply too much for anyone to learn, its impossible.

But look at how our culture has changed in just the last 10 years:

  • Weve learned how to use email
  • Weve learned how to use Facebook and Twitter
  • Every time we get a new cell phone, we have to learn how to use it
  • Weve learned iphones, ipods, ipads

In my lifetime I have had to learn many things. We did not have computers at home when I was young. Then only rich people had computers. Then there was the TRS-80 (we called it the Trash 80). And now there are laptops, netbooks, macbook airs. And the smartphone in my pocket is a more powerful computer that anyone could have imagined even 10 years ago.

In fact we learn new things all of the time.

And understanding the ecology of your garden and how what you do there impacts the world around you seems kind of easy compared to some of those things above.

So where should you start?

Find a native plant nursery near you, or a local chapter of your state native plant society and spend some time talking with the nursery owner or the members of the native plants society. These folks are passionate and knowledgeable and will be your best resources for the plants that will work best in your garden.

Print out a list of invasive plants in your area and carry it with you in your wallet. Every time you go to purchase a plant, pull out this list and check to make sure that your plant is not on that list.

Spend some time getting to know the conditions in your garden. Where does the water collect after it rains? How many hours of sun does each area of your garden really get each day? What type of soil do you have? Knowing these things will allow you to put plants in the right place for them in your garden (and will also show you which plants will not thrive in your garden).

Do online research to locate organizations, books, native plant sales, and many other people eager to share their wisdom with you.

Owen Dell has a great line in his excellent book, Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, where he says that a gardeners best tool is a lounge chair. Take some time to just sit and watch what happens in your garden. By observing what happens you will gain all of the knowledge you need to create welcoming habitats for wildlife.

]]> Master Naturalist Programs by State https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/master-naturalist-programs-by-state.html Sun, 05 Mar 2017 01:11:30 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1757 Master Naturalists are trained to be stewards of our natural environment and to teach these skills to others.

Almost every state in the United States has a Master Naturalist Program, often developed in conjunction with Universities and County Extension offices. These programs are similar to the Master Gardeners Programs around the country.

Enrollees receive many hours of classroom and field instruction. Upon graduating from training, Master Naturalists are expected to complete a number of hours of volunteer service in their first year and 20 hours annually thereafter along with annual continuing education requirements.

Did I miss any? Please let me know by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. Thanks for your help!

Also see these related resource lists:

National Master Naturalist Association

Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs: The Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs promotes citizen stewardship of natural resources through science-based conservation- education- and service programs. ANROSP supports and enhances member programs- and facilitates development of new programs. Many different types of programs fulfill our mission- including Master Naturalist- Certified Citizen Naturalist Volunteer- Master Watershed Steward- Coverts- Master Conservationist- and many more nationwide.

Alabama Master Naturalist Training

The Alabama Master Naturalist program is a new statewide program whose goal is to help promote awareness, understanding, and respect of Alabama’s natural world among Alabama’s citizens and visitors. In addition, the AMN program will also develop a statewide corps of well-informed volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities.

Someone needs to create a Master Naturalist Program for Alaska!

Arizona Master Naturalist Program

The Arizona Master Naturalist Program mission is to establish and maintain a corps of well-informed volunteers to deliver quality environmental education programs and promote stewardship of Arizona’s natural environment.

Arkansas Master Naturalist Training

Arkansas Master Naturalist Program: To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Multiple Chapters

California Master Naturalist Program

The UC California Naturalist Program is designed to introduce Californians to the wonders of our unique ecology and engage the public in study and stewardship of California’s natural communities. The California Naturalist program uses a science curriculum, hands-on learning, problem-solving, and community service to instill a deep appreciation for the natural communities of the state and to inspire individuals to become stewards of their local resources. Follow CA Master Naturalists on Facebook

Colorado Master Naturalist Training

Audubon Naturalist Training: The Audubon Naturalist Training Program offers 85 hours of classroom and field training. We bring in field experts to teach classes on: Ecosystems, Ecology, Geology, Plants, Insects, Reptiles, Amphibians, Bird & Raptor Identification, Mammals and Interpretive Guide Techniques. This training prepares people of all experience levels to become naturalists for our public and/or school environmental education programs.

City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department: Master Naturalists are volunteer educators with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program. Each spring, new volunteers embark on a fun, active training program.

Connecticut Master Naturalist Training

Connecticut Audubon Master Naturalist Training: Our mission is to conserve Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and their habitats.

Delaware Master Naturalist Program

The Aquatic Resources Education Center’s Naturalist Volunteer Program: This exciting program provides training and incentives for volunteers. The program’s mission is to educate and train citizens throughout the state to serve as volunteers in environmental education; monitoring, restoration, conservation and protection of Delaware’s natural resources. Volunteer opportunities include aquatic education, wildlife surveys, tree planting, native seed collection and more!

Florida Master Naturalist Program

The Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is an adult education UF/IFAS Extension program developed by the University of Florida and provided by many Extension offices and participating organizations throughout the state of Florida. FMNP training will benefit persons interested in learning more about Florida’s environment or wishing to increase their knowledge for use in education programs as volunteers, employees, ecotourism guides, and others.

Georgia Master Naturalist Training

The Georgia Master Naturalist program is an Adult Environmental Education course developed by the UGA Cooperative Extension Service and the UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources for people who wish to be more informed about habitats, natural resources and the natural environments of our state.

Idaho Master Naturalist Training

The Idaho Master Naturalist Program aims to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to actively work toward stewardship of Idaho’s natural environment. Chapters in: Boise, Ketchum, Idaho Falls, Island Park, McCall, Pocotello, Sand Point, Treasure Valley Community College.

Illinois Master Naturalist Program

The mission of the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist Program is to provide science-based educational opportunities that connect people with nature and help them become engaged environmental stewards.

The East-Central Illinois Master Naturalist (ECIMN) Program, established in 2005, is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension Champaign County, Champaign County Forest Preserve District, and Urbana Park District and is available to residents of Central Illinois. Our current team of 165 Master Naturalists have contributed over 15,400 hours of service valued at $320,000 to Central Illinois.

Illinois Grand Prairie Master Naturalists–The mission of our program is to provide science-based educational opportunities that connect people with nature and help them become engaged environmental stewards. Our vision is to give individuals the opportunity to experience nature, develop knowledge of and respect for the environment, and practice natural resource stewardship.

Indiana Master Naturalist Training

The Indiana Master Naturalist program can provide you with many hands-on opportunities to learn about our Hoosier natural resources. It also provides a way for you to share that knowledge, along with your life experiences, through volunteer service.

Iowa Master Naturalist Program

The Iowa Master Conservationist Program is offered by Extension Wildlife Programs. It is a volunteer program developed to give you the information necessary to make informed decisions about your natural resources.

Kansas Master Naturalist Training

The mission of the Kansas Master Naturalist program is to develop knowledgeable and dedicated citizens who are active in promoting awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the natural heritage of Kansas.

See more Kansas native plant resources

Kentucky Master Naturalist Program

Someone needs to get a master naturalist program started for Kentucky!

Louisiana Master Naturalist Training

The Louisiana Master Naturalist Program is an emerging opportunity for citizens to expand or sharpen their skills in natural history, with special focus on the diverse habitats of the Sportsman’s Paradise, Louisiana. The Master Naturalist Program, through its various chapters, will enable you to learn about the nature of the state’s varied physiographic regions, and help you understand the connections among our valued environment, culture, and economy.

Maine Master Naturalist Program

The Maine Master Naturalist Program is dedicated to developing a network of trained naturalist volunteers to teach natural history and encourage the stewardship of Maine’s natural environment. The program offers participants comprehensive instruction and field experience focused on ecological principles; wetland and upland ecology; identification of Maine’s flora and fauna; geology; and teaching skills.

Maryland Master Naturalist Training

Maryland Master Naturalists are interested, ecologically aware people who have successfully completed a fun but rigorous natural history training program, and who “pay it forward” with 40 hours of volunteer work annually. They participate in citizen science efforts, teach classes, lead field trips, and continue to learn and share their enthusiasm for Maryland’s natural areas and the life forms that occupy them.

Massachusetts Master Naturalist Program

The Massachusetts Master Naturalist Program mission is to grow its capacity to develop and deliver public programming by building a core of well trained volunteer docents.

Michigan Master Naturalist Training

In case you are not familiar with the MSU Extension Master Naturalist program, it is similar to the Master Gardener program only with a focus on conservation and the environment.

Michigan Conservation Stewards Program, Michigan State University Extension–This Michigan Conservation Stewards Program is designed for anyone interested in current conservation issues, outdoor recreation, nature study, natural area management, and a variety of other topics such as lake/stream monitoring and habitat restoration. Through participation in this program you will learn essential strategies to help restore and conserve ecosystems in Oakland County and throughout Michigan.

Minnesota Master Naturalist Program

The mission of the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program is to promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of Minnesota’s natural environment by developing a corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities.

Mississippi Master Naturalist Training

Mississippi Master Naturalist Program: A Master Naturalist is a concerned citizen who wants to learn more about Mississippi’s natural resources and management tools that can be used to help protect our land and water resources.

Missouri Master Naturalist Program

The Missouri Master Naturalist program is a community-based natural resource education and volunteer service program for adults, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri Extension. The mission is to engage Missourians in the stewardship of our state’s natural resources through science-based education and volunteer community service.

Montana Master Naturalist Training

The Montana Master Naturalist Program is designed for adults who want to stoke their curiosity and deepen their knowledge of the natural world. We offer a range of programs to fit the needs of a diverse community, but all the classes share a common goal of providing participants with the skills to interpret the Montana landscape.

Nebraska Master Naturalist Program

Get up close and personal with Nebraska’s natural resources! Participants in the Nebraska Master Naturalist Program will engage in nearly sixty hours of in-depth training, led by experts in their fields. Learn about Nebraska’s ecosystems, plants and animals, conservation biology, and so much more!

Nevada Master Naturalist Training

The Nevada Naturalist Program is an adult, environmental education program created to develop a corps of education naturalist volunteers to serve in southern Nevada.

New Hampshire Naturalist Training

The New Hampshire Natural Resources Stewards trains volunteers to promote wildlife habitat conservation and forest stewardship.

New Jersey Volunteer Naturalist Program

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, and other regional environmental organizations are offering a program to train New Jersey Volunteer Master Naturalists (VMN). The 40 hour certificate program is based on a national model to develop volunteer citizen stewards of natural resources through science-based conservation, education, and service programs.

New Mexico Master Naturalist Program

The New Mexico Master Naturalist Program aims to instill the pursuit of life?long learning and promote environmental stewardship. Participants are activity engaged through education and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources on Open Space properties.

New York Master Naturalist Training

Cornell University Master Naturalist Program: The Master Naturalist Program is a high-quality, science-based training program designed to teach adults about New York’s natural resources, empowering them to educate others and participate in on-the-ground conservation management projects.

Quality Parks Master Naturalist Program. Naturalists are deeply engaged in a personal commitment to open space preservation. The Quality Parks Master naturalist certification program is a train-the-trainer program. We will teach you to become a naturalist

North Carolina Master Naturalist Program

The Blue Ridge Naturalist Certificate Program offers classes, field studies and workshops designed to provide residents of Western North Carolina with an opportunity to learn more about the natural world and cultural heritage of our mountains. Through the Arboretum’s Adult Education curriculum, programs in a variety of topics are available throughout the year.

Central Carolinas Master Naturalist Program: To create a corps of well-trained volunteers providing education and service to benefit natural resources within their communities.

North Dakota Master Naturalist

Someone needs to get a master naturalist program started for North Dakota!

Ohio Master Naturalist Training

Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist: The mission of the OCVN program is to promote awareness and citizen stewardship of Ohio’s natural resources through science-based education and community service.

Oklahoma Master Naturalist Program

Do you love the sound of bird songs and want to know who’s singing? Do you want to know how to identify native plants and use them in your landscape to attract birds and butterflies? Do you love nature and want to learn more about natural resources right here in Oklahoma? Then join us as a member of the Oklahoma Master Naturalists! We are a group of volunteers dedicated to learning about and preserving Oklahoma’s rich biological diversity and sharing this knowledge through education, outreach, and service within our communities.

Oregon Master Naturalist Training

The Oregon Master Naturalist Program provides an opportunity to learn about natural resources through the study of scientifically sound information: the natural history of plants, animals, habitats, and geology, the history and processes of landscape change, as well as the most relevant topics in present-day sustainable natural resource management. Participants volunteer for natural resources programs, agencies, organizations, and other groups in their communities.

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist Training

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist is a statewide partnership initiative that aims to connect people with their local ecosystems through intensive natural science training and local conservation service work. It is a venture directed toward developing a local corps of “master volunteers and service providers” to offer education, outreach and service dedicated to the understanding and management of natural areas within their communities.

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist: The Schuylkill Center is a partner with the Master Naturalist program, coordinating and hosting the Philadelphia Master Naturalist training course and engaging Master Naturalist Volunteers in various projects and opportunities at the Center.

The Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education was born to provide an educational forum for people to connect with nature. Through direct learning experiences in the natural world, our goal is to engage individuals in the conservation and stewardship of the natural environment that sustains our communities.

Rhode Island Master Naturalist Training

Someone needs to get a master naturalist program started for Rhode Island!

South Carolina Master Naturalist Program

The South Carolina Master Naturalist Program is a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Interested South Carolinians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service.

South Dakota Master Naturalist Program

The South Dakota Master Naturalist Program is a partnership of the Black Hills Parks & Forests Association, Black Hills State University, South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish, & Parks, and the South Dakota Discovery Center.

Tennessee Master Naturalist Program

The Tennessee Naturalist program is a corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Tennesseans interested in this program become Tennessee Naturalists through training and volunteer service.

Texas Master Naturalist Program

Texas Master Naturalist: to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Many communities and organizations rely on such citizen volunteers for implementing youth education programs; for operating parks, nature centers, and natural areas; and for providing leadership in local natural resource conservation efforts. In fact, a short supply of dedicated and well-informed volunteers is often cited as a limiting factor for community-based conservation efforts.

Chapters:

Utah Master Naturalist Training

The Utah Master Naturalist Program is a certification program developed by Utah State University Extension with the partnership of over 25 other organizations in Utah. The mission of the Utah Master Naturalist Program is to develop well-informed volunteers and professionals who provide education, outreach, and service promoting stewardship of natural resources within their communities.

Vermont Master Naturalist

The Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning programs bring motivated students to the intersection of the natural environment and human nature. Our two-year graduate curriculum integrates science, fieldwork, critical thinking and public communications to produce leaders in environmental policy, land stewardship, research, conservation and education. Whether they go on to work in boardrooms, backyards or bogs, we give graduates the skills and dexterity to understand and explain the natural world – and to solve its problems.

Virginia Master Naturalist Program

Virginia Master Naturalists are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping Virginia conserve and manage natural resources and public lands.

Chapters:

Washington Master Naturalist Training

Bellevue Master Naturalist Training Program: Master Naturalists will learn about the area’s ecology, geology, wildlife, plant life, cultural history, wetlands, forests, and streams from professors, local professionals, scientists, research assistants, and Park Rangers. Master Naturalists will focus on restoration and conservation efforts, and will help share this passion by working with and educating their community.

Kitsap County Water Stewards: We hope you will join us to understand, value, and protect Kitsap County’s priceless marine environment. In the past five years Kitsap County shoreline volunteers have been providing education, outreach and mentoring to the citizens of Kitsap County.

Stream Stewards: Stream Stewards receive training that prepares them to work on upland and stream riparian restoration projects.

Washington DC – District of Columbia DC Master Naturalist Program

DCMNP is an intensive two component program offered at the University of the District of Columbia.

West Virginia Master Naturalist Program

The mission of the West Virginia Master Naturalist Program is to train interested people in the fundamentals of natural history, nature interpretation and teaching, and to instill in them an appreciation of the importance of responsible environmental stewardship. The program will also provide a corps of highly qualified volunteers to assist government agencies, schools, and non-government organizations with research, outdoor recreation development, and environmental education and protection.

Wisconsin Master Naturalist Training

The mission of the Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program (WIMN) is to promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the natural environment by developing well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities.

Wyoming Master Naturalist Program

Someone needs to get a master naturalist program started for Wyoming!

 

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]]> Nest Watch in Your Ecosystem Garden https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/nest-watch-in-your-ecosystem-garden.html Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:12:01 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1683 Bird nest monitoring has become a very important tool in the arsenal for biologists and ornithologists who study bird populations. And the good news is that you can help by joining Nest Watch, a citizen science project by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

NestWatch welcomes data for all North American birds. Participants submit data about which kinds of birds are nesting, the number of eggs laid, dates eggs were laid, and the numbers of chicks hatched and fledged. Collecting this information across the continent over long periods of time is one of the best ways we have to detect widespread changes in breeding bird biology.

Why is Nest Monitoring Important?

Nesting birds are vulnerable to changes in the environment, including climate change. Data show some species, like the Tree Swallow, are laying their eggs more than a week earlier than they did just a few decades ago. That could spell big trouble if hatch dates get out of sync with the availability of food.

Projects like NestWatch provide scientists with a large database which tracks population and reproductive success. This information helps them to determine what factors may be contributing to a species decline.

This data is much more valuable when all the records are completed in the same way. That’s where NestWatch comes in. Each participant will submit information about the nests in their Ecosystem Garden in the same manner.

This is a great way to get your kids involved in helping scientists. Many classroom teachers are participating in the project as a way of teaching a hands-on approach to learning science.

It’s also a great way for you to get in tune with the rhythms of your garden. If you keep a Garden Journal, you will be able to see any changes that may occur over time in your own garden.

Helping Birds in Your Wildlife Garden

Here’s some tips for helping birds in your wildlife habitat garden

In my garden, the birds are already quite busy. The Chickadees, Titmice, Robins, Cardinals, Woodpeckers, and Wrens are already hard at work building their nests.

Here are some tools and strategies for bird nest monitoring:

1. Camera Traps: Camera traps are a great tool for monitoring bird nests. They can be placed near the nest to monitor activity without disturbing the birds.

2. Audio Recordings: Audio recordings can be used to monitor bird nests. This can be done by placing a microphone in the area near the nest to record any sounds the birds may make.

3. Radio Transmitters: Radio transmitters are a great way to monitor bird nests. They can be attached to the birds to track their movements and help identify nests.

4. Nest Boxes: Nest boxes are a great tool for monitoring bird nests. They can be placed in areas where birds are known to nest and can provide valuable information about the species and nesting habits.

5. Observation: Observation is a great way to monitor bird nests. It can be done by simply watching the area around the nest to determine activity levels and to identify the species of bird.

]]> A Resource Guide to Ecosystem Gardening, Part 2: Water Conservation https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/a-resource-guide-to-conservation-gardening-part-2-water-conservation.html Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:12:01 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1403 This is Part 2 in a series of resources in Ecosystem Gardening. See Part 1: Sustainability. Managing rainwater where it falls keeps it out of the stormwater system and prevents flooding and soil erosion. The following references will provide you with many ideas for managing rainwater in your garden.

Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape, by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden. This book contains beautifully photographed examples of rain gardens in practice. Rain gardens encompass all possible elements that can be used to capture, channel, divert and make the most of the rain and snow that fall on a property. Using the innovative and attractive approaches described here, it is possible to enhance outdoor spaces and minimize the damaging effects of drought, stormwater runoff, and other environmental challenges. Nigel Dunnett & Andy Clayden have created a comprehensive guide to water management techniques for the garden and built environment. Filled with practical, manageable solutions for small and large-scale implementations and utilizing authoritative research with state-of-the-art case studies from all over the world, Rain Gardens is the first book on sustainable water management schemes suitable for students and professionals.

Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls, by Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury. This book is full of beautiful photographs of green roofs and living walls which the gardener can use as examples for their own projects. Green roofs and walls reduce pollution and runoff, help insulate and reduce the maintenance needs of buildings, contribute to biodiversity, and provide habitats for wildlife. In addition to all this, they are attractive to look at and enhance the quality of life of residents. The authors describe and illustrate the practical techniques required to design, implement, and maintain a green roof or wall to the highest standards. This informative, up-to-the-minute reference will encourage gardeners everywhere to consider the enormous benefits to be gained from planting on their roofs and walls.

Green Roofs: Ecological Design And Construction, by the Earth Pledge Foundation. — Cooling cities — Reducing energy demand — Containing water runoff — Preserving wildlife habitat — Enhancing urban well-being These are a few of the many reasons why green roofs are sprouting in cities around the world. Examine possibilities for city-wide green roof development through 335 color photographs, 40 case studies of exemplary green roof building projects, and 7 municipal case studies describing green roofs in Berlin, Tokyo, London, Portland, Chicago, Toronto, and New York. This book details the ecological benefits, technical requirements, architectural history, and design possibilities of vegetated rooftops. Green Roofs: Ecological Design and Construction will inform and inspire communities, designers, building owners, and local leaders by showcasing the environmental and aesthetic potential of green roofs around the world. William McDonough, an architect and leader of the sustainable development movement, provides an opening essay that considers green roofs as part of a larger project to harmonize the natural and built environments.

Design for Water: Rainwater Harvesting, Stormwater Catchment, and Alternate Water Reuse, by Heather Kinkade-Levario. In an era of dwindling resources, water is poised to become the new oil. The entire world now faces the reality of a decreasing supply of clean water. To avert a devastating shortage, we must not only look at alternate water sources for existing structures but must plan our new developments differently. Design for Water is an accessible and clearly written guide to alternate water collection, with a focus on rainwater harvesting in the urban environment. All aspects of rainwater harvesting are outlined, including passive and active system setup, storage, storm water reuse, distribution, purification, analysis, and filtration. There is even a section on rainwater harvesting for wildlife.

The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems – Includes Branched Drains, by Art Ludwig. Excellent guide to the installation of greywater systems for water conservation. Create an Oasis describes how to quickly and easily choose, build, and use a simple greywater system. Some can be completed in an afternoon for under $30. It also provides complete instructions for more complex installations, how to deal with freezing, flooding, drought, failing septics, low perk soil, non-industrialized world conditions, coordinating a team of professionals to get optimum results on high-end projects, and “radical plumbing” that uses 90% less resources.

]]> Stormwater Management: City or Homeowner Responsibility? https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/stormwater-management-city-or-homeowner-responsibility.html Thu, 16 Feb 2017 03:23:53 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1386 What happens when 14 billion gallons of stormwater per year meet a hundred-year old system of pipes that is merged with the sewage system and is over 1600 miles long? As you can probably imagine, the result is really not pretty. But your Ecosystem Garden can help alleviate this problem, and we’ll get to that in a minute.

But first, why is stormwater such a problem?

Mainly because we, in our infinite wisdom, have decided to treat stormwater like toxic waste, to be immediately removed from our presence and directing it off our properties and into a series of pipes that ultimately pushes this water into our streams.

There are many problems with this approach, which can be illustrated by the recent efforts of Philadelphia to address these issues:

  • Over 60% of Philadelphia has a combined stormwater/sewage system. Even a quarter inch of rain can overwhelm this system and send road oil, litter, and raw sewage – gushing from 164 pipes directly into the Delaware River, the Schuylkill River, and Tacony, Pennypack, and Cobbs Creeks. Bacteria levels skyrocket. (Note: don’t eat the fish!)
  • We have sealed the surface of the city with buildings, roads, parking lots, shopping centers, and business parks, giving the rain no way to soak slowly into the soil to be absorbed into groundwater systems.
  • What open ground remains has become so compacted from constant mowing that rainwater is unable to permeate that soil either.

The city of Philadelphia has just announced a 1.6 BILLION dollar plan (over 20 years) to create a system of rain gardens, green roofs, permeable paving, and other green techniques to deal with this serious stormwater problem. Why! Consider these recent examples of the problem:

  • We recently had over 6 inches of rain in just two hours, which caused a huge mudslide and shut down the major highway into and out of the city.
  • In my neighborhood, there is one road good road out of the neighborhood and into the downtown area. This road runs along a creek which floods almost every time it rains, causing massive traffic backups and delays as this road is closed.
  • There are certain neighborhoods in the city which experience major flooding with almost every rain storm. Streets become impassable and basements are filled with water.

This 1.6 billion dollars is going to come out of our pockets as taxpayers. There is a much better solution aside from requiring new construction projects to devise a plan to manage the rainwater on that site.

We can each learn to manage rainwater on our own properties and let it serve its natural function, and that is where our Ecosystem Gardens come in.

Here are some examples:

  • Rain barrels are easy to install, and provide a source of irrigation water that can be used during dry times.
  • Rain gardens are beautiful and act as filters, removing pollutants from the rain water and keeping those toxins out of our streams.
  • Green roofs require a little more technical expertise, but provide welcome habitat for wildlife, and keep our houses warmer in winter and cooler in summer, reducing the cost of home heating and cooling.
  • Rainwater can be directed into a wildlife pond to be used by dragonflies, birds, frogs, toads, salamanders, and more.
  • Resources for managing rainwater on your property can be found here.
    • ]]> Ecosystem Gardening in Practice: Installing a Green Roof https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/conservation-gardening-in-practice-installing-a-green-roof.html Thu, 16 Feb 2017 02:50:24 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1374 Benefits of green roofs

    Green roofs, also called ecoroofs, vegetated roofs, and living roofs, offer a more sustainable alternative than traditional roofs because they provide several important environmental and economic benefits:

    1. They last up to twice as long as traditional roofs
    2. They slow the progression of rain into the stormwater system
    3. They mitigate urban heat island effects
    4. They provide an insulating layer to buildings, keeping them warmer in winter and cooler in summer, which decreases costs related to heating and cooling
    5. The vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen
    6. They create habitats for wildlife

    Green roofs in practice

    Green roofs are very popular in Europe because their environmental benefits have been recognized there since the 70s. But it has only been in the last ten years or so that green roofs have begun to be utilized in the U. S. Several American cities, such as Portland, Chicago, and Washington D. C., have instituted incentive programs for developers who include green roofs in their new construction projects. The Home Depot Foundation, in February of 2007, gave a $300,000 grant to the non-profit organization, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities to foster green infrastructure in several other cities.

    I, personally, would like to see Home Depot put its mouth where its money is. According to their corporate website, there are 2,274 Home Depot stores in the U. S. Each store has a roof approximately the size of a football field. Add to this the size of the enormous parking lot surrounding each of these stores, and that is a vast amount of impervious surface area. It is not just Home Depot either. There is a shopping center near my home which has a Lowes, Best Buy, Petsmart, Raymour & Flannigan, Target, Office Max, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Dicks Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, DSW Shoes, and a Giant grocery store. This site is over 100 acres, and all the space between the stores is a parking lot.

    Imagine the decrease in stormwater runoff into our watersheds if every one of these stores all across the country installed a green roof! Or imagine if all of these facilities installed solar panels above their green roofs? We could make a significant contribution to renewable energy just from using all this space on top of these megastore roofs. Fortunately, I have found that I am not alone in this feeling. In a study funded by the
    EPA and the Target corporation, low impact design standards for big box stores have been proposed. Alas, we cannot wait for this to happen, but instead must become responsible for our own small slice of land.

    Installing a green roof

    A green roof consists of several layers:

    1) an insulation layer

    2) a waterproof membrane

    3) a drainage layer

    4) a filter layer

    5) a layer of growing medium. When installing a green roof, it is important to determine that the roof in question is structurally able to hold the additional weight of materials on top. Consult a structural engineer if you are in doubt.

    Green roofs and wildlife

    Resources for Green Roofs

    Green Roofs in Sustainable Landscape Design

    Green roofs offer many aesthetic benefits as well as environmental ones. Landscape architect Steven Cantor gives the basic terminology of green roof design, defines the green roof types, reviews materials of construction and methods of installation, and explores sixty projects in detail, identifying the design process, the program for the project, and the specific application of green roof design and technology. He gives design professionals and students a thorough introduction to the applications and impacts of green roofs on the built environment and shows how they can be integrated into contemporary buildings as well as existing structures. Green roofs can be considered as integral elements of the potential design vocabulary that any designer might use—like water features, paving patterns or retaining walls—in the right setting with an appropriate budget and the support of a client.

    Small Green Roofs: Low Tech Options for Greener Living

    Until now, the green roof movement has been limited to large-scale, professional endeavors and public buildings. But homeowners everywhere are catching onto the benefits of a green roof—water conservation, energy savings, and storm water management. In Small Green Roofs authors Dunnett, Gedge, Little, and Snodgrass profile ordinary homeowners who scaled green roofs down to the domestic level. Small Green Roofs is the first book to focus on small-scale and domestic green roofs. More than forty profiles of small and domestic-scale projects of all shapes and sizes include green roofs on sheds, garden offices, studios, garages, houses, bicycle sheds, and other small structures, as well as several community projects. For each project, details are given for design, construction, and installation, as well as how-to tips on how the roof was planted and cared for. For readers looking for inspiration when hiring a contractor or taking the adventurous step of building their own, Small Green Roofs provides the knowledge and encouragement to make it possible.

    ]]>         Autumn Olive and Russian Olive on Most Hated Plants List https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/autumn-olive-and-russian-olive-on-most-hated-plants-list.html Thu, 29 Sep 2022 15:54:34 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1049 Our weekly saga continues with the worst of the worst invasive plants. Plants so harmful to ecosystems they should never be planted, yet alone sold.

    Topping the noxious list this week is Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) and Russian Olive (Elaeagnus …

    ]]>     Our weekly saga continues with the worst of the worst invasive plants. Plants so harmful to ecosystems they should never be planted, yet alone sold.

    Topping the noxious list this week is Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) and Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), two plants in the same genus that are leaving a swath of destruction in their path. Just take a look at the states in which they are causing problems: Russian Olive and Autumn Olive.

    (c) Dave Powell USDA www.invasive.org
    Invasive Russian Olive (c) Dave Powell USDA www.invasive.org

    Autumn Olive is native to China, Korea, and Japan. Russian Olive is native to southeast Asia. They were brought to the US in 1830 for cultivation and sale by the horticultural industry. They were widely planted by wildlife managers as food and shelter for wildlife.

    Years ago as I was driving along the highway on my way to visit Cape May, NJ, I noticed large masses of shrubs with beautiful, silvery leaves. I pulled over and snapped a few photos so I could later identify this plant. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that this plant is invasive in almost every state in the country.

    Here’s what damage it does to ecosystems:

      It will grow in open forests, prairies, roadside edges, floodplains in sun and in part shade
      It produces large amounts of small fruits, which birds seem to love. This is a problem because the birds spread the seeds far and wide in their excrement
      Russian Olive/Autumn Olive fixes nitrogen in the soil, thus changing the soil chemistry and altering native plant communities
      Shrubs grow so densely that native plants are crowded out
      Seedlings can be pulled by hand but the shrub readily resprouts if cut.
      Dense stands are very difficult to eradicate.

    There are native Elaeagnus species in this country, including: Silverberry (Elaeagnus commutata), Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea), and Russet Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis). These are much better choices than either Autumn Olive or Russian Olive.

    If your local nursery is selling either of these noxious, invasive plants, please educate them just how dangerous invasive plants are to our ecosystems.

    ]]>         Chinese Lespedeza makes “Most Hated Plants” List https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/chinese-lespedeza-makes-most-hated-plants-list.html Thu, 29 Sep 2022 15:54:34 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1043 Our continuing feature looking at the worst of the worst invasive plants continues with Chinese Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), also known as Chinese Bush Clover or Sericea Lespedeza. This plant has been listed as a noxious weed and its sale is banned in Colorado and Kansas.

    I chose this plant because Ecosystem Gardening has a great friend and frequent commenter in Alison Kerr of Loving Nature’s Garden. So Alison, this one’s for you. Thank you for all your thoughtful comments!

    Native to Asia and Australia, Chinese Lespedeza was first introduced to the U.S. in 1899 in Arlington, VA as an erosion control and forage plant. It spread across the Southeast, and now occurs throughout the U.S. and Canada.

    It thrives in prairies, roadsides, pastures, and woodland edges, and disturbed areas, and pushes out native plants, destroying native ecosystems. The native prairie ecosystem is one of the most fragile and most endangered ecosystems in this country. This one plant is greatly contributing to that problem.

    What it Does in Ecosystems:

    • A single plant can persist for more than 20 years
    • Plants grow into large stands by spreading root systems
    • Because it spreads so fast, it blocks native plants and prevents their colonization
    • It thrives during drought because of a deep tap root
    • Because of this taproot, it cannot be eradicated by hand pulling
    • It has a lot of tannins and other chemicals which prevent other plants from growing
    • These tannins make older plants unpalatable to grazers
    • It produces a prodigious amount of seed which can spread by wind, water, and animals
    • Seeds remain viable in the soil for many years.

    It is best controlled by burning in May, mowing a month later, and then applying herbicide in October. But this cycle must be repeated for many years to completely eradicate this noxious plant. The application of herbicide presents additional harms to the ecosystem.

    It’s kind of ironic that this plant was introduced with the best of intentions–to control soil erosion because we had already stripped away the original vegetation. But when will we learn our lesson? First stripping away all vegetation causes many problems. Second, we keep introducing plants from outside a plant community where it has none of it’s plant, insect, and other animal predators with the expectation that THIS one will cause no harm, only to discover that it sets off another chain of harmful circumstances.

    ]]>         Just Say NO to the Plant Zoo Mentality https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/just-say-no-to-the-plant-zoo-mentality.html Thu, 09 Feb 2017 00:19:05 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=967 Your Ecosystem Garden is a community of plants and wildlife that works together to create an ecosystem that supports biodiversity, ecosystem services, and creates welcoming habitats for wildlife who interact with those native plants.

    Traditional gardening teaches us something completely different, that the goal is to collect “specimens.” You’re taught to choose this pretty plant from Japan, that plant from China, another from Russia, and yet another from South America.

    The trouble is, these plants have no connection to each other in a community, nor do they support any interaction at all with your local wildlife. The goal is just to have the latest and newest cultivar from the most prestigious horticultural breeders.

    If that is your goal, go enjoy yourself. But if you want to create a garden that supports the local ecology, does not harm the environment, and contributes to healthy populations of wildlife, some grounding in the principles of community ecology is very important.

    The collector’s mentality creates nothing more than a Plant Zoo

    Last time I went to the zoo, I became quite sad. I spent the afternoon crying for this wildlife who were so far removed from their native habitats. I don’t believe that observing a Lion in a cage really teaches us anything at all about that magnificent creature in its natural environment.

    The reason that zoos make me sad is that we had to create them to counteract our own human actions. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation due to human action is the number one cause of species decline, along with the spread of invasive plants.

    So, because we have destroyed or chopped up into tiny little fragments the habitats that wildlife needs to survive, now we are attempting to correct our error by protecting wildlife without the same amount of effort placed on protecting the habitat that species lives in.

    No species is an island. The flora and fauna of a region are products of the interactions between them. So are we really gaining that much by attempting to protect a species that has been removed from the environment in which it thrived? Feels kind of like a losing battle to me.

    The time to protect something is not after we’ve destroyed its habitat. Our time, money, and effort is much better spent in protecting the habitat as a whole.

    But we’re doing the same thing with the way that we garden. We are creating gardens completely devoid of life as a showcase for our special ornaments, which provide very little, if any, benefits to wildlife.

    When we have a garden full of “specimens” we may indeed have a visually appealing garden to our eyes, until we begin to look a little closer. we discover that there is no LIFE in this garden:

    • No host plants for butterflies
    • No birds feeding on seeds and berries
    • No insects which form the base of the food web for all other wildlife

    What we end up with in a “specimen” garden is a bunch of unrelated plants that:

    • Require a lot of resources such as water and nutrients
    • Deplete the soil
    • Give nothing back for wildlife

    Ecosystem Gardening creates a garden full of Life

    Every plant in my Ecosystem Garden is there because it performs some function for wildlife: host plants for butterflies, seeds and berries for birds, a food source for other wildlife.

    Over the course of ecological history, plants, insects, and other wildlife have developed specialized interactions. Some plants are only able to be pollinated by one kind of wildlife. Most insects are specialists, requiring a single plant or a single closely related group of plants for their survival.

    The nutritional value of most native plants is not replicated in many “specimens” in the plant zoo. So while many birds may eat fruits and berries from some of these exotic plants, they are not receiving the nutrition they would receive from the plants with which they have co-evolved, and may in fact be starving as a result of this.

    Moving Away From the Plant Zoo

    Ecosystem Gardening teaches you to work with Mother Nature instead of fighting against her. Simply by adding more regionally appropriate native plants to your landscape will begin to increase its value to wildlife.

    When you create areas in your garden that mimic the ecological structure of the natural areas around you, you will be contributing to the environmental health and ecosystem services of your region.

    A healthy ecosystem is balanced. When the population of one group of organisms begins to get out of control, in a balanced environment there will always be some other organism to step in and restore balance.

    On the other hand, when we create a plant zoo there is no connection between those plants and the surrounding environment, thus there is nothing to maintain balance. The most extreme example of this is that so many of these plants have now escaped cultivation in our gardens, become invasive, and are now running rampant through natural ecosystems, destroying the balance of nature and wreaking havoc in wildlife habitats.

    ]]>         Birding in Maine https://www.ecosystemgardening.com/birding-in-maine.html Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:12:01 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=951 Tomorrow morning I’m off to spend the week near Portland, Maine for the week, and I’m very excited to see some birds and visit some new botanic gardens, plus I have a hankering for lobster rolls and blueberry pie!

    Last time I went to Maine I spent a good chunk of the summer camping and birding my way all the way around the state.

    We started on the Western side of Maine near Moosehead Lake, toured Baxter State Park, then moved up to the northernmost point where Route 1 ends in Fort Kent in Aroostook County (earlier that year I had been at the opposite end of Route 1 in the Florida Keys), so it was nice symmetry to also see the other end that same year.


    Three-toed Woodpecker

    I was thrilled to find the only breeding pair of Three-toed Woodpeckers in the entire state that year, with the help of an amazing guide, Bob Duchesne who took us all over Aroostook County in search of this rare bird in Maine. With his help we got to see Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, both cross-bills, and many other boreal birds.

    We left Aroostook County and camped our way down the coast, staying in Cobscook Bay State Park, stopping in Jonesport for our visit to Machias Seal Island, then Acadia National Park, and finally ended up at Beaver Dam Campground near the Southern border.


    Puffin and Razorbill Colony, Machias Seal Island

    After the Three-toed Woodpecker, the highlight of the trip was our boat trip to Machias Seal Island to see the nesting Puffins, Razorbills, and Common Murres.


    Razorbill, Machias Seal Island, Maine

    Machias Seal Island is a remarkable place. We traveled out into the Bay of Fundy for about an hour and came across this small, rocky island that was literally covered with birds. We could hear their calls well before we saw any birds.

    Now I have to say, Puffins may just be the cutest birds on the planet, with their clown-colored bill and funny way of flying. They are just so adorable, and I’m thinking I may just have to take another boat trip to see them again while I’m in Maine.

    I’m also planning to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, which specializes in the native plant communities of this rocky, coastal ecosystem.

    If you live near Portland, Maine, where else should I make time to visit? Do you have a favorite birding spot? How ’bout a favorite garden? I welcome your suggestions to make my visit to your beautiful state full of birds and beauty.

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