Conservation and good gardening practices are important for our communities and our State. What we do in our own backyards has an impact on the environment as well as our health.
Below find conservation facts, recycling information and helpful links and articles relating to preserving Pennsylvania’s natural resources.
Invasive Plants
REMINDER: Pennsylvania invasive plants should not be planted in your garden. Invasive plants spread and can take over and destroy native plants that are most beneficial to wildlife and plant diversity in the State.
What Can I Do?
Learning to identify invasive plants is the first step, but taking steps at home, you can help limit the spread:
- Plant natives – the key to controlling invasive is to promote native plant communities. If you keep a native ecosystem on your property, invasive will have less of an opportunity to invade.
- Minimize ground disturbance – invasive plants thrive on bare soil. By limiting ground disturbance on your property, you minimize invasive from spreading to your area. Also, make sure any fill material used (rocks, soil, mulch, etc.) is free from weed seeds.
- Use fertilizers wisely – how much fertilizer to you need? Do a soil test before applying fertilizer. Instead of chemical fertilizer, try using organic, slow-decomposing compost and mulches. Better yet, make your own compost by saving vegetable peels and table scraps. This saves waste and creates healthy soil.
- Act fast – if you already have invasive on your property do not let them go to seed. Mechanical removal is preferred, I.e., digging or cutting.
- Clean your boots and equipment – when out be aware that you might be transporting “hitch-hikers”. Seeds, roots and plant parts can stick to your boots or clothing.
Legislation Information – PA and Beyond
Last year, Congress established a new program here in the Chesapeake Bay watershed called the Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (Chesapeake WILD) program. Priority focus areas include restoration of forest buffers, wetlands, improving stream health and fish habitat, and removing barriers to fish migration from Pennsylvania to Virginia. The grant program will work by sending federal dollars to local restoration partners. If you agree with this program, you need to let your Senators and U.S. Representatives know that you want them to vote for the $15 million needed to fund this program.
The 2020 Climate Change Impacts Assessment projects that every county will continue to get warmer and wetter, with average rainfall and extreme precipitation continuing to increase 8 to 12 percent, particularly in winter and spring, while average temperature rises at least 2.7° F. https://www.dep.pa.gov › Citizens › Pages › impacts
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is poised to vote on House Bill 2025 (P.N. 2926), which mandates that any proposed rulemaking by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to address carbon dioxide emissions be affirmatively approved by the General Assembly. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council opposes this legislation for several reasons. /pecpa.org/policy/why-pec-opposes-house-bill-2025 Building collisions kill between 300 million to a billion birds each year according to the Audubon Society and the Environment School of the National Garden Club. This bill was reintroduced March 17, 2021. The bill requires that each public building built, acquired, or altered by the General Services Administration (GSA) use bird-safe building materials and design features. Two of the most important features to eliminate are bright lights, especially pointing skyward, and untreated glass in buildings large and small—everything from single family homes to skyscrapers.
Biden Suspends Drilling Leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, June 1, 2021
His decision blocks, at least for the present, drilling for oil and gas in the largest undeveloped tract of wilderness in the U.S. An environmental analysis will be done of the impact of drilling and a legal review of why the Trump administration granted the permission to start it. The final decision has yet to be made.
Adams County Solar Farm
Our neighbors in Adams County have rejected the permits required for a Florida company, NextEraEnergy, to install 330,000 solar panels, 12 feet high, on 18 farms. A total of 1000 acres would be used. It was a hotly contested project. It is expected that the rejection will be appealed by the company. Objections included that the solar farm would harm the county’s two largest industries, agriculture and Civil War tourism. Bordering property owners objected and a real estate appraiser said property values would be reduced. Also, the required setback from roads would only be 50 feet.
Environmental Education
The Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania (GCFP) in conjunction with National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) conducts environmental courses that help members become accomplished Environmental Consultants. Click on the following link to learn more about what Environmental School is – https://gardenclub.org/environmental-school
Helpful Links and Articles
PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources – https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Recreation/WhereToGo/Wildlife/Pages/default.aspx
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed – https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/maps/geography/chesapeake-bay-watershed.html
Recycling in PA – https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Land/Waste/Recycling/Pages/default.aspx