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Strategic plan targets invasive species
The Superior Daily Telegram (11/17)
Douglas County’s Land Conservation Committee is forwarding a plan to the county board that takes aim at invasive species.
Mich. Clean Marina Program: Public-private partners work together to improve water quality
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/9)
Partners from the public and private sector in Michigan are working together in a voluntary program to improve the quality of the Great Lakes.
Researchers seek funding for wind test site in Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/7)
In a recent article in The Muskegon Chronicle, it was reported that researchers at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) cited a lack of year-around data (on wind platform testing) needed by prospective development companies.
COMMENTARY: Senate needs to pass clean energy act to help Michigan
The Grand Rapids Press (10/26)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was absolutely correct with his recent proclamation about the current condition of the Great Lakes State: "The State of Michigan," Reid declared from the Senate Floor, with a copy Time Magazine in his hand, "is in trouble."
First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.
City making big push for water school
The Business Journal (10/23)
The push is on to convince the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the best location for its new School of Freshwater Sciences is near the university’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute on East Greenfield Avenue.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
3 | The importance of native landscaping
Native plants are plants that have evolved in a particular region over many thousands of years. Therefore, they have adapted to the climate, geography and animal populations of the region. Native plants provide habitat to and are a source of food for animals, such as birds, butterflies and mammals.
Native landscaping makes an effort to reestablish native plant populations to a certain area, whether it be as small as your backyard or as large as a nature preserve. Some benefits of planting native plants include the following.
Native plants save energy and reduce pollution
Native plants do not need fertilizer or irrigation, and they can usually resist most native pests and diseases. Plants also absorb rainfall into the soil, reducing soil erosion and runoff.
Native plants provide a diverse landscape
Because native plants are part of a community that includes other plants and animals, a natural balance has developed between the living organisms. Therefore, single species of native plants don't dominate a landscape, like the non-native purple loosestrife does. Native plants also promote biodiversity; therefore, a landscape full of native plants provides many different shapes, sizes, textures and colors.
Native plants help the animals
As discussed earlier, native plants provide shelter and food to birds, butterflies and other wildlife, promoting biodiversity. In contrast, mowed lawns are of little use to most wildlife. Because many animal habitats today are being lost to urban development, consciously creating or maintaining a habitat full of native plants can be of great help and relief to animals looking for a home.
Native plants can save money
Because native plants are adapted to a certain region, they do not need to be watered as often, nor do they need frequent fertilization, therefore reducing the cost of maintaining a large area of plants. A study by Applied Ecological Services (Brodhead, Wis.) estimates that over a 20-year period, the cost of maintaining a prairie or a wetland totals $3,000 per acre versus $20,000 per acre for non-native turf grasses.
Native plants provide links to a region's natural heritage
Native plants are historical, with many playing a significant role in Native American culture and European exploration. Additionally, a garden full of native plants can distinguish your region from another. Imagine what your native plant garden would look like next to a garden found in the desert areas of the southwest!
Graphics: Karner blue butterfly and lupine; Wolf Road Prairie, Illinois (credit: Save the Prairie Society)
