I
attended a free seminar today on Stewardship: Caring for Your Land, put
on by the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation and the local Conservation Area
authorities. It wasn't enough to overcome my discouragement at being
able to stave off suburban sprawl and pollution in our currently
idyllic Caledon, but it was educational. Here are ten things I learned,
lessons that, at some scale or other, all of us can use to make the
piece of land we call home a little more natural, more inviting to
wildlife, and a healthier place to live:
- Plant trees: Find
out what species of trees are native to your area and plant lots of
them. In many places you can get them cheap from conservation
authorities, especially if you plant them small, and native trees
require relatively little maintenance to thrive.
- Create a
low-maintenance native garden: There are lots of native flowers and
plants that look quite lovely, some of which can be harvested as herbs
and medicinals. Native species don't need watering or (much, if you use
wood chips and mulch) weeding or fertilizing. Some are especially
attractive to butterflies, birds (native berries particularly) and
other wildlife. So you work less and have more to enjoy than planting
high-maintenance 'imported' plants.
- Get to know your land and
the land in your community: Find out what the area looked like before
it was settled. Learn to recognize trees and plants in parks, fields
and wetlands, and which are native to the area. Discover and help
protect areas near you that are kept in their natural state. They are
not 'idle, wasted' spaces -- they are an integral part of the history
of your community.
- Teach your children: The education system
rarely takes the time to teach us about the land we live on -- even
biology is textbook, abstract learning. Appreciation and understanding
and respect for the land is a critical life skill, and because it's
live and hands on it's fun to learn.
- Avoid fertilizers,
herbicides, pesticides and watering as much as possible: Not only is
this a lot of work, expensive, hard on the environment, and in the case
of herbicides and pesticides, bad for your health and that of other
living creatures, the need to do it indicates you have too much
non-native lawn and plants. Look for types of grass and plants that
don't require fertilizing, watering and toxins to thrive in your area.
- Don't
get spooked by 'standing water' type warnings: Ponds and other natural
areas do allow mosquitos and other pests to breed, but they also
attract birds and other creatures that eat mosquitos. When they say to
eliminate standing water to combat West Nile, they are referring to
water collecting in e.g. wheelbarrows and clogged eavestroughs, not
ponds.
- If you like woodwork, research how to make and maintain
birdhouses and nesting boxes for different species, and take this up as
a hobby.
- Use native conifers instead of fencing for windbreaks and property line markers.
- Ask
the experts: In many jurisdictions, authorities on natural landscaping,
permaculture, native species and gardening are more than willing to
advise you, often without charge. Take advantage of them.
- Do
nothing!: In many cases letting nature take its course is better than
well-intentioned intervention. I learned for example that all the
branches that blew down in the recent wind storm are better left in a
pile down by the pond than carted away -- they provide habitat and
nourishment for many creatures, and will soon return to the soil and
become part of the natural ecosystem.
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MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
