Where does your water shed? Find out, then do your part to keep it clean

July 9, 2015By 0 comment

Several years ago while attending a conference, I chose a session on “Rain Gardens.” As a horticulturist with a penchant for native and heirloom plants, I found the concept intriguing.

To my surprise, the presenter started out by asking if we could identify our watershed. “My what?” This led into an unexpected but undeniably interesting talk about storm water runoff, storm drains emptying directly into our streams, and “best management practices” for handling this runoff – finally, we were talking about rain gardens!

Little did I realize that a few years later I would be planning watershed festivals in four nearby counties, and using an Enviroscape portable, interactive model as an educational tool in classrooms throughout Central and Eastern Kentucky. Now I am the one asking students “So where does your water shed?”

Now I know that a watershed is the land area that drains (or sheds) rainwater runoff into a common water body (and that land use within that area affects the quality of the water). In Kentucky, with our Karst topography, this affects both surface and underground water.

Ironically, when using the watershed Enviroscape, the kids’ favorite part of the demonstration is watching the water with red food coloring pour out of the factory and into the stream (indicating “point source” pollution). But, as educators, we focus more on “nonpoint source,” or “runoff,” pollutants that are carried in rainwater runoff, and what we, as conscientious citizens, can do to prevent that pollution.

The easiest of all these “best management” practices is: Don’t litter. Take personal responsibility, recycle and make sure that your bins have secure lids.

Next, use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly, opting for composting yard and kitchen waste and choosing other ways of deterring pests, like companion planting. Install a rain garden to capture runoff in your yard and/or a rain barrel to catch rooftop runoff and conserve water.

Plant native flowers, grasses and trees, with deep roots, to prevent erosion and reduce topical watering. This is especially important near waterways, creating a “riparian” buffer to filter out pollutants.

Pick up after your pets, and if you farm, keep livestock out of the streams to prevent erosion and large amounts of waste from entering our watershed.

Maintain your septic system to prevent human waste from entering our streams. Maintain vehicles to prevent leakage of oil, gas and other fluids. And remember, our storm drains lead directly into our streams, so don’t sweep any contaminants into the street or down storm drains.

I participate in volunteer water sampling for Kentucky River Watershed Watch in my local watershed, the Mock’s Branch/Spears Creek sub-watershed of the Dix River. I find that identifying my watershed and participating in testing gives me a personal investment in the quality of the water that flows behind my home.

Bluegrass Greensource is partnering with two Central Kentucky Earth Day Festivals that focus on our watersheds this month: The Garrard and Lincoln County Earth Day Festival at Garrard County High School, held last Saturday in Lancaster; and the Boyle Co. Earth Day Festival at Bluegrass Community and Technical College campus in Danville on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bluegrass Greensource will also participate in a Cane Run Watershed Celebration at Night Market in Lexington in May 1, and a Kentucky River Watershed Festival to be held at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill on Sept. 5. Come on out and join us!

1 deborah-larkin-1

Deborah Larkin joined Greensource in 2010 as an environmental educator. She works with numerous schools in Fayette County as part of Greensource’s partnership with LFUCG and is responsible for outreach activities in Boyle, Clark, Garrard and Lincoln counties. She received her bachelor’s in horticulture from the University of Kentucky. Before coming to Greensource, Larkin worked for 27 years at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, near Harrodsburg, where she researched and re-established the 19th century apple orchard, herb garden and heirloom seed industry.

This article appeared in KY Forward on April 23, 2015.

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So, what’s your watershed? Find out, then work to keep pollutants out

April 28, 2014By 0 comment

Several years ago while attending a conference, I chose a session on rain gardens. As a horticulturist with a penchant for native and heirloom plants, I found the concept intriguing.

 
(Graphic from EPA.gov)(Graphic from EPA.gov)

To my surprise, the presenter started out by asking if we could identify our watershed. “My what?” This led into an unexpected but undeniably interesting talk about stormwater runoff, storm drains emptying directly into our streams, and “best management practices” for handling this runoff – finally, we were talking about rain gardens.

Little did I realize that a few years later I would be planning watershed festivals in three nearby counties and using the Watershed Enviroscape model as an educational tool in classrooms throughout Central and Eastern Kentucky. Now I am the one asking students “So what’s a watershed?” (and no, it is not a shack by the water).

Now I know that a watershed is the land area that drains (or sheds) rainwater runoff into a common water body (and that land use within that area affects the quality of the water). In Kentucky, with our Karst topography, this affects both surface and underground water.

Ironically, when using the Watershed Enviroscape, the kids’ favorite part of the demonstration is watching the water with red food coloring pour out of the factory and into the stream (indicating “point source” pollution). But as educators, we focus more on “non point source” or “runoff” pollutants that are carried in rainwater runoff, and what we, as conscientious citizens, can do to prevent that pollution.

The easiest of all these “best management” practices is don’t litter. Take personal responsibility, recycle and make sure that your bins have secure lids.

Next, use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly, opting for composting yard and kitchen waste and choosing other ways of deterring pests, like companion planting.

Install a rain garden to capture runoff in your yard and/or a rain barrel to catch rooftop runoff and conserve water.

Plant native flowers, grasses and trees, with deep roots, to prevent erosion and reduce topical watering. This is especially important near waterways, creating a “riparian” buffer to filter out pollutants.

Pick up after your pets, and if you farm, keep livestock out of the streams to prevent erosion and large amounts of waste from entering our watershed.

Maintain your septic system.

Maintain vehicles to prevent leakage of oil, gas and other fluids.

And remember, our storm drains lead directly into our streams, so don’t sweep contaminants into the street or down storm drains.

I participate in volunteer water sampling for Kentucky River Watershed Watch in my local watershed, the Mock’s Branch/Spears Creek sub-watershed of the Dix River. I find that identifying my watershed and participating in testing gives me a personal investment in the quality of the water that flows behind my home.

Want to find out about your watershed? If you live in Lexington, click here. Outside Lexington, visit Surf Your Watershed here or Kentucky River Watershed Watch here.

 
1 deborah-larkin-1Deborah Larkin joined Greensource in 2010 as an environmental educator. She works with numerous schools in Fayette County as part of Greensource’s partnership with LFUCG and is responsible for outreach activities in Boyle, Clark, Garrard and Lincoln counties. She received her bachelor’s in horticulture from the University of Kentucky. Before coming to Greensource, Larkin worked for 27 years at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, near Harrodsburg, where she researched and re-established the 19th century apple orchard, herb garden and heirloom seed industry.

This article appeared in KY Forward on April 24, 2014.

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To help endangered monarch butterfly, plant milkweed, create ‘waystations’

October 24, 2013By 0 comment

This season I enjoyed a plethora of butterflies in my yard and garden, mostly the beautiful tiger and eastern black swallowtails. The feeling seemed to be reciprocated, as they drank the nectar from my flowers and their larvae (caterpillars) chomped down on my dill and parsley. But one species was conspicuously absent – there were no monarchs.

Male monarch butterfly (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

I am a native and heirloom plant enthusiast, and I have always planted to attract pollinators. But I had not realized that although the adult monarchs drink nectar from a variety of flowers, milkweed is the sole host plant for laying their eggs and feeding their larvae. And I had not planted any Asclepias sp. (milkweed) on the property!

Then I read Barbara Kingsolver’s book Flight Behavior. It is a fictional account but whet my appetite to learn more about the unique, and fragile, life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Monarchs go through four generations each year. The first three hatch and live for about six weeks, but the fourth lives for up to eight months to facilitate migration.

Female monarch butterfly (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Monarchs cannot tolerate cold weather, so as the temperature drops in autumn, those living in the eastern half of North America migrate to southcentral Mexico to hibernate in oyamel fir trees (always in the same trees, even though a new fourth generation migrates 2,500 miles each year). In the spring, they begin working their way north again, back to the milkweed plants that sustain them.

Unfortunately, herbicide and pesticide use is eradicating the native milkweed in the United States, and their overwintering sites are threatened as development encroaches on the fir forests in Mexico. We can help save this endangered species by planting Monarch Waystations – sites that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. You can register your waystation through MonarchWatch.org.

My friend, Joanna Kirby, president of the Garden Club of Kentucky, has made this a focal project for her term. They have partnered with Wild Ones to promote Monarch Waystations in gardens, at homes, at county extension offices, at libraries and at schools. The commissioner of state parks and our state naturalist are also on board.

To qualify, in the spring or fall, plant at least 10 milkweed plants – preferably two species, including the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and another native varieties such as butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa) or swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) as well as native nectar plants, such as black eyed susan, purple coneflower or coreopsis.

Being pesticide-free is crucial because these are food plants for butterflies and other wildlife. Native plants can be purchased from local nurseries such as Springhouse Gardens, Shooting Star Nursury, Michler’s and Locust Trace AgriScience Farm. For more information, visit WildOnes.org.

As Halloween approaches, I am preparing the garden area for my monarch waystation, but I am taking my mission one step further. My costume this year is – what else – a monarch butterfly with a sign that reads: “I’m Endangered – Plant Milkweed for Me!”

Deborah Larkin joined Greensource in 2010 as an environmental educator. She works with numerous schools in Fayette County as part of Greensource’s partnership with LFUCG and is responsible for outreach activities in Boyle, Clark, Garrard and Lincoln counties. She received her bachelor’s in Horticulture from the University of Kentucky. Before coming to Greensource, Larkin worked for 27 years at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, near Harrodsburg, where she researched and re-established the 19th century apple orchard, herb garden and heirloom seed industry.

This article appeared in KY Forward on October 24, 2013.

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