IS YOUR YARD HAZARDOUS TO THE ENVIRONMENT?

By Ella Tyler

The city of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board have filed a lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service over the creation of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge. Dallas wants to build a reservoir on the same site, claiming it needs more water to supply projected population increases. Wildlife service officials say the area is one of the state’s last and best remaining sites for migratory birds.

The Dallas Morning News describes the issue as, “Pitting preservationists seeking to protect natural environments against local officials trying to ensure water for future generations.”

The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club claims, “If Dallas ever became serious about practicing water conservation, there would be no need to consider a new reservoir to meet its water demands.”

However, the EPA reports that, in the West, as much as 60 percent of municipal water use is watering lawns, meaning the real conflict is between a lawn and a wildlife refuge.

The issue of the environmental cost of lawns is rarely presented as starkly, but lawns and landscapes often have a negative effect on the environment.

The EPA estimates that 60 to 70 million birds in the US are poisoned every year by pesticides applied to lawns. Robins are particularly susceptible. Homeowners use pesticides at ten times the rate farmers use them.

In Houston, 50 percent of our municipal water supply is used on lawns. Run-off from irrigation or rain carries the chemicals, including fertilizers, used on lawns and gardens into Galveston Bay, polluting that water.

Getting your garden “off drugs” doesn’t mean your lawn has to be ugly. Chris La Chance, WaterSmart Program Coordinator, says that it requires no extra effort or cost to use non-toxic products in your garden. She recommends applying one quarter to one half an inch of good compost to the lawn in the spring. “Compost helps prevent brown patch and chinch bugs, your lawn will be healthy and drought resistant, and you can walk on it in your bare feet,” she promises.

Beautiful flowers can be grown without chemicals too. The first time I went on a rose society tour, about 15 years ago, I was ready to slit my wrists and napalm my roses. I was sure I could never achieve such beauty in my garden, and, when I found out how many chemicals were needed to achieve those perfect roses, I didn’t want to. The chemicals (many now banned) from one garden could be smelled half a block away.

Last October, I had that same “slit wrists/napalm roses” reaction at a test garden for EarthKind â„¢ roses in Odessa. However, these gorgeous roses were grown without fertilizer, insecticides, fungicides or pruning. The EarthKind program is Texas A&M’s program to research and promote horticultural practices that are effective and environmentally friendly. Some of the EarthKind roses are: Sea Foam, Marie Daly, Caldwell Pink, Knock Out, Belinda’s Dream, Carefree Beauty (Katy Road Pink), Mutabilis (the Butterfly Rose), and Climbing Pinkie. These varieties are available at many full service nurseries. For more information about this program see the article or check out the EarthKind web site.

There is plenty of information available to help you have an eco-friendly garden.

The Native Plant Society will have a meeting on Thursday, Feb 15 from 7 to 9 pm at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, 4501 Woodway. The topic will be native grasses. The group’s website has lists of suggested plants for the Houston area and sources to buy them.

There will be a YardWise course held on Saturday, March 10, at Armand Bayou Nature Center. The course will teach environmentally responsible lawn care. To register, call Herman Sancersat at (713) 290-3000.

Help with non-toxic methods to grow fruit and vegetables can be found from Urban Harvest. Urban Harvest also sponsors the Organic Horticulture Business Alliance, a professional association.

Texans for Alternatives to Pesticides has a very useful website at www.nopesticides.org.

Beyond Pesticides has created a new database that lists 81 chemicals and information such as product and manufacturer names; pesticide uses and information on less and non-toxic alternatives; toxicity rating; health and environmental effects. See it at Beyond Pesticides’ website.

The National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns is sponsoring a teleconference that explains the steps to beginning an organic turf program. The course is directed to municipal officials and professional landscapers. It will be held in three 75-minute online sessions February 28, March 5, and March 14. Register online.

Finally, the “Best of Texas Landscape Guide” from the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association is literally hot off the press. This inexpensive booklet describes 350 landscape plants with indications about what plants are low water use plants. The book is $7.99 and can be ordered online.