Friday, May 27, 2016
Natural Soultions by Richard: Backyard Ecology
Natural Soultions by Richard: Backyard Ecology: BACKYARD ECOLOGY Have you ever seriously considered whether your yard has a positive or negative effect on t...
Backyard Ecology
BACKYARD ECOLOGY
Have you ever
seriously considered whether your yard has a positive or negative effect on the
environment? Consider the following:
Watering your
lawn depletes water resources. Mowing,
using aerators, leaf blowers, weed whackers, and edgers add to air pollution
and eventually to global warming. To cut
your yard one time, your lawn mower emits as much pollution as a car on a 300
mile trip.
Excess
fertilizers and pesticides run off into streams and lakes and destroy marine
life. Lawn clippings are over 20% of all
household waste. Lawn owners use up to
10 times more chemical pesticides an acre than do farmers. In many western states, lawn watering
accounts for as much as 60 percent of urban water use. In our country, our lawns cover over
25,000,000 acres of countryside. We
spend an estimated 30 billion dollars each year to maintain the vast green
blanket. Would you believe grass is the
country's largest single crop?
As bad as the
above sounds, we really haven't touched on the real negative to our perpetual
care lawn system. We have created 25
million acres of an essentially sterile environment, totally absent of any
wildlife. Nothing can live on our grass
carpets.
If we look back
on our country's history, we can see the development of the lawn. Our great grandfathers were determined to win
the west, conquer the wilderness, and they did.
We won. The wilderness has surely
been conquered. In fact, most of it is
long gone. It is only natural that we
inherited a slash and burn attitude. Our
great grandfathers believed when you prevailed over the wilderness, the
evidence of such was no trees. In fact,
most settlers went as far as no grass. I
can still remember my grandmother sweeping her bare dirt yard. Now, as we approach the 21st century, we have
moved slightly away from the slash and burn approach. We have started replanting the wilderness,
but with controls. In many cities, trees
now line the streets. Neatly trimmed
yards meet the eye. We are moving back
toward a greener country, but in our landscaping, we are ignoring the basic
essentials for wildlife habitat. For wildlife
to flourish, there must be food available as well as cover for protection. When we remove honeysuckle and blackberry
vines that look unkempt and snaky, we remove the animals that depend on the
berries for food and the birds and small mammals that hide in the
brambles. One cannot randomly remove
habitat if the land is to be shared.
When I moved to
my present home some 25 years ago, I was proud to note a large covey of quail
inhabited an old abandoned farm behind my house. The covey has slowly shrunk until now I
rarely hear a bobwhite call. I haven't
cleared any land, but in my well-intended neatness, I have bush-hogged several
acres of weeds, brambles, and other small bushes. I have inadvertently killed off the quail by
removing their food supply and their cover.
Nationwide, our
songbird population is plummeting.
Worldwide, we are seeing plant and animal extinction at a rate only
surpassed by the great dinosaur extinction.
There are many
reasons for this alarming decline in plant and animal species, but without
question, one of the prime causes is loss of habitat due to urban development.
Is there any way
we can reverse the trend? Can we
individually make a difference? I
believe we can if we understand a few basic principles of wildlife management
and agree to share our yard with wildlife.
Now, let's look
at a few simple ideas that will let us convert our sterile green yards into an
attractive wildlife compatible yard.
First, it is not just parking the riding lawn mower or bush hog. After all, we have worked for years to alter
the environment around our home. To
return it to a wildlife compatible state will require more than letting the
grass grow. It doesn't matter if your
house sits on 1/4 of an acre or 10 acres, the principals are the same. When you analyze your yard with an eye toward
improving wildlife habitat, the most critical part of your yard is the
backyard. Think of the back 20 feet, or
20 yards if you have a big yard, as a wildlife corridor. Wildlife corridors link together to allow
animals to move across an area searching for food while protected by the cover
it provides. Now, consider your 20 foot
wildlife corridor connected to your neighbor’s backyard to form a 40 foot
corridor, which connects to your adjacent neighbor’s yard to give small
mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects access to food and safety. To continue the concept to create a wildlife
friendly yard, focus on the edges of your yard.
If your yard is like my yard, I could give wildlife the back 20 yards or
the other edges of my yard, and they would still starve to death. When you turn this area into wildlife
habitat, you must give Mother Nature a hand.
First, we should plant a grove of nut or berry producing trees along the
very edge of the lot. Then edge the
grove with berry bushes of varying heights and species. Mow and weed this area very lightly. In fact, your goal should be to allow this
area to slowly return to its natural state.
Next, along the sides of your lot, continue with more hedgerow type
plants, along with berry bushes. In the
adjacent open areas, allow native grasses and wildflowers to reclaim a portion
of the area. In order to achieve the
proper balance, you must plant the wildflowers and native grasses. Finally, in a back corner of your yard,
create a small pond. When you build your
pond, set it in a natural drainage area, possibly one that would receive runoff
from your roof. When building your pond,
don't be concerned about the size. A 6'
by 10' pond is adequate. The pond depth
should be around 3 feet in its deepest part and feather out to 2" to
6" in depth on one end. I recommend
a thin layer of cement to slow seepage.
After construction, add 4 inches of dirt and rocks to cover the
concrete. Your construction should allow
a natural drainage spill point to carry excess water into the wooded back
portion of your lot. Stock your pond
with minnows and Mother Natural will do the rest.
Finally, leave a
mowed strip along the sidewalk to keep your neighbors happy.
Your new yard
now has the three criterion that makes for wildlife habitat: woodland, wetland, and grassland.
Is the natural
state ready for the natural yard? Well,
let's be honest, Arkansas usually doesn't lead the nation in innovative ideas or
trends. However, we do focus on our
natural heritage much more than most areas of our country. We may be ready to take the lead in restoring
our urban landscape to one more wildlife friendly.
I believe if we
consider the tremendous expenditure of our resources to maintain the perpetual
care yard, we will change our yards. As
our environmental awareness continues to grow, the natural yard will be the
yard of choice. Our grandchildren may
very well look back on the last half of the 20th century with as much amusement
as we had when we watched our great grandparents sweep dirt yards. So join me, and be one of the first on your
block to plant something other than grass and ornamental pear trees. Soon your neighbors will start to admire your
woodlands, your berry bushes, your wildflowers, and the variety of wildlife
your yard attracts, and begin to follow your example.
For
further information, an excellent book is available, written by Sara
Stein. The book "Noah's Garden”
focuses on restoring the ecology of our own back yards.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Natural Soultions by Richard: Yes, Money Does Grow On Trees!
Natural Soultions by Richard: Yes, Money Does Grow On Trees!: Yes, Money Does Grow On Trees! What if you could add thousands of...
Yes, Money Does Grow On Trees!
Yes, Money Does Grow On Trees!
What if you
could add thousands of dollars in value to your property, reduce your summer
cooling cost by 20% and, if you own a retail store, increase your sales just by
spending a few dollars?
Of
course, there’s not a one of us that wouldn’t jump at the chance to do that.
After all, there’s something built in us as Americans that makes us want to
make money, save money, and make our property more valuable.
Well,
the answer is so simple you won’t believe it; plant trees. Yep, that’s it, and there are dozens of studies to
prove that the simple act of planting a tree will do exactly that. Consider the following studies:
(1)
First and most obvious, a big shade tree next to your
house will cut your electrical bills during the summer by at least 20%.
(2)
A beautiful lot full of shade trees surrounding a house
will add thousands of dollars to the appraisal value. In Dallas
(3)
A recent government survey concluded that potential
customers were more likely to shop in stores that had trees or other
landscaping around them than stores that didn’t. In fact, the study also concluded that
customers believed the goods offered in these stores were of better quality and
they were willing to pay more for them.
It’s easy to sum
up the numerous advantages trees offer home owners or business owners. For the
dollars spent, trees will add more value to your property than anything you can
do. So this year while the planting season is still with us, head to your local
nursery and buy a tree. It will pay dividends for years to come.
Monday, May 16, 2016
Natural Soultions by Richard: Let's Protect Our Wildlife Habitat
Natural Soultions by Richard: Let's Protect Our Wildlife Habitat: I am a native Arkansawyer. I grew up literally in the woods; hunting and fishing almost every day of my early life. As I look ba...
Let's Protect Our Wildlife Habitat
I am a native
Arkansawyer. I grew up literally in the
woods; hunting and fishing almost every day of my early life. As I look back on the changes that have
occurred, I can say that, without question, the wholesale cutting of the big
timber along our rivers is, by far, the biggest change in the woods. It hasn't been many years ago when you could
walk for miles through huge pin oak flats.
Today most of the old growth is gone.
Only patches remain. Scraggly cut
over timber and clear‑cut tracts replanted in pine plantations make‑up much of
our forests. Yes, there is more wooded
land in Arkansas than we had 30 years ago, but I challenge anyone to truthfully
say the quality of our woodlands is superior to what we had.
It's no mystery
as to what has happened to our woodlands.
Anyone that has traveled around our country or spent any time overseas
has surely observed the destruction of woodlands worldwide.
We have lost 90%
of our wetlands over the past 100 years, and we are still seeing them vanish at
an alarming rate. The hardwood forests that covered our land years ago are
systematically being replaced by pine plantations. Bottomland hardwoods have become especially
vulnerable to timber harvest, and the result is a 70% loss of bottomland
hardwoods.
Now, let's look
at countries that have sat back and allowed uncontrolled or unregulated timber
practices to dominate their landscape.
The best examples are the European countries that we now view as being
un-forested. Those rolling hills of
Scotland, England, Ireland, France, etc., aren't naturally open plains.
There is one
lesson in all of history that we must recognize if we are to have anything left
for our grandchildren. The lesson is
very simple and straightforward. If an
area of high quality woodlands or wetlands is not protected in some manner, then
it is an absolute certainty to be destroyed.
There are no exceptions, and this rule applies worldwide.
Now, let's look
closely at Arkansas. A few years ago, I
interviewed one of the older citizens of the Mena area. When I asked him what had changed the most in
West Arkansas, he said, "the woods".
He told of riding through the forest by wagon, not along any road, but
cross country to visit neighbors, traveling through a forest of ancient oaks
scattered with pine. The high forest
canopy created an open, brush free area easily traversed by wagon. Today?
Well, by the 1920's, our old growth forest had been cut. As the National Forests were created and the
forest service's timber management practices were initiated, slowly but surely,
the character of our national forests forever changed. Today West Arkansas is predominately pine
forests with only a remnant of hardwoods remaining. Nothing was protected, so almost everything was
lost.
Today our
choices are simple. We can either sit
back and listen to the timber companies tell us how they are going to manage
the timber and wildlife, and then watch as we have less and less wildlife
habitat each year, or we can seek to protect areas where extraordinary timber
and wildlife habitat remain. East
Arkansas is active in doing just that, with its Cache‑White River Refuge
Systems. West and North Central Arkansas
is protecting large wilderness areas through the National Forest Wilderness
System and the National River System. South
Arkansas has the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. However, even with these steps in the right
direction, we are only protecting a fraction of the habitat we should be
protecting.
Remember, the
past tells us either we protect unique wildlife habitat, or we lose it. What are you going to do?
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Natural Soultions by Richard: Greening Your Town, Part Two
Natural Soultions by Richard: Greening Your Town, Part Two: GREENING UP YOUR TOWN PART 2 Last week I talked about the need for us to move forward in our communities with new street construction...
Greening Your Town, Part Two
GREENING UP
YOUR TOWN PART 2
Last
week I talked about the need for us to move forward in our communities with new
street construction, underground utilities, and a master landscaping plan for
major entryways. Today I will focus on the need to enact greenspace and signage
ordinances. But before we go any further in our discussion, let's talk about
why we should bother.
In
that regard, we should review the progress or lack of progress our communities
have made over the last 20 years. When I talk about progress, I mean our
progressive growth and the creation of a community that is a more pleasant
place to live and work. If your
community is like most in our state, you have just been treading water. Our
whole concept of growth, industrial recruitment, and quality of life must be
re-examined if we intend to have successful communities in the years to come.
What I am suggesting is that we throw out the failed methods we have been using
and adopt new ideas and concepts which have already proven to be successful in
cities around the world. When we review these ideas, remember city after city
has already implemented every suggestion I will make. They work. In order for
us to understand why the visual improvements are so important, we must
recognize our level of civilization here in Arkansas. Now I know we think that the United States is
the apex of civilization, and certainly Arkansas is not vastly different from
other sections of the country. Well,
sorry to disappoint you folks, but the United States and certainly Arkansas is
not as civilized as many western European countries. I know our technology,
medicine and abundance of consumer goods far surpasses most countries of the
world; however in a great number of areas, Western Europe still leads the
way. To illustrate, let me remind you of
one of the most obvious indications of civilization; the absence of significant
litter. Now before you scoff, take a
look at Mexico, or for that matter, any third world country. Trash and litter are everywhere. Now look at
Switzerland; street sweepers clean every scrap of litter from the streets every
day. Let me give you an example of the
Swiss mind-set. A couple of years ago we
were in Switzerland on vacation. We were riding a train out to a hiking area
when we passed through a town that was obviously preparing for a parade. We got
off the train, found a good viewing spot, and settled in to watch an extensive
historical military parade. As we waited for the parade to start, I noticed
vendors selling everything from ice cream to sausage rolls. A few feet away, a
young girl about 10 years old purchased an ice cream bar wrapped in wax
paper. She
unwrapped the ice cream, folded the wrapper into a small square, looked for a
trash can, and then when she couldn't find one, she simply put the wrapper in
her pocket. When the parade finished, the several thousand people who had been
eating and drinking didn't leave one scrap of paper on the ground. Contrast
that to the scene in War Memorial stadium after a football game. In every third world country I have ever
visited, it’s always the same. Trash and
litter abound. It's the most common signature of a third world country.
Now
drive down your town's major entryways.
Do you see any evidence of a third world country? Sure you do!
As people become more sophisticated and civilized, the most obvious
characteristic of their culture is the absence of litter. The other items, such as tree-lined streets,
underground utilities, and more green spaces, follow in short order. What we must do is recognize that we do need
visual improvements, not only to make our community pleasing to the eye, but to
create a positive image which will help us recruit good responsible jobs and to
keep the jobs we now have. To be
competitive in today's job recruitment environment, we must offer an attractive
community that a plant manager would like to live in. So visual improvements
must come before we even try to recruit new jobs. My goal is to focus our
attention on our visual problems and make suggestions as to how we can correct
them. Maybe we aren't ready to solve them. It could be that your town will have
to wait for your grandchildren to correct these eyesores. However, no doubt one
day every city in the state will accomplish these goals. I believe it's time to
start.
Now,
let's go back to our original list of eyesores. We have talked about how we
need to extend and four-lane our major thoroughfares, and while we're at it,
bury the maze of utility wires. We also
noted a tree-lined avenue would certainly enhance the visual aspects of both
streets. But let's don't stop there. Two other items must be addressed if these
two streets are to be attractive entryways into our community. First, the cluttered signage present on these
streets. The most progressive communities around our country and around the
world all have sign ordinances. Some are so restrictive that they ban any signs
not attached to the place of business and forbid signs from extending higher
than the building itself. We are probably not ready for that much regulation,
but surely we can see the wisdom in passing an ordinance that would prohibit
signage taller than 6 feet and would prohibit portable signs altogether. You can't imagine how much this would help to
beautify these key streets. If you are a merchant, you are probably thinking
how much business you are going to lose when you take down your 100 foot sign.
On the contrary, when everybody has the same signage there is no loss of
business. In fact, the present situation gives the large, well-funded,
multi-national companies an advantage over a small local business.
Next
on our list of eyesores are our parking lots. Let's give credit to a few of our
companies and individuals that have already landscaped their lots. However, as
you can see, they are definitely in the minority. A greenspace ordinance is a
key to a truly beautiful city. With this ordinance, a reluctant property owner
would have no choice but to plant or leave a designated amount of his parking
lot as greenspace. Fayetteville recently passed such an ordinance for a new
bypass area that would require 25% of each lot and one out of 10 parking spaces
to be landscaped. When we add the
greenspace ordinance to our street improvements, our signage ordinance, and,
underground utilities and then the resulting tree lined avenues will exemplify
a progressive city. Not only will we be able to attract the quality jobs we
need, but the resulting improvements will restore our sense of community pride.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Natural Soultions by Richard: Greening up your town---part one
Natural Soultions by Richard: Greening up your town---part one: GREENING UP YOUR TOWN, PART #1 Over the next few weeks, I will examine various ways we can improve our quality of life in ou...
Greening up your town---part one
GREENING UP YOUR TOWN, PART #1
Over the next
few weeks, I will examine various ways we can improve our quality of life in
our towns. I will focus on changes that
will make our cities greener and in doing so, a more attractive place to
live. I believe we will conclude not
only will our towns be more pleasing to the eye, but these changes can usher in
a new wave of progress which will move them into the forefront of progressive
communities.
First, let's
list the most common of our warts. You
know, the eyesores we all gripe about.
Now, in doing this we must be brutally honest. Trying to gloss over a disaster will get us
nowhere. Here is the first part of my
list.
The seemingly
endless maze of overhead utility wires.
I know we can't get rid of all of them, but surely we could try to
mandate some of our major thoroughfares as underground utility areas. Next, how about those vast sheets of asphalt
without a blade of grass? We call them
parking lots. Now if a blank acre or so
of asphalt doesn't turn you off, multiply it by 100. What about the signage? Are we advertising to Godzilla? A 100 foot tall sign on a city street? And how about those sandwich signs with
sheets of paper blowing in the wind or the flashing arrow boards on every
corner?
Now, let's talk
about the view a visitor receives as he or she drives into our towns. Would our visitors be impressed with their
entry into most of our cities? Not
hardly!!! No trees or shrubs; a maze of utility wires; signage that is oversized and just plain
ugly. Landscaping that seems to be done
by a paving machine. In fact, without a
doubt, if a poll was taken to designate the ugliest place in your town, one of
your entryways, would probably win.
Now before we
continue our list, let's see if we can find any answers to this first wave of
eyesores. As we look for answers, I
believe we can also solve some of our transportation problems. We can design a plan that will help both our
looks and our communities' travel needs.
First, our major
entryways into town. Most of our towns
are bisected by two major thoroughfares, a major north-south street and a major
east-west street. These two streets have
by far the largest traffic count in our cities.
They serve as the primary entryways for most people. Visualize that impression. It is usually a sad scene. Let's see what we can do to improve it.
First, both
streets will probably need construction work done to make them functional.
Unless your town
is under 5,000 in population, your street improvements should start by making
these streets four-lane. In addition,
most of our cross-town entryways fail to properly connect with the regional
highway system. Nothing will help a city
more than for your major thoroughfares to connect as four-lane access to the
regional highway grid. But let's don't
stop with just making street improvements.
Your street plans should designate these thoroughfares as underground
utility areas. Next, landscape the
entire route on both streets with trees.
Place them 25 to 30 feet apart along both sides of the street. From my experience, a sycamore is probably
the best choice and the popular Bradford pear the worst choice.
Thinking back on
my travels, I can still recall a city entryway with towering trees almost
touching across the road. No, it wasn't
one of the great cities of Europe. It
was Benghazi, Libya, a 3rd rate city in a 3rd world country. The Italians had occupied Libya in the 1920's,
and they had lined the major entryways into town with Eucalyptus trees. It's sad to say a miserable little town like
Benghazi has a more attractive entrance than most of our towns.
If we make this
initial move to beautify and improve these two streets, our towns will make a
major step toward traffic improvements and beautification.
Next week, I
will continue this discussion to cover signage, green spaces on parking lots,
and several other topics.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
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Friday, April 29, 2016
Downtown Trees
DOWNTOWN TREES
In many of our
towns and cities, downtown improvement associations, city governments, and
interested individuals have joined together to plant trees. They look nice, and
many of them cover‑up some unsightly architecture. But do trees in downtown provide other
uses? How about wildlife habitat?
Let's take a
close look at downtown trees.
First, let me
say that my hometown, El Dorado, has a master plan for downtown tree
planting. The year by year
implementation of this plan has resulted in over 1000 trees planted. My comments here are being written as I look
into a downtown that is literally full of trees.
El Dorado's
downtown trees are a mix of Ornamental Bradford Pear, Live Oak, Red Oak,
Sycamore, and Sweet Gum extending out over a twenty block area.
As the trees
mature, they rise above the mostly two story buildings in the downtown, and as
they have gotten larger, their use by wildlife has increased. Numerous downtown trees are now roosting
areas for a wide variety of birds.
Granted, not all of our downtown birds are the most desirable of the
species, but on the whole, the cumulative effect of several thousand birds in a
downtown is positive. As the trees get
larger, nesting occurs. On a recent trip
to Houston, I passed a mall with several Pear Trees planted in a parking
area. In one tree, I counted six
nests. In several major cities, the
downtown trees which attract a general mix of smaller birds, have brought in
hawks and falcons which prey on these birds.
Several falcons have even nested on building ledges, adapting to tall
buildings as if they were mountains.
Recently in Chicago, one of the most popular public television programs was
a still television camera trained on a falcon's nest.
Spring comes to
my downtown with the Pear Trees in full bloom.
Honey bees by the thousands invade the city to work the pear
blossoms. In the fall as acorns fall
from the numerous oaks, birds feast on the acorns crushed by cars or
pedestrians. At night, when the cities
numerous opossums, raccoons, and skunks roam our back alleys, our trees serve
as a place of refuge or as a spot to prey on the roosting birds.
Just the
presence of hundreds of trees in an otherwise sterile downtown setting is
conducive to wildlife. Birds crossing
from one area to the next pause in our trees.
Across the
country, thousands of trees have been planted in downtowns. Each one of these trees is looked upon by
wildlife as either a source of food or shelter.
When the tree planting is supplemented by the addition of shrubs or
other low bush planting, the wildlife usage jumps. Vacant lots or even parking areas can be mini‑wildlife
corridors by merely planting trees, shrubs, and grasses along their back
edges. As more and more habitat is lost
to urban development, these city trees and shrubs become more and more
attractive to wildlife.
And finally, one
more good reason to plant downtown trees; lower utility bills for your downtown
merchants. No, it's not only because of
the shade of the leaves, it's more complicated than that. When our first satellites carrying heat
sensors scanned the country, they immediately detected hot spots in every town
and city of any size. If you have ever
walked across a blacktop highway barefoot, you understand how asphalt,
concrete, and other building materials hold heat. The average downtown is sometimes 10 degrees
hotter than the surrounding countryside.
When the satellite data was closely analyzed, certain areas within a
city would stand out as cooler than other areas. It became very clear that cities with parks
and downtown trees were substantially cooler than a city without trees. A downtown with good tree planting can have
midsummer temperatures as much as 10 degrees cooler than a comparable city
without trees. Translate that to your
electric bill and you can have as much as a $50.00 to $100.00 a month
reduction.
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