Part II: Should the City of Rye Adopt a Healthy Lawn Policy for its Public Spaces?

Continuing the discussion about whether the City of Rye should adopt a healthy lawn policy for its public spaces, we took a look at New Jersey's municipalities to see if any have adopted a chemical-free policy. The Sustainable Jersey organization provides an excellent summary of those communities that have integrated healthy landscaping practices into their municipal operations. We reproduce their summaries below.

What do you think the City of Rye should do? Take the survey here!

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Bernards Township: Integrated Pest Management Policy

In 2008, Bernards Township, NJ adopted an Integrated Pest Management Policy covering all township owned property. The policy utilizes organic lawn care practices allowing for the elimination of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizer on all sports fields and key lawn areas, and it designates all parks as Pesticide Free Zones. The Board of Health supported the policy by passing Resolution BH 10:09 and the Board of Education followed with their own decision declaring that school lawns and sports fields shall be managed without lawn care pesticides. The Mayor, the Township Committee, the Board of Health, the Green Team, the Board of Education, and the Environmental Commission encourage all citizens to participate in this endeavor on their own property.

The township also provides extensive information for the public on their website. This site also has links to their brochure and to videos, training resources, news updates and resources for locating an organic lawn care specialist.

Additional information about the Integrated Pest Management Policy can be found on Sustainable Jersey's site here.

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Bernards Township: Green Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance

Bernards Township has taken several actions to implement green landscaping and grounds maintenance. A mowing policy has reduced the mowing area of municipal lands by mulching, planting wildflowers, or allowing meadow growth instead of lawn. These areas contribute to a healthier ecosystem, and reduced mowing leads to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from lawnmowers. Efforts have also been made to restore native vegetation to the landscape, encouraging biodiversity and resulting in lower maintenance needs. Stormwater is also managed by 150 detention basins, many on private property, that filter pollutants and recharge groundwater. (See http://www.bernards.org/boards_commissions/green_team/default.aspx).

Bernards Township has taken several actions to implement green landscaping and grounds maintenance. A mowing policy has reduced the mowing area of municipal lands by mulching, planting wildflowers, or allowing meadow growth instead of lawn. These areas contribute to a healthier ecosystem, and reduced mowing leads to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from lawnmowers. Efforts have also been made to restore native vegetation to the landscape, encouraging biodiversity and resulting in lower maintenance needs. Stormwater is also managed by 150 detention basins, many on private property, that filter pollutants and recharge groundwater.

Additional information about Efficient Landscape Design practices can be found on Sustainable Jersey's site here.

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Linwood

Linwood has adopted and implemented a Green Grounds and Maintenance Policy which was reviewed by the Director of Public Works, City Engineer, City Council members, and the City Clerk. The policy incorporates water saving techniques and procedures, native plantings usage, recycled products and materials usage, and natural and non-chemical applications among others.

Linwood's Green Grounds and Maintenance Policy can be seen here.

Additional information about the Green Grounds and Maintenance Policy can be found on Sustainable Jersey's site here.

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greenwich Update

And if you missed the earlier post about the Town of Greenwich's healthy lawn practices, please take a look here. As an update, we attach the the Town's 2016 Safe Lawn Proclamation here. 

Should the City of Rye Adopt a Healthy Lawn Policy for its Public Spaces?

Did you know that the Town of Greenwich has used organic lawn care since 2008? It’s a safe and, in many ways, inexpensive alternative to treating lawns and yards with chemicals. Read more about the Town of Greenwich's healthy landscaping practices in this recent Greenwich Times article and let us know if you think the City of Rye should do the same!

Visit our Rye Healthy Yard and Resources Section to learn more. And ...

Take the RHYP Pledge!

Invasive Species Awareness Week: July 10 - 16

A Call to Action for all New Yorkers to Learn about and Help Stop the Spread of Invasive Species

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 07/11/2016 , which is reproduced here.

New York's third annual Invasive Species Awareness Week (ISAW) will be held Sunday, July 10 - Saturday, July 16, 2016, state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos and state Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced today. In observance of ISAW, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo issued a proclamation urging all New Yorkers to exercise environmental stewardship to protect lands and waters from infestations that can be devastating to habitats, agriculture, tourism and human health.

"Invasive Species Awareness Week is an opportunity to highlight the environmental and economic threats invasive species can pose and raises awareness of the many ways that all New Yorkers can help protect against unwelcome species in their communities," said Commissioner Seggos.

"Prevention is the most cost effective strategy and through the Environmental Protection Fund and other funding sources, New York is making significant investments in the fight to addresses their spread. In the height of the outdoor summer season - whether you are camping or boating or hiking or fishing - everyone can help keep invasive species from spreading."

State Agriculture Commissioner Ball said, "Invasive species can have a costly impact on agriculture, the environment, and our economy. It's important that we all do our part to keep invasive species out of our communities and away from our natural resources. During Invasive Species Awareness Week, I encourage all New Yorkers to learn what they can do to help eradicate these pests and prevent them from spreading."

Invasive species cause harm because of their ability to reproduce quickly, outcompete native species, and adapt to new environments. Because invasive species did not evolve with the other species in their new location, they often do not have natural predators and diseases that would normally control their population within their native habitat. Economists estimate that invasive species cost the United States more than $120 billion in damages every year.

During ISAW, the Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs), iMap Invasives, Cornell Cooperative Extension, DEC, and additional state and local partners will host activities to inform citizens how to identify, survey, map, report or manage invasive species. Those attending will be able to help remove invasive species from public lands, join experts on the trails or on the water to see invasive species firsthand, attend presentations to learn more about what can be done to help fight these threats, and more.

In addition, all citizens are asked to consider how their everyday activities may affect the spread of invasive species and use the following best management practices: clean, drain and dry watercraft and gear after boating and fishing; use non-invasive plants in gardens and landscaping; use local firewood; and learn about, look for and report invasive species.

New York is working persistently to fight invasives such as emerald ash borer, which has spread across the state on wood packaging and firewood, threatening to kill millions of ash and cause a negative impact on the timber industry in the millions of dollars. This includes baseball bat manufacturers and bats used in Major League Baseball. Hemlock wooly adelgid is another threat, killing thousands of acres of hemlock in the lower Hudson Valley and Catskills. Shade provided by hemlock is important for maintaining cool water temperatures for New York's many trout streams.

Oak wilt, first discovered in 2008, has cost NYS approximately $500,000 to control. Some midwest states spend over $1 million a year to control it but NY has kept costs down by aggressively surveying and eradicating infestations quickly while they are small. Oak is an important species because of the wildlife (deer and turkey among others, big for hunting) that depend on the acorns.

NY Invasive Species Awareness Week is one component of a larger invasive species education campaign "Stop the Invasion: Protect NY from Invasive Species" coordinated by the Invasive Species Council, Invasive Species Advisory Committee and PRISMs. The goal of the campaign is to inform citizens about the threats of invasive species and to enlist their assistance in helping to stop their spread. Some invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife and Japanese beetles have been present in NY for decades, while others are more recent arrivals, such as emerald ash borer, hydrilla and plum pox virus. New or old, all invasive species have serious impacts on recreation, environmental quality and the economy.

The Invasive Species Prevention Act was signed into law in 2012 to prohibit or limit the sale and transport of known invasive plants and animals that threaten our communities and natural areas and last year the Governor signed a law to prevent the spread of disease-carrying, aggressive Eurasian boar to protect our farms and fields. The DEC is also implementing important regulations that restrict the movement of untreated firewood, as well as emerald ash borer quarantines, which prevent the spread of potentially infested materials, and new regulations for controlling the spread of aquatic invasive species at DEC-owned boat launches, fishing access sites, and waterbodies.

Additional information and a complete list of events are available on the NY Invasive Species Awareness Week website.

As part of Invasive Species Week, DEC and State Parks will co-host a film screening titled "The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: A Film About the Loss of an Ecosystem." The event will take place at the Madison Theater in Albany on Thursday, July 14, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with exhibits from local conservation organizations in the lobby. The film starts at 7 p.m. with an opening message from filmmaker Chris Foito.

NY Invasive Species Advisory Committee, Chair: Meredith Taylor, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Invasive Species Biologist, metaylor@dep.nyc.gov, (845) 340-7856

2016 ISAW Planning Committee Chair: Megan Phillips, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, megan.phillips@dec.ny.gov, (518) 402-8871

Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), Coordinators:

• Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, Brenden Quirion, bquirion@tnc.org, (518) 576-2082
• Capital Mohawk, Laurel Gailor, lrg6@cornell.edu, (518) 885-8995
• Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership, John Thompson, jthompson@catskillcenter.org, (845) 586-2611
• Finger Lakes, Hilary Mosher, mosher@hws.edu, (315) 781-4385
• Long Island Invasive Species Management Area, Steve Young, steve.young@dec.ny.gov (518) 402-8951
• Lower Hudson, Linda Rohleder, lrohleder@nynjtc.org, (201) 512-9348
• St. Lawrence and Eastern Lake Ontario, Robert Williams, rwilliams@tnc.org, (315) 387-3600
• Western New York, Andrea Locke, lockeas@buffalostate.edu, (716) 878-4708

To view the New York State's Invasive Species Awareness Week proclamation (PDF, 639 KB), visit the Governor's website.

Visit our Rye Healthy Yard and Resources Section to learn more. And ...

Take the RHYP Pledge!

Five Healthy Yard Lessons by Taro Ietaka of Rye Nature Center

Taro Ietaka, Director of Conservation & Land Stewardship at Rye Nature Center, shares insights and tips about maintaining a healthy yard.

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Five Lessons from an Organic Farmer and a Naturalist

By Taro Ietaka

Friends of Rye Nature Center teamed up with the Rye Sustainability Committee’s Healthy Yards Project (RHYP) this spring to help spread the word on home landscaping without chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. The kickoff event, “What’s Under Your Lawn: The Secret to Healthy Soil” featured Max Apton, former field manager at Stone Barns and now owner of the Farmer’s Garden. During our discussions leading up to the Healthy Yards event, it became apparent that Max and I had arrived at many of the same conclusions when it comes to what makes a yard healthy.

Lessons from the forest and organic farm for a healthy yard:

Let this be your pesticide! (Photo of ladybug by charlesjsharp on commons.wikimedia.org)

• Nature provides for its own. A big goal of the RHYP is to wean properties off of chemical-dependence. Synthetic pesticides and herbicides kill beneficial soil micro-organisms that are helping your plants.The trees and shrubs in our forest grow just fine without the addition of any fertilizer other than decomposing plants and what animals leave behind. Be like nature: amend your soil with compost and manure, and leave shredded leaves and grass clippings in place to decompose.

• Bare ground is bad. Aristotle may have said it first: “Nature abhors a vacuum.” In our case, that “vacuum” is bare, exposed soil which quickly dries out and gets washed away with a heavy rain, or gets colonized by weeds. So remember to mulch between your plants or, even better, plant close together to cover the ground in green.

• Diversity is desirable. Our Eastern forests have been hit by chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, and many other pathogens over the years, and yet, they have survived. Forests are resilient because of their diversity: if the chestnuts go down, the maples step up. A monoculture, such as a tree plantation or a lawn of Kentucky bluegrass, has no backup plan and is an easier target for marauding insects or fungal invasion.

• Insects are good (for the most part). Pesticides are poison. They are designed to kill insects and they don’t discriminate between unwanted potato bugs and desirable honeybees. A healthy, diverse ecosystem (see above) will have checks and balances that keep insect infestations under control: let birds, spiders and beneficial bugs be your natural pesticides.

• Go native. – Don’t give in to the temptation to plant that new beautiful Asian shrub that just arrived at your nursery! We have many examples of gardeners who inadvertently started an invasion after succumbing to the tempting flowers of Chinese wisteria, fruit of wineberry, or one of the many other plants that have run amok in our region. An extra benefit of using native plants is the increase in birds and butterflies you’ll see. Our wildlife generally prefers local cuisine over the exotic.

Did you miss the Wainwright House kickoff event? You can watch Max and Taro's presentation on Rye TV.

Visit our Rye Healthy Yard and Resources Section to learn more. And ...

Take the RHYP Pledge!

The Beauty of a Healthy Yard

Sustainability in Our Community

Rye resident Sonja Bartlett has lived with her family in Rye for over sixteen years. A professional photographer who has an eye for capturing the beauty of her surroundings, Sonja is first and foremost a mother who cares deeply about the safety and health of her children and numerous pets. Sonja shares shares her experience with transforming her stunning 4-acre home into a pesticide-free environment. With the help of landscaper, Cosimo Ferraro, the Bartletts discovered not only how effortless the change could be, but how their yard transformed into an even more beautiful outdoor living space.

This is the first of an ongoing series covering Sustainability in Our Community. We hope you enjoy and learn from your fellow Rye residents!

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Making the Switch to a Healthy Yard

By Sonja Bartlett

Relaxing on a healthy, chemical-free lawn

Frogs in Rye!

Ferraro checking pH levels

The beauty of a chemical-free lawn

There's nothing wrong with a few weeds

Everyone can enjoy the family's safe and beautiful yard

Sonja and Cosimo

This is not the yellow we want in our yard!

It started with those little yellow signs that pop up all over town every spring like dandelions. You know the ones that read: “PESTICIDE APPLICATION - DO NOT ENTER” and “DO NOT REMOVE SIGN FOR 24 HOURS.”

As I ran past these tiny, yellow dire warnings all around my neighborhood, it got me thinking. What product is so dangerous that my kids and dogs can’t go on my grass for 24 hours? And where do these toxins actually go after a day? Our air? Our groundwater? Do we really need these chemicals to have a beautiful yard?

Well, this was 2003 and the word “organic” was not exactly part of our daily conversation. So I called my landscaper, Cosimo Ferraro to see what he thought.   Cosimo had been working on our yard since 1975, when he first moved here from Italy.  He said not to worry. Going organic was easy.

“It’s the way we’ve been taking care of the land for centuries back in Italy.”

I would be his very first organic yard customer. Exciting.

Thirteen years later, I decided it would be fun to check in with Cosimo again. He now has 20 clients who want organic landscaping, but it’s still only about 20 percent of his work.

“This is the business that I am in. People tell me they want a green carpet. I tell them, carpets are for inside the house,” jokes Cosimo, shaking his head.

You do have to start with your definition of beautiful.  We have been conditioned to want that proverbial green carpet golf course look, for sure. But let’s reset that definition of beautiful to mean natural looking. In our organic yard we have yellow, purple and white wildflowers, wild raspberries, mushrooms and even tiny scallions, which my kids love to dig up and eat. By skipping pesticides and chemical fertilizers, you get gorgeous, tasty diversity in your grass.

Instead of using herbicides for weeds, you have to aerate the lawn aggressively in spring. My kids say that the bits of soil that are left behind after aerating look like goose poops. Cosimo then seeds aggressively as well, so that new grass will grow in the turned up soil and squeeze out the weeds. Next he checks the Ph balance of the soil and decides if we need to add lime to balance it. Then he uses organic compost as fertilizer.

When it’s time to mow, he never cuts shorter than two inches. Many folks want that very short grass like a golf course. Longer grass uses less water and creates shade for the blades, which keeps weeds down, naturally. The clippings go right back onto the lawn, which works much better when you have longer grass. The clippings are your next natural fertilizer.

My gardner Cosimo is himself in a bind like many of us. As a professional landscaper, his own yard is his calling card. He admits to me that he still uses the occasional chemical in the front for that “perfect look.” But in the back, where his young grandson plays and he grows vegetables, he says there’s no debate. All organic.

Just something to think about the next time you take a walk through your neighborhood. Are you seeing lots of yellow? Let’s hope those bursts of yellow are dandelions and those scary little warning signs begin to disappear.

Visit our Rye Healthy Yard and Resources Section to learn more. And ...

Take the RHYP Pledge!

Natural vs. Conventional Yard Care Systems: Find Out More!

Natural vs. Conventional Yard Care Systems: Did you know that ...

Robust natural systems don’t need synthetic inputs.
 
Organic doesn’t come in a bag because a system doesn’t come in a bag—natural yard care is more than just something you buy instead of a more toxic spray or pellet.  While it’s true that some products, such as fertilizers, can be labeled organic, there’s no "silver bullet" input or even series of inputs that can replace a healthy community of micro-organisms living in your garden’s soil.  In a natural system, it’s these organisms that work together to produce the nutrients that your plants need to grow and thrive as well as protect themselves from disease and insects.

Natural yard care is very different from chemical yard care.

Many conventional landscapers use the same battle plan every season—laying down chemicals to kill unwanted plants and insects, then adding synthetic fertilizers to partially replace nutrients that are lost when good organisms are also destroyed.  Experienced organic or no-chem landscape professionals use a range of strategies to help you grow a healthy, beautiful yard depending on the specific needs of your garden.  For example, rather than using pesticides, they may use their own recipes to attract beneficial insects. Instead of using herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, they may apply corn gluten and compost.  Natural landscapers may also use bagged amendments but if they do, they’re usually certified organic products.
 
Even organic fertilizers and pesticides can have negative environmental impacts.
 
Misuse of even organic inputs can impact soil and watershed and all pesticides, even the least harmful, can still hurt non-target organisms.
 
Natural garden care doesn’t need to cost more.
 
Achieving a successful, affordable natural landscape comes down to the ability of the gardener/landscaper as well as the condition of the property itself, weather, climate and other challenges specific to that yard and that season.  Switching from conventional to natural systems will take some time and initial costs may be higher.  On the other hand, cost is relative.  Conventional care means frequent applications of chemicals (often on a regular schedule whether your property needs it or not) and since the soil under conventional maintenance is generally less healthy, the plants in that soil are more vulnerable to insect and disease which itself may raise maintenance or replacement costs.
 
Education is key.
 
Learn all you can about alternatives to synthetic lawn and garden care.  Ask your landscaper whether he or she can stop using chemicals and still get the results you want.  Let’s redefine what we mean by a beautiful and healthy yard.  The Rye Sustainability Committee is here to help make that happen!

Visit our Rye Healthy Yard and Resources Section to learn more. And ...

Take the RHYP Pledge!

Worms and Dirt Featured at Composting Workshop

Rye Nature Center Presenters

From left to right: Courtney Rothaus, Annette Hein and Taro Ietaka

Taro Ietaka

Taro shows how food waste can be stored in a bin in the freezer until it's transferred outside

Another type of compost bin for the kitchen

Annette Hein

Annette explains the importance of periodic turning to aerate soil

Courtney Rothaus

Courtney reassuring the crowd that worm composting is simple

Rye Nature Center staff fabricated their own vermicomposter, but commercial options are available for purchase

Courtney and Annette answer questions after the presentation

The worms were the stars of the event!

A large group of brave souls ventured out into the rain storm on Friday to learn how to compost from Rye Nature Center experts, Taro Ietaka, Courtney Rothaus and Annette Hein.

The workshop was part informative introduction and part therapy session to ease the fears of those who might be intimidated by the process. Inspired by Midland school's new composting program, Taro said he decided to organize a workshop to share his knowledge of composting with others in Rye.

Taro began by explaining the mechanics of composting - what to include, what not to include, optimum carbon/nitrogen ratios - and how to avoid some of the pitfalls of composting, chief of which is smelly, decomposing waste. He showed us how he stores scraps in the freezer before transporting them outside. He also provided examples of different kitchen compost collectors and bins.

Annette showed us some of the outdoor compost bins, explaining the pros and cons of each. She recommends at least two bins to store waste in different stages of decomposition.

Courtney concluded by presenting an alternative composting option: vermicomposting (or worm composting, in layman's terms). She described how, with minimal fuss and attention, specialty worms (red wigglers) can be employed to decompose home waste, including paper. With vermicomposting, no sifting or turning is necessary. Homeowners can purchase vermicomposters and worms online to begin composting at home.

Rye Nature Center executive director Christine Siller ended the presentation by stressing the important point that as a by-product of composting, we're helping to achieve a critical goal of reducing waste from the general waste stream.

An enormous thank you to the Rye Nature Center, the presenters, and Christine Siller, for organizing this informative event!

Check out our Resources page for more information on composting. Let's all start composting!

Organic Gardening: How to Grow a Healthy Yard

A Presentation by Rye Nature Center and Rye Sustainability Committee

Learn how to grow a beautiful garden with natural strategies that can protect wildlife and reduce your family's exposure to synthetic chemicals. Presented by Taro Ietaka, Director of Conservation & Land Stewardship of the Rye Nature Center and Lori Fontanes, co-head, Rye Healthy Yard Program of the City of Rye Sustainability Committee.

Free and open to the public!

When: Saturday, April 30
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Where: Harrison Public Library, 2 Bruce Ave, Harrison, New York 10528

Bios:
Taro Ietaka (Director of Conservation and Land Stewardship, Rye Nature Center) graduated from SUNY Geneseo and has continued his education at the Eagle Hill Institute and New York Botanical Garden. He has worked as an educator for the last thirteen years at various nature centers throughout the County, teaching both children and adults about the natural world. He has managed hundreds of forested acres locally, creating and implementing habitat management plans, including at the Rye Nature Center. He is also a member of the City of Rye Sustainability Committee's Healthy Yard Program.

Lori Fontanes (co-head, Rye Healthy Yard Program, City of Rye Sustainability Committee, writer/photographer/backyard farmer) raises ducks, plants and a daughter at their home in Rye, NY. She grows more than twenty different kinds of fruits, vegetables and cover crops on land previously used for lawn. She writes a column for Backyard Poultry and has also contributed to Countryside and Grit. As a citizen scientist, she's been involved in a long-term case study involving lead contamination in suburban soils with Dr. Joshua Cheng at Brooklyn College. As a community advocate for public health and the environment, she's a member of the Rye Y Cross-District Wellness Committee and is co-head of the Rye Healthy Yard Program for the City of Rye Sustainability Committee.

Learn to Compost!

Everything You Wanted to Know About Compost
(But Didn't Know You Wanted to Ask!)

A workshop presented by Rye Nature Center and Rye Sustainability Committee

Got a composter?  Wonder what to do with it? Drop by the Rye Nature Center and we'll be happy to show you the what, why and how-to of composting.

In partnership with Rye Sustainability Committee's Healthy Yard Program, Rye Nature Center will present a user-friendly introduction to the art and science of residential composting. This family friendly workshop is aimed at those who've been intending to start composting but don't know where to begin or those who may have been unsuccessful in the past. RNC staff will start with the question ‘why’ and then proceed to explain the ‘how’ by showing examples of different kitchen compost collectors and compost bins. The program will analyze the RNC's composting area, including a worm compost bin, and will also show how compost is used in the garden. The event will conclude with a Q&A session. No registration required!

Free and open to the public--children welcome!

When: Friday, May 6th
Time: 9:15 am
Where: Rye Nature Center, 873 Boston Post Road

Further info: taroietaka@ryenaturecenter.org

First Rye Healthy Yard Speaker Series Event at Wainwright House

If you missed the first event in the Rye Sustainability Committee/Rye Nature Center speaker series about the secret of healthy soil, here's the Rye TV coverage of the event.  It was an incredible turnout! Please join us at Rye Nature Center on May 6 for the next event, where we'll be learning how easy it is to compost. More details to follow!