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Protecting the Environment Starts in Your Backyard
Michael TropConservation Education Specialist
John Marshall Soil & Water Conservation District
September 7, 2013
Kettle Run
Map Source: US EPA
Broad RunKettle Run
Map Source: US EPA
Occoquan RiverBroad Run
Kettle Run
Map Source: US EPA
Occoquan RiverBroad Run
Kettle Run
Map Source: US EPA
Potomac River
Chesapeake Bay
Occoquan RiverBroad Run
Kettle Run
Map Source: US EPA
Potomac River
Upstream & Downstream
• What you do to your lawn affects people, plants, and animals downstream
• What people upstream do to their lawn affects your water quality– Follow the Golden Rule
What’s in your yard can affect water quality?
Pet Waste
Fertilizer
Pesticides
Septic Systems
Sediment
Causes and Solutions
• Fertilizer– N&P contribute to many of the dissolved oxygen problems in
the Bay– Apply fertilizer only as needed (follow directions); get your
soil tested• Pet Waste
– E. coli impairs many streams in our area– Pick up after your pet, even in the backyard
• Septic Systems– Bacteria and raw sewage can contaminate water– Have your system inspected & pumped regularly
Causes and Solutions
• Pesticides– May harm aquatic wildlife and contaminate
groundwater– Apply pesticides only as needed (follow directions);
more is not more effective; use correct pesticide• Sediment
– Sediment can clog waterways & nutrients and chemicals can attach to sediments and be carried downstream
– Seed or sod lawn areas prone to erosion; plants and trees help too
Protecting the Environment Starts in Your Backyard Con’t
Julie BolthouseFauquier County Land Use OfficerPiedmont Environmental Council
September 7, 2013
Virginia Ecoregions
45. Piedmont 63. Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain 64. Northern Piedmont 65. Southeastern Plains 66. Blue Ridge 67. Ridge and Valley 69. Central Appalachian
Fragmentation and Modification
Invasion by Alien Species
Kudzu Tree of Heaven
Emerald Ash Borer Gypsy Moth
Image Credit: US Forest Service
Photo Credit: Scott Edhart (contribution to public domain) Photo Credit: Scott Edhart (contribution to public domain)
Image Credit: US Forest Service
Wildlife Ranges
Indian Bat
US Fish and Wildlife Approximate Range of Indiana Bat
Image Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife Ranges
Cedar Waxwing
Image Credit: National Audubon Society
Photo Credit: Ken Thomas (contributed to public domain)
Wildlife Ranges
Jefferson Salamander
Image Credit: US Department of Agriculture
Biodiversity
Image Credit: John White Prince William Conservation Alliance
Image Credit: Branlon (contributed to public domain)
Image Credit: Snowmanradio (contributedto public domain)
Image Credit: Julia Flanagan with Prince William Conservation Alliance
Image Credit: Kim Hosen with Prince William Conservation Alliance
50 Mammals69 Fish23 Amphibians31 Reptiles15 Mollusks178 Birds
Ecosystem Services
Pollination
Image Credit: Kim Hosen with Prince William Conservation Alliance
Ecosystem Services
Pest Management – Diversity = Balanced
Ecosystem
96% of birds rear their young on insects and spiders
Photo Credits: Magee Design
Ecosystem Services
• Nutrient Cycling – Healthy soil is alive!
Image Credit: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Start at Home
There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. So you have to begin there...
- Aldous Huxley
Start Small
All big things are made up of trifles…
My entire life has been built on trifles. - Mahatma
Gandhi
And Don’t Ever Doubt that Your Efforts Make a Difference
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,committed, citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead