Backyard Conservation: Four Ways You Can Make an Impact
At the Great Outdoors Foundation, we view every day as Earth Day. On a mission to advance conservation through innovation, collaboration, and stewardship, protecting and preserving our planet is at the heart of everything we do. Each year on Earth Day we’re not only provided with an extra opportunity to celebrate our planet, but also time to pause and reflect on ways we can become better stewards.
Putting conservation into action looks different for everyone. For some, it’s implementing large-scale practices on farmland or in public nature areas. But for many of us, it’s making small changes right in our own backyards. This Earth Day, we’re sharing four small-but-mighty ways you can begin making a difference for conservation.
Rain Gardens
Rain gardens are not only a beautiful addition to your space, but also tout an impressive list of conservation benefits: they reduce runoff, filter pollutants, provide food and shelter for wildlife, increase soil infiltration, and more. A depressed area in the landscape, these gardens capture, hold, and displace excess water. They are comprised of plants, grasses, flowers, mulch, gravel, and more, all of which help soil slowly absorb water over 24-48 hours. This slower pace helps keep soil in place, allows deep roots to remove sediment and pollutants from the water, and reduces strain on stormwater systems.
Rain gardens are best suited for areas that can drain well within 12-24 hours and have one inch per hour of rain accumulation. To learn more about installing a rain garden, we invite you to visit the U.S. EPA website or consult a local expert.
Contain Yard Trimmings
Did you know that something as simple as containing yard trimmings can make a big difference for conservation? While they may seem innocuous, grass clippings can negatively impact the ecosystem when they reach our waterways. Containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, yard trimmings elevate these levels in water, causing decreased oxygen that is crucial for sustaining aquatic life. An increase in these elements also provides fuel for algal blooms, which can further deplete oxygen, block necessary underwater sunlight, and cause illnesses in humans and pets. Keeping grass trimmings out of stormwater sewers also reduces flooding, which is exacerbated by clogged drains.
Instead of blowing grass clippings into the street or on sidewalks, keep them within your own yard to use as fertilizer (they can generate up to 25% of your lawns fertilizer needs!) You can also collect them in a yard waste container for the city to later turn into mulch and fertilizer.
Learn more about yard clippings and conservation in this article.
Backyard Prairies
It’s estimated that at one point approximately 80-85% of Iowa was covered by tallgrass prairie. Today it’s one of the most altered landscapes in the country, with only 0.1% remaining. You can help revive this important ecosystem by bringing new prairie to life right in your backyard.
Backyard prairies, like rain gardens, provide both visual and conservation benefits. Filled with a wide array of flowers and grasses like prairie roses, pale purple coneflowers, or butterfly milkweed, these gardens will captivate you with their beauty. They also help conserve ecosystems and biodiversity, improve water quality, store water, and reduce carbon.
Ecosystems and biodiversity-
Backyard prairies provide camouflage for many wildlife species, environments for insects to thrive, and places for pollinators to feed.
Water –
The deep roots of a backyard prairie absorb and capture heavy rains, keeping nutrients out of waterways and reducing soil erosion. They also store water, helping mitigate above-ground water issues during both floods and droughts.
Carbon –
Prairies are incredible carbon sinks, sequestering most of their carbon underground in their deep roots. Storing carbon underground means that even when a prairie is experiencing drought or burns, the carbon is not released back into our atmosphere.
Interested in starting your own backyard prairie? Check out resources from our friends over at Hoksey Native Seeds and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Rain Barrels
Rain barrels are an easy addition to your home that can make a big impact on both conservation and your wallet. Attached to your home’s downspout, the barrels collect rainwater for future use, reducing water costs for your home. Collected water can be used to water lawns, plants, shrubs, and more, and can provide much-needed water during dry spells. This not only helps you, but your community as well. The U.S. EPA estimates that around 30% of daily water consumption is for outdoor use, which can strain local water sources during warmer months.
Rain barrels also help reduce runoff, soil erosion, flooding, and sewer backups. When rooftop water is collected in barrels and not flushed out onto your yard, your soil has time to better absorb moisture and keep nutrients locked in place. To learn more about installing a rain barrel in your yard, visit the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. Local support may also be available in your community.
These are just a few of many impactful ways you can begin making a difference for conservation. No matter how you take part, every action matters. We’re happy you’re here.
