Conservation

Participation Levels

You can decide how much you want to participate!
Photo: Jesse M. Harris
Conservation

Participation Levels

You can decide how much you want to participate!

 

Silver:

  • Remove all Silver invasive plants
  • Plant 5% of plantable yard area with native plants
  • Select one item from *Wildlife Habitat and *Stormwater Management option

Silver Level Invasive Plants

  • Bush honeysuckles (Amur, Morrow, Tatarian) (Lonicera sp.)
  • Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), o Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
  • Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)
  • Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)

Gold:

  • Remove all Silver and Gold invasive plants
  • Plant 15% of plantable yard area with native plants
  • Include three vegetation layers
  • Select two items from *Wildlife Habitat and *Stormwater Management options

Gold Level Invasive Plants

  • Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
  • Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
  • Asian Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
  • Bradford/Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), Cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus)

Platinum:

  • Remove all three levels of invasive plants
  • Plant 30% of plantable yard with native plants
  • Include all vegetation layers
  • Select three items form *Wildlife Habitat and *Stormwater Management options

Platinum Level Invasive Plants

  • Tree-of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
  • Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)
  • Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
  • Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
  • Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus)

*Wildlife Habitat, Stormwater Management & Citizen Science Options

Wildlife Habitat – create more

  • Install a wildlife water feature (bird bath or pond)
  • Provide avian nest or roost boxes for native species
  • Create a pollinator garden with a mix of forbs and grasses and three bloom times
  • Install native bee house that gets morning sun
  • Install a bat house
  • Keep cats indoors or in an outdoor enclosure
  • Keep a dead snag (at least 5 ft. tall) or brush pile
  • Pledge Lights Out – reduce outdoor lighting during spring and fall migration
  • Reduce bird window collisions by assessing problem windows and treating to reduce strikes 

Stormwater Management – take action

  • Have a large tree(s) for storm water absorption – it can be a non-native tree
  • Have a rain garden(s)
  • Have a rain barrel(s)
  • Impervious pavement is less than 10% of property – minus house
  • Pledge to reduce pesticides – No use of moderate/high-hazard yard/garden products for one year Grow Smart Grow Save app is available as a resource
  • Use a rain sensor on an existing irrigation system
  • Use a drip irrigation system
  • Pledge to PUP ( Pick-Up Dog Poop), which reduces pathogens in the water system
  • Mulch your beds to reduce water loss, erosion and herbicide use

How you can help, right now