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Growin' Native By Arden Miller, CZM When landscaping in Massachusetts, using indigenous plants and grasses benefits the environment in a number of ways. Thinking locally and growing natively, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center has created a site that demonstrates some of the aesthetic and environmental advantages of using local plants. The Center was awarded grant money from Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET) by Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) as part of both agency's efforts to promote Low Impact Development (LID). The LID philosophy is to reduce the need for water and fertilizer, hence conserving water and decreasing pollutants through eco-friendly landscaping. (For more on LID principles and practices, see The Solution to Pollution? Connection! The Story of the LID Working Group.) The Visitor Center, with its entrance in Newburyport, is located off of the road to Plum Island, next to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. (The Refuge occupies three quarters of a mile of the eight mile barrier beach, which is an important stop over for migratory birds.) The one-acre parking lot at the Center was landscaped in June of 2004 with close to 700 natives, including bayberry, pitch pines, high- and low-bush blueberry, and Virginia roses (and, yes Virginia, while this variety of rose may not sound native, rest assured, it is!). This less-than-natural setting of a parking lot mimics what you'd find on a beach: extreme temperature changes, high winds, sand, and salt. Due to the plants' local origin, they are already adapted to these conditions, and adept at helping to anchor the soil, while also acting as a natural filtration system for stormwater. (This last piece is crucial as stormwater runoff can contain all sorts of nitrates and pollutants that, left unfiltered, can end up in local rivers, tributaries, and the ocean.) As more people become aware of the benefits of LID and Massachusetts towns adopt ordinances and policies to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, such pilot plantings offer a real-life demonstration of how native plants can do good while looking good. Another consideration that is gaining increased attention, both nationally and locally, is water conservation. While they Bay State is in no way arid, there have been a number of summers when water conservation is not just encouraged, but required. Unlike their non-native counterparts, native grasses and plants can survive during times of feast or famine, making them desirable ecologically, economically, and aesthetically. The Center's parking lot brings these principles to life, literally, and educates visitors through signage, pamphlets, and their website, www.fws.gov/northeast/parkerriver/nativeplant1.html. Kathryn Glenn, regional coordinator of CZM's North Shore office worked with the Center on the project. "By using only plants that are native to Plum Island, this project illustrates the way native plants adapt to, and thrive in, their natural habitat," Glenn explains. "The Center's lot successfully demonstrates that landscaping can be in harmony with nature." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Boston, MA 02114