We see "sustainable land management" as a balance of actions, stewardship practices and long-term planning for the coexistence of humans and nature -- both short-term and long-term. We subscribe to an approach that allows ecosytems and natural features to be preserved as much as possible while allowing for the provisions and needs of humans.

The publication Backyard  Conservation states that "There are nearly 2 billion acres of land in the conterminous United States. About 70 percent of that land is privately owned and its care is in the hands of those who live and work on it. Most of that land, 1.4 billion acres, is managed by farmers and ranchers. More than 92 million acres of land -- an area the size of California -- is privately developed and much of it is tended by homeowners."  Whether one lives in an urban area or in a rural area with many acres, that leaves us with a great responsibility to carefully plan out the use of our land with an awareness of how our gardening and/or farming practice will affect the quality of ecological systems.


Land Conservation in Your Back Yard

Many environmentalists push the idea that urban developments with high population density are an effective way of preserving agricultural land and maximizing energy efficiency. Still other environmentalists think that sustainable eco-villages combining habitation and farming with close proximity between producers and consumers can provide greater sustainability.

Urban ecosystems are dominated by environments built by humans with buildings, power supply systems,  water supply systems and roads. The urban areas are built mostly on pavement and other hard surfaces that don’t absorb rainfall. Cities were built to meet human needs, often by ignoring nature and separating humans from the natural world.

• If you live in the city, using available city space like community gardens or rooftop gardens for cooperative food production is a great way to increase your sustainability in the city.
• Use open-grid paving systems or permeable pavers for driveways or parking spaces
• Use rain barrels or cisterns to capture rainwater for landscape use
• Plant native trees in your yard and planting strips and avoid the use of invasive plant species
• Water lawns no more than 1” per week in summer
• Never pour anything down storm drains
• Water before 9 AM and after 7 PM to minimize evaporation

If you live in the suburbs, your yard or garden is an extension of your home. You can feel good about improving the environment around you with the following guidelines and suggestions:

• Plant trees, making a concious effort to choose species that are native to your area. Trees provide homes to many different kinds of wildlife and can reduce your heating and cooling costs.  In addition to providing beauty and color to your home's landscape, trees help clean the air!
•  Attract wildlife by planting shrubs and other plants, using bird feeders and installing bird houses -- all of which provide food and shelter.
• Install multiple water barrels around your home to capture water for washing cars, watering flower beds, trees and gardens. You will be surprised how many hundreds of gallons of FREE water just one rainfall will provide.
• Terrace steep slopes to help prevent erosion, avoid stormwater runoff  while giving you more usable planting areas.
• Create a mini-wetland in your back yard. The wetland will temporarily store, filter and clean runoff water from your roof and lawn. It can also provide a great habitat for butterflies, birds, salamanders, bees, toads & frogs. This is especially important in areas you identify as draining into your local creeks and storm drains which then feed rivers, bays, etc. These wetland areas filter unwanted nutrients that will otherwise feed algae and other undesirable species in the regional water system.
• Implement an integrated pest control management system that minimizes the use of pesticides to control weeds and pests.
   

Land Conservation on Your Farm or Rural Property

Conservation efforts by farmers, ranchers and other homeowners who have more than 4-5 acres to manage benefits people, wildlife and the environment.

• Support the local wildlife on your property.
  
  • Bats -help control insect populations with their nightly runs for "takeout". Placing a bat house or two around the property will help them hang out
  • Birds - are always a very good sign of a healthy environment on your property. Provide bird houses, native plantings with berries and seeds and avoid destroying natural nesting areas.
  • Bees - are vitally important to help polinate many plant species. Attract bees with flowering plants [especially blue & yellow] You can also make a Bee House [especially helpful in fruit orchards] to give the Mason Bee cover and a place to raise their young.
  • Butterflies - also help pollinate native plants and add beauty to your landscape. Provide a good habitat for them with nectar-rich flowering plants, a shallow dish of pebbles with water and avoid the use of pesticides around plants you have for the butterflies.
     
• Keep your riparian areas healthy by protecting trees and other vegetation along your water's edge. Riparians are the green, vegetated areas on each side of streams and rivers. They serve many important functions, including purifying water by removing sediments and other contaminants. If you have water on your land, a u have  first step to start the transformation of a mowed lawn into a buffer is to stop mowing a strip along the water’s edge. Gradually, plants will begin to emerge, from flowers and shrubs to trees. You can also consider panting native wildflowers shrubs and trees.
• Plant windbreaks and grouped tree plantings to improve air quality by capturing dust, slowing wind to might blow across large crop fields, provide shelter for livestock and provide food, cover and nesting areas for many wildlife species.
• Establish a wetland on your land to attract wildlife and help filter chemicals, sediment and excess fertilizer or pesticides.