Tips for Bay-Friendly Living By Anita Grove

Tips for Bay-Friendly Living

By Anita Grove, Coastal Training Program Coordinator at ANERR

The Apalachicola and St. George Island area boast clean air and water, plenty of places to explore and seek solitude, no high rises or traffic jams, and some of the best seafood in the world right outside our door.  From your local National Estuarine Research Reserve, to area businesses, to your neighbor down the street, we all play a role in making sure the bay and river survives and thrives. What can you do to help?

Create a Bay-Friendly Yard

A bay-friendly yard is also a wildlife-friendly yard when it contains plenty of trees and bushes for habitat, requires little to no chemical use, and holds rainwater so that it can percolate through the soil. You can create large mulched beds with bushes and trees that provide habitat for wildlife rather than an expansive green lawn that needs constant mowing, pesticides and fertilizers. For lawn maintenance, make sure to use organic, slow-release fertilizer no more than once a year. Also, do not apply fertilizers before it rains. This practice does not “water in” fertilizer, but washes it away from your lawn and down nearby storm drains. By planting drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants, you can even save money by using less fertilizer and by watering less often.  Use natural pesticides to take care of pest problems, avoid using herbicides and choose a disease- and pest-resistant variety of grass. More information on creating a bay-friendly yard can be found at fyn.ifas.ufl.edu. For information on lawns, visit

http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/lawn_and_garden/choosing_a_lawngrass.shtml.

Create Living Shorelines

If you live next to the water, consider a using a living shoreline to stabilize your property instead of a hardened seawall. Living shorelines incorporate native grasses and plants with deep roots that help stabilize soft sand and create marine life habitats. When constructed properly, living shorelines are often found to be more effective than hardened shorelines. More information on living shorelines is available at www.livingshorelinesacademy.org/

Secure Trash

Trash on bridges, by the roadside or on the beach usually ends up in the water where it becomes a hazard for wildlife and pollutes nearby waters. Whether you are inland or out on the water, be sure to secure any trash you might generate in your truck bed, vehicle or boat, and then recycle it or dispose of it appropriately when you get home.  Also, remember to purchase recyclable packaging to reduce overall waste.

Don’t Dump Rx

When you are finished with medications, do not dump them down the toilet or the sink. Researchers are now finding significant levels of various medications in waters that surround communities. Dispose of unused medicines in the trash, not down the drain.

Septic Tanks

Many people in Franklin County have septic systems. Make sure to service your septic system regularly, as leaking septic systems can pollute nearby waters. Also, do not plant trees or bushes in the drain field of the septic tank as the roots can damage the tank and cause leaks. Parking on top of your system regularly can also damage your system over time.

The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve holds classes on bay-friendly living. The next Bay-Friendly Landscaping class will be on Nov. 11. For more information on bay-friendly landscaping or to sign up for a workshop, contact Anita Grove at 850-670-7708 or Anita.Grove@dep.state.fl.us.

http://live.oysterradio.com/