Columnists

Ash trees under threat

If you live in Western Ontario, you know all about the Emerald Ash Borer. The tiny irridescent green bug has devastated ash trees (genus: Fraxinus) across hundreds of kilometres. Like the mountain pine beetle in Alberta and BC, the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive species from Asia, is out of control.

The larvae of the beetle consume much of the living layer of the host ash tree, and cut off the tree’s upward flow of water and nutrients. The Emerald Ash Borer can kill a tree in as little as a year, although sometimes it takes three years for the tree to die.

How can you help? This helpful video from the University of Nebraska Lincoln shows how to identify the beetle as well as what symptoms you can look for among ash trees on your property.

If you find evidence of the pest, call your local municipality. Unfortunately the affected tree usually needs to be removed. It’s most important that you not move ash trees or wood from ash trees. Invasive species are often transported to new places in firewood; learn more about how this can happen here.

Have you dealt with insect pests attacking your trees?
What do you think should be done when a tree species is at threat?

Courtesy Ontario Parks

In late July, a community showed with hard work and with their pocketbooks that they care about their environment – by preserving a piece of it. Neighbours, volunteers, local and national environmental groups and politicians alike got involved, on July 16th they announced that they’d made it happen. The Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust (TIWLT), Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), The Government of Canada and The Province of Ontario announced the addition of 605 acres of ecologically significant land along Red Horse Lake to Charleston Lake Provincial Park (click here for map), an absolutely lovely area in Eastern Ontario.

According to NCC, “The property boasts a wide diversity of habitats including shorelines, wetlands, rock ridges, and forests, and includes approximately seven km of shoreline on Red Horse Lake and two km of shoreline on Little Long Lake.” What I can tell you is that it’s beautiful. I got the inside scoop on how the people who live in and love this area made this long-term land preservation happen. That’s because my mom, Marnie Ross, is Secretary of TIWLT.

How did this opportunity to protect land in Charleston Lake come to you?
We have worked with other conservation groups in the area in the past, so when interest to preserve the parcel of land was expressed by landowner George Sheffield, we believed it was a project we had to support. Mr. Sheffield volunteers for the County Leeds Stewardship Council, so the idea originally came through that group.

What’s so important about this land? Why were the owners, and TIWLT, keen to protect it?
Red Horse Lake is one of the few unspoiled trout lakes in southern Canada. It is important to maintain high water quality and protect the species of plants and animals in the woods around it. The Sheffields’ father wanted protection to be his legacy and expressed that desire to his four children. They were acting on their father’s wishes. In the deal, they also get to keep their cottages, which are on the property.

Did the project looking daunting at the outset? What needed to be achieved?
At first, a grand idea always seems doable to me.  After the initial euphoria of “doing something good” we came down to earth and realized we were never going to get there unless we dug deep… and acted fast. It was August [2010] and many of the “summer people” would be leaving. They are the people who care most about the area, and they needed to have the opportunity to contribute. That’s when the articles in the newspapers helped a lot [in creating awareness of the project]. Each group approached people who could afford a sizable donation and were influential in the area. This is always difficult but we went from there to going door to door on Red Horse Lake and parts of Charleston. We felt that it was giving people an opportunity to show they cared. And they did.

Which groups were involved in making this come together?
The group included the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ontario Parks, Charleston Lake Provincial Park, Chareston Lake Association, Friends of Charleston Lake Park and ourselves (TWILT). One thing the current government is doing well is preserving land. Through the NCC, a considerable part of the purchase price of $1.6 M was given. We had to raise $75,000 of that.

About how many individuals contributed funds to this project to complement the government funds?
There were 88 donors and the donations amounted to an astonishing $93,000. Some people contributed $25 and some $10,000. About 25 per cent were Americans; we could offer them receipts for the IRS from American Friends of Canadian Land Trusts of Seattle.

What do you think was most important in terms of making this initiative such a success?
Teamwork. We had people who knew people [who could donate funds] and others who were willing to go door to door. And we didn’t quit when we only had about $400 at the end of August. By the end of September we had almost all of the $93,000. Also, the legal people didn’t quit [in trying to work out the agreement], nor did the family [in sorting through the negotiations]. These things are never easy and they take far longer than you’d think. Then Ontario Parks was delayed in accepting the land. You have to all work and hope and believe it will work out. It was important for the Sheffields to know that people cared and were contributing because of their love for the land. That kept them going.

How will the Red Horse Lake area, now within the park, be preserved going forward?
We transferred the property to Ontario Parks, so it has become a part of Charleston Lake Provincial Park. It lies alongside the portage and includes two lovely bays with mature forest up hills and beyond as far as your eye can see. Ontario Parks will never promise to protect forever. That is the mandate of National Parks. Ontario Parks may eventually allow logging and many other activities or even sell the land. But it is as safe and as well looked after as possible.

Where did the lake go?

That great Canadian summer pastime — hanging out by the shore — needs to be defended. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria — a toxic algae that is harmful to people and wildlife — is growing out of control in many watersheds. Cottagers, beach-goers and the hook-and-reel crowd may find really gross evidence that their favourite waterway is under pressure from industry, agriculture and residential sources.

The offending blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is bad news because:
– It looks disgusting
- It smells horrible
- It can cause skin infections among those crazy enough to swim in it
- It can cause stomach cramps and even liver damage in those who consume it (see WHO fact sheet)
- It takes over habitats
- It can kill fish, birds and other wildlife through toxins and reduced oxygen levels in the water
- It can introduce toxins into drinking water sources.

Why is this happening? The simple answer is too much nutrient. There’s simply too much food for these bacteria, and they’re growing and blooming out of control.

Where is the nutrient coming from? Three main areas:

- Agricultural runoff. Fertilizer and animal manure are two key sources. Farms that don’t work to contain nutrient, particularly those with drainage to a waterway, are contributing to the problem.

- Industrial runoffs of high-nutrient materials

- Water treatment runoff, from our own wastes and from the soaps and other products that go down our drains

- Septic systems from rural and cottage residences along the water

This nutrient runoff is compounded by climate change, since most areas are experiencing a general warming trend with of higher daily low temperatures. Warmer water temperatures also cause changes to the water column.

So, if you like cottaging, hanging out by the water, fishing, safe drinking water, biological diversity… what can you do?

- Ask your MP to push for adoption of the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations, which would harmonize standards across the country, linked here.

- Change household habits. Switch to phosphate, scent and dye-free personal care and cleaning products. The lake doesn’t need a “spring fresh” scent.

For an in-depth look at how a lake can be affected by blue-green algae, watch Save My Lake, a CBC documentary.

Do you think we need better pollution controls and water monitoring in Canada’s lakes and rivers?

Today we have a guest post from Homemakers talented senior editor and blogger for The Bright Side, Janet Rowe. Janet enjoys a bit of birding, and has shared her beautiful Osprey photos she captured following spring migration.

Hello EcoLogic readers! Thanks to you and to Jess for having me over. Spring is finally here at last, and the birds know it – and I’m so excited that I got to see a nesting osprey the other day.

Actually, I saw a pair. For the second year in a row, they’ve built their enormous nest – that thing must be a good eight feet across – on the Royal Military College grounds in Kingston, Ont. They’re sitting pretty on top of a light standard on the soccer field, right next to a shallow bay opening onto Lake Ontario.

The trusty Hinterland Who’s Who says that Ospreys don’t take turns sitting on the eggs, so the bird I saw out fishing is probably the smaller male.

It soared in circles over the lake, then dropped down and sort of hovered. Whooosh! I jumped as it plunged right into the water with a splash. A few seconds later it flapped off with a fish squirming in its claws. (Not captured on camera, sorry!)

I hope it gave the mom a piece.

Ospreys can live 20 years or more, and Hinterland says this is probably how they managed to survive the DDT spraying in the ’50s and ’60s. DDT decimated many bird-of-prey populations by causing eggs to form with too-thin shells. Although ospreys were badly affected, being long-lived help them hang on and have at least some offspring. Today, ospreys are not considered an at-risk species.

The birds’ eggs hatch in just one month, so there might be baby ospreys on my next visit! But in the meantime, I’m satisfying my birdwatching cravings virtually, with some of the fantastic nesting webcams available online. Here are my five faves:

1. Ospreys. (Of course.) Check out a pair in the UK via live streaming video. They have a great view from their perch.

2. Geese. The Edmonton Journal’s Goosecam is up and running for the fourth year. Watch live as a Canada goose named Patience raises her family.

3. Falcons. The Canadian Peregrine Foundation has several cams showing the little raptors nesting on high rises in downtown Toronto.

4. Owls. A pair of barn owls in Italy guard their three eggs in a specially built box high under a steel roof.  Watch it live.

5. Puffins. Aw! This series of rotating webcam views from the Shetland Islands includes one from a camera installed inside the burrow. Baby puffins are due in June.

Which birds have you spotted this spring?

Today we have a special guest post from Donna Tranquada, an award-winning broadcast journalist. As Eco Logic readers know, local issues are the most important issues, and everywhere is local to one of us.

Maybe we can help each other out by raising our voices for important local issues wherever they arise across our beautiful country. Here is Donna’s story about a mega quarry that threatens an area dear to her, the Hills of the Headwaters, and how you can help.

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A look across the Hills of the Headwaters. (Copyright held.)

The sun shone brightly over our small farm in Dufferin County yesterday as I worked in my garden, weeded the vegetable patch and watched tractors plow the dark earth in nearby fields.  It was one of those perfect spring days in the country. Our little “homestead” is perched on the top of a hill about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto. We’re surrounded by rolling pastures, gabled farmhouses and grey-weathered barns that have survived a century of seasons. It’s one of the most stunning regions of Ontario and is known as “The Hills of Headwaters.” But looming over the landscape is the threat of a mega quarry that will destroy vital farmland, jeopardize fresh water and devastate our environment.

As you drive westward from our farm, the land rises to a vast and fertile plateau in Melancthon township, north of Shelburne. It’s the highest point of land in southern Ontario and contains the best grade of soil in the province: Honeywood silt loam. Farmers love it. Not only is it fertile and rock-free, it sits upon a massive limestone aquifer, which offers a perfect drainage system for growing potatoes and other crops. Fifty per cent of the potatoes consumed in the Greater Toronto Area are grown on this plateau.

The region is also the source of water for four watersheds, including the Grand and Nottawasaga rivers. It’s estimated one-million people downstream rely on the fresh water. Local wells, ponds and streams count on the headwaters for replenishment.

Agriculture or Aggregate

Enter the Highland Companies. Over the past few years, Highland, which is backed by a $22-billion Boston hedge fund, has purchased about 7,000 acres of the 15,000-acre plateau. At first, Highland said its focus was growing potatoes and, after assembling so much land, it’s now the largest potato producer in Ontario.

But, in March, Highland confirmed suspicions that it was far more interested in the limestone beneath the fields. Highland filed a 3,000-page application to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to tear up the fields and excavate the largest open pit quarry in Canada for the lucrative aggregate market. The proposed size is staggering. The mega quarry would span 2,300 acres. It would be deeper than Niagara Falls and plunge 200 feet below the water table.

Forever is a long time

In order to keep the quarry from filling up with water and draining the watersheds, Highland says it will have to pump 600-million-litres of water a day, 24 hours a day. Forever. That’s the same amount of water used by 2.7 million Ontarians each day.

At a recent public meeting hosted by Highland, I expressed doubts about a pumping system running in perpetuity. The hired water-management consultant replied “We have the technology.”  Well, the Japanese thought they had the technology to protect their nuclear reactors from earthquakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was equally confident about its levees around New Orleans. Pumps fail, and when that happens, the results will be catastrophic for those downstream.

Not Welcome in the Neighbourhood

The mega quarry would also be a troublesome neighbour for the Niagara Escarpment, which runs through the Hills of Headwaters and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve. The Florida Everglades and Galapagos Islands share the same designation. The Niagara Escarpment Commission says it is “one of the world’s unique natural wonders.” The Escarpment also supports “300 bird species, 53 mammals, 36 reptiles and amphibians, 90 fish and 100 varieties of special interest flora including 37 types of wild orchids.”  Yet, the largest quarry in the country would stretch alongside this environmentally-sensitive area. No government would ever allow a quarry of any size near the Florida Everglades or in the Galapagos Islands.

Deep Down on the Farm

Once Highland extracts the limestone it intends to farm the bottom of the pit. That’s right, the bottom. The company claims it will spread topsoil in this deep, massive scar and, if the pumps don’t fail, it will grow crops. But according to current provincial legislation, Highland is under no obligation to rehabilitate the quarry pit because it would be below the water table.

Help Stop the Mega Quarry

There’s so much more. Up to 300 heavy diesel trucks an hour would rumble to and from the pit each day, polluting our air and clogging our roads. And, incredibly, the largest proposed quarry in Canada is not subject to an Environmental Assessment in Ontario. This is unacceptable.

The Hills of Headwaters is normally quiet and bucolic. But it’s now noisy with opposition to the proposed mega quarry. What can you do to stop it?  Write letters of objection to the province of Ontario. Please demand an Environmental Assessment. The deadline is July 11, 2011. Click here to learn more.  You can also e-mail Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty here.

And for further information about the mega quarry, visit www.ndact.com and www.citizensalliance.ca, and join us on Facebook at Stop the Quarry for news updates and events.

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Eco Logic readers: use the comment space below to let Donna know you’re with her!

Dusk at the marsh

Not far from my house, there’s a large park that runs through an old ravine. Thanks to the work of the City of Toronto and volunteers, the park has several naturalized areas. The made-made marsh shown above is small, and it’s a bit of a showcase of itself, what with its interpretive signage and gravel pathways. But it’s proof that, even flanking a soccer pitch and not far from a dog run, a little bit of habitat, even man-made habitat, can support a lot of birds and other life. Seeing wildlife thrive motivates me to volunteer for these kinds of habitat projects. I’m really glad that environmental organizations are making their volunteer opportunities known.

Tomorrow I’ll be planting trees with the East Don Parkland Partners on the northern end of the Don River in Toronto. It feels great to get some trees into the ground and meet like-minded people.

If you’re looking for something you can do in your area, check out the Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Volunteers program. You could help pull garlic mustard and herb Robert, two invasive species, from sensitive habitats. You could help survey for rare wildflowers. You could help maintain a woodland trail. You could help plant new native plant seedlings. And that’s just what’s happening in May!

Do you think it’s worth creating man-made habitat to support wildlife?

Are you voting for the environment on May 2? Talk of climate change, conservation, green energy and other key environmental planks has been all but missing from election debates, but if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably among the many who know that the health of our earth and the changes we’ll experience from climate change depend on who takes control in Parliament.

The problem is, it takes time to sort through all those pesky platforms. So I’ve done it for you. Here is an edited, brief version of each party’s environmental platform for the upcoming election with links to the original text. What you believe is up to you!

From the NDP platform (read the entire document here on their website):
- Adopt the Climate Change Accountability Act, legislation that aims to bring Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions to 80 per cent below 1990 levels by the year 2050, with interim targets for the period 2015-2045. (This act was passed by the House of Commons but, in a surprise move, rejected by the Senate, a shameful Canadian first. Read more here.)
- Create a cap-and-trade system to put a price on carbon and to create funds to invest in green technology and related jobs, energy and conservation.
- Help Canadians and those abroad mitigate their impact and adapt to climate change effects.
- Create a long-term energy security plan.
- Create Green Bonds to fund research and development of e.g., green energy research and development and its commercialization and community-scale renewable projects.
- Create a National Public Transit Strategy to maintain and expand public transit across Canada.
This thought appealed to me: “Recognizing that oil and gas will continue to play a prominent role in our energy mix in the medium term, we will discourage bulk exports of our unprocessed resources and encourage value-added, responsible upgrading, refining and petrochemical manufacturing here in Canada to maximize the economic benefits and jobs for Canadians.”

From the Liberal platform (read the original text here on their website):
- Become a global leader in clean resources by reducing the impact of resource-based products and supplying knowledge, technology and expertise to other markets for responsible management, development and consumption of natural resources.
- Create a Clean Energy Partnership with the provinces and other stakeholders to develop a plan for a low-carbon future with related jobs, climate change targets, efficiency programs.
- Install a $400 million Green Renovation Tax Credit program for homeowners (tax credits up to $13,500 per home), which sounds like a variation of the EcoEnergy Retrofit program, which was a reprise of an earlier program with a different name…
- Quadruple energy production from renewable sources (solar, wind, tidal, biomass) from 2009 levels by 2017 through the Renewable Power Production Incentive.
- “Cleaner” oil sands development to bring its carbon footprint in line with development of other oil sources, improve regulation and related monitoring. Related: Immediately cancel tax breaks to the oil sands industry.
- Establish a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions by large industrial facilities.
- Commit to long-term greenhouse gas reduction target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050; mid-term targets to be set.
- Protect more intact wilderness areas and create “eco-corridors” to allow species to move from one protected area to another.
- Create a Canadian Freshwater Strategy to improve water consumption efficiency; protect groundwater from contamination; deal with drought and flooding, protect water from bulk export; address some invasive species issues; work to restore degraded and threatened areas in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence; clean up excess nutrient levels in Lake Winnipeg.
- Expand marine protected areas.
- Create an oil spill contingency plan.
- Halt new leasing and oil exploration in Arctic waters.
- Formalize the BC Crude Oil Tanker Moratorium.

From the Conservative Party (read the original document here):
- Facilitate the creation of new protected areas, including national parks and marine conservation areas.
- Make land between protected areas more permeable to wildlife.
- Use digital technologies to help connect Canadians to nature.
- Take action toward the establishment of a new National Park in the Rouge Valley (east of Toronto).
- Support research and development in “clean energy” and energy efficiency.
- Support “clean energy projects” with national or regional significance, financial merit that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Stated climate change goal is a 17 per cent reduction in domestic greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2020.

Unfortunately, the platform does mention resource exploration in the gulf of St. Lawrence, mining tax credits and other initiatives that sound bad for the environment. But I’m trying to stick to the other side of the ledger, so I won’t go into that here.

The Green Party of Canada’s platform (linked here) is extremely detailed. It’s certainly worth a read if you would like to dream a little about what a more environmentally focused Canada would look like. There are hundreds of ideas in the platform; here are just a few:

- Reduce Canadian greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below 1990 levels by 2020, and to 85% reduction below 1990 by 2040.
- Create a green transportation strategy, including public transportation, a national railroad strategy that includes increased service to more nodes and some high-speed rail, and efficiencies in frieght and trucking.
- Bring in new monitoring for pesticides, herbicides, hormones and other chemicals used in food production.
- Bring local food to school meal programs.
- Help farmers make the move to efficient production (e.g., water use) and organic farming; improving the Canada Organic standard.
- Promote local food production and culinary tourism.
- Allow farmers to save their own seeds. Encouraging heritage seed banks and seed exchange programs.
- Promote urban agriculture such as roof-top and community gardens.
- Protect watersheds from farm nutrient runoff.
- Protect at least half of Canada’s Boreal Forest and improve wildlife corridors between areas.
- Develop a Genuine Forest Health Indicator to assess state of forests.
- Give tax breaks to FSC-certified companies.
- Promote non-tree sources of cellulose for paper production (agricultural waste, hemp).
- Reduce air pollution through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, including smog-causing heat and pollution.
- Protect Canadians’ fundamental right to clean freshwater, including future generations.
- Pass legislation to prevent bulk water exports.
- Develop a plan for restoring the health and cleanliness of water bodies.
- Increase monitoring and protection in National Parks and other protected areas.
- Make it a criminal offence to kill an animal listed under the Species at Risk Act.
- Regulate all substances shown to pose a significant risk to human health under a revised Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
- End the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes.

Do you think there’s a party you can vote for, from an environmental point of view?

Female cardinal wants in!

I caught a bad cold at the end of my vacation last week, so today I’m working from home instead of spreading my germs around the office. It turns out I’m not alone here – lots of birds are hanging out in my backyard today, enjoying my bird feeder and bird bath, and a couple even seem to want to get inside the house. I’m worried they’ll get hurt trying.

It’s clearly nesting season – on the weekend male cardinals, that beautiful bright red bird, were thu-thu-thuing, looking for mates. Little house sparrows couldn’t decide between eating and nest building, so they were hanging out on my feeder with dried up plant stems in their beaks. By the end of the weekend, I had two pairs of cardinals making my yard home.

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal and friends

I noticed last night that one of the pair of cardinals was looking curiously at my sunroom, then both the male and female would swoop at it, and hit the glass with their feet. The male gave up quickly, but the female would try over and over again, or perch on one side and bang the glass with her beak as I rushed out there to shoo her away. The female must think that the storage shed area of my glass sunroom looks like a perfect nesting spot – perhaps my bike handlebars look like good solid nest footings.

I’m not sure if she’s thick or just persistent.

She was stressing me out – I’m really glad to have some native bird species in my city yard, but the last thing I want is to be semi-responsible for a dead cardinal. So I leaned things against the glass to help the little red birds see that there was something solid there.

This morning Lady Cardinal was at it again. I took some paper and tape outside and applied it to the glass. All day I’ve been keeping an eye out for her between working on Homemakers magazine’s upcoming June and Summer issues.
Success for about an hour, then she was at it again.

I put bits of tape on the window to try to show her where the glass was. No joy.

Remembering my grandma’s picture window, I next found about a dozen bits of shiny ribbon, saved from various gifts over the past couple of years. I taped these to the outside of the windows, and they’re out there billowing around. (I’m sure my neighbour is thinking that I’ve put up some pretty tacky decorations.)

Ribbon on the window

Now it seems she can tell that there’s a barrier there, and she isn’t flying around kicking the glass anymore, but she still wants in to that nice protected spot. Fortunately she has stopped for a bite to eat and a splash in the birdbath, but I expect that when I get up and gaze into the backyard tomorrow morning, that female cardinal will be looking back in at me, scoping out a spot for her nest.

Have you had any wildlife taking over your balcony or yard this spring?

Looking to create more growing space in your yard this year? Maybe this is the year to let your garden take over some of your lawn.

North Vancouver mayor Darrel Mussatto is encouraging his city’s residents to make the most of their real estate by growing food on it, rather than manicure grass. According to this article in the Vancouver Sun, Citing reasons such as food security and the cost of food, Mussatto says, “We want people to convert the yards of single family homes to gardens and even commercial farms.”
The idea of converting lawn space into produce space may  horrify anyone who has spent loads of time manicuring their lawn into a perfectly groomed green carpet. After all, aren’t lawns already pretty eco? Well, sorry, but no. They’re a monoculture that doesn’t offer native insects and wildlife much in terms of food or protection. Lawns crowd out native plants that do offer these benefits. And people often dump chemicals on them (see study here showing that yes, this is still happening). That cause harm to the aforementioned wildlife, and, surprise surprise, us. So, in my books, lawns aren’t eco friendly.

Companies that use a tuft of green lawn as a symbol of “going green” are clearly disconnected from what makes a healthy planet. To read about how a grass monoculture became a ubiquitous North American concept, click here.

This is the year for me to tackle the lawn problem in my own garden and landscaping design. I have raised beds in my garden, but they only get late-day sun. I have space to grow foods in containers on my little deck, and they can get a fair bit of sun through the course of the day. If I want to enjoy delicious home-grown veggies, I’ll have to take over a lot of my little backyard lawn, which gets sun for most of the day.

Here are five steps to transitioning your lawn from a high-maintenance monoculture into a prodigious, environmentally beneficial garden:

Step 1: Evaluate your needs
How do you use your lawn now?  Will you need to do more than garden in that space? How can you accommodate other activities around your garden?

If your yard is a place for kids to play, perhaps you want to keep a large area of your yard as an open space to run around, so some drought-tolerant grass may be the best thing for you. However there are low-growing groundcovers that can create a mat of verdant beauty that you don’t need to mow. For areas that won’t see too much foot traffic, try Dutch white clover or even thyme.

Do you bring out a table and chairs to dine al fresco? Perhaps you could locate a small patio area within your new garden space, perhaps next to a tree (which can be used to hang lighting from). For instructions on laying a stone patio, click here.

To create a beautiful border to your vegetable garden, consider using lovely wildflowers. They will attract pollinators such as bees to help pollinate your veggies.

Step 2: Take stock of threats

Is your yard a haven for neighbourhood cats? (Mine is.)  You may need a structure around your veggies to prevent them from using the space as a litterbox. Are raccoons often prowling through your yard at night? Again, protect your food plants.  Raccoon contact means potential exposure to raccoon roundworm, which can cause brain damage and loss of eyesight. Front-yard gardens may suffer from road salt damage (see my earlier post about road salt here), so you may need to plant salt-tolerant plants around the border of your garden, such as blueberries.

Step 3: Plan out your space

What can you do with your new-found garden space? Plotting out your plans may help you decide what you want to grow, and where. To draft your plans, first measure the space. You could represent the area on graph paper and sketch in the garden beds, patio stones, furniture and other features on it. Or you could take a photo of the area and draw on it, either via a print out or using a program with built-in stencils such as OmniGraffle.

Image via Wikipedia

Step 4: Build your garden beds

Turning a lawn into a garden is best done by building up the space into raised beds. Use stone or wood to create boxes to fill with high-quality soil and compost. Kits for building raised beds with lumber corner pieces make building the beds quick and easy. I love the kit linked here from Lee Valley.

Step 5: Select your plants and start your seeds!
As I wait for spring to arrive, I’m enjoying buying seed packets and researching seed starting. Seed packets note when you can start your seeds and when you can plant them outdoors. Enjoy planning a mix of fruits, veggies and herbs that you love to eat. Try to include some early starters and late bloomers so that you’ll have super-local produce throughout the growing season.

Do you think you could give up a slice of your lawn for a kitchen garden?

Hearing today’s news that Japan has decided not to hunt whales in the Antarctic this year was a euphoric moment for me. I’ve only ever seen one whale, from a tourist whale-watching boat in Newfoundland, but I’m keen for them to exist in all their massive glory, for themselves, not for us.

Since 1986, countries around the world have respected the International Commission on Whaling moratorium (linked here), in an attempt to let the fragile populations of most species of whales rebuild. Less than 10 per cent of most species’ populations remain, and several species show little sign of recovery even under protected status.

But Japan has a whaling tradition and a culture that relishes food from the water, and Japanese whalers continue to bring in thousands of whales every year, saying that the hunts are for research.

Yesterday, constant harassment from an anti-whaling protest group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, pushed Japan to give up trying to continue their whale hunt in the Antarctic. And I know that there are many nuances about this story I have yet to learn, but that news makes me very very happy. (And I had a laugh over the fact that one of the boats pursuing the whaling ships was the Bob Barker, named after its benefactor. Yes, Barker footed the cash for the tools to stop the whale hunt.)

The thing is, Japanese people have enjoyed eating whale for a long time, as have many other cultures. But traditions have to change. We can remember the ways of the past with fondness, but we can’t just expect to continue to do the same things forever. People have hunted many species to extinction, and changed an ecosystem forever by doing that. It’s not just changing the balance of things, however – not just one species reigning today, another ruling the roost tomorrow. It’s turning out the lights of this species and that species, removing diversity forever.

I’m all for farming over hunting. On land or in water, farming’s the way to go. Done well, farming can feed us more sustainably than hunting species, particularly those at risk.

What do you think? Can we move beyond hunting our oceans and rivers? Is farming a viable solution when it comes to things that live in water?