The Healthy Frog is devoted to environmental issues in Chester County PA

Save your stream even if you can't see it!

By working with your municipality, your developer, and your neighborhood.

Encourage Good Municipality Planning

• The Municipality must abide by its comprehensive plan and its ordinances.
• A comprehensive plan sets forth the goals and objectives of the municipality.
• Ordinances are laws for enforcing the goals and objectives.
• The State requires the Municipality to follow the PA Municipalities Planning Code, which establishes the basic framework for community development.
• All developers must also abide by the municipality ordinances.
• As a citizen you have a right/duty to examine these documents.
• You should also attend township meetings and express your viewpoint on protecting your streams and watersheds.

How to Keep Your Stream Healthy

• Don’t mow your lawn to the stream bank.
• Plant native trees, shrubs and grasses on the stream bank.
• Create a buffer zone of native vegetation.
• Avoid using chemical fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides on the lawn
• Use compost or natural fertilizers (but not on the stream bank)
• Control storm water drainage to prevent the steam bank from eroding.
• Rechannel downspout drainage into garden areas.
• Use rain barrels below downspout to collect water.
• Plant roof gardens on commercial buildings.
• Require concave planting islands in parking lots.
• Keep wastewater out of streams.
• Encourage ground infiltration.

How Do You Know That It Needs SAVING ?????

What is an unhealthy stream:

• Lack of healthy aquatic life
• Signs of trash and other pollution
• Eroding stream banks
• Sediment blocking water flow
• Deep stream course, lack of wetlands and protected floodplain
• Lack of trees to cool water and provide litter to feed water life (for water life)

WHO Should Save Your Streams?

• Government
• Developers
• Homeowners
• YOU

WHY Save Your Streams?

• In order to protect drinking water and the ecology
• In order to prevent pollution, flooding and erosion
• In order to provide scenic value and recreation

You have a right to get the assistance of the following government and conservation organizations:

• Local Municipality Supervisors, Planning Commission, Environmental Action Commission (Council), and Municipality Manager
• Local Watershed Association
• County Planning Commission www.chesco.org/planning
• County Conservation District Office www.chesco.org/conservation
• County Water Resources Authority www.chesco.org/water
• PA Dept. of Environmental Protection www.depweb.state.pa.us/dep/site
• PA Environmental Council Association
  www.pecpa.org
• PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources www.dcnr.state.pa.us
• PA Fish and Boat Commission www.fish.state.pa.us
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers www.usace.army.mil
• U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service www.fws.gov
• U. S. Geological Survey Office www.usgs.gov

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GROWING A GREAT LAWN WITHOUT CHEMICALS

HOW TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY LAWN WITHOUT DANGER TO YOU, YOUR PETS, OR THE ENVIRONMENT

THE DANGER:

• More than one scientist has suggested that there is a link between the use of lawn chemicals and cancer in dogs (Such as article was published in 2004, in the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine.) Local veterinarians report a suspected correlation as well. For instance, a vet told a friend her cat was poisoned from eating grass that had been treated by lawn chemicals.
  
  
• Further study could show risks to people, especially children
  
• This risk is coming from a combination of chemicals in fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
  
• These chemicals run off lawns as waste water into streams, ponds and rivers and could filter through the soil into well water. The chemicals in streams and rivers run into bays. This is what has happened to the Chesapeake Bay.
  
• Lawn chemicals also can be tracked into the house, get into carpets and become an indoor airborne hazard.

 

THE WAY TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LAWN (WITHOUT DANGER):

• Mow high (3”). The grass will then shade out the weeds.
  
• Leave clippings on the lawn. They will fertilize the grass.
  
• Do not water anything but a new lawn. Frequent watering discourages deep roots.
  
• Plant varieties of grass which are suitable to your lawn’s sun and shade conditions, its use, and its soil. Those good in Pennsylvania are blue grasses, perennial ryegrass, bentgrasses, fine and tall Fescue and Zoysia grass.
  
• If you see extensive damage from grubs, use milky spore (or beneficial nematodes) in the fall when the grubs are feeding.
  
• Fertilize with organic fertilizer in spring and fall. Corn gluten applied in the fall will fertilize your lawn and prevent weeds from growing in the spring.
  
• Correct the soil if it is in bad shape. The correct PH can be determined through a soil test. Soil test kits can be bought through some garden centers or through the county Agricultural Extension Service (look in the Blue Pages of your phone book). These tests will be sent to Penn State and an analysis returned to you)
  
• Organic fertilizers and remedies for lawn problems can be found at your local home/garden stores as well as on the internet such as:
  www.gardensalive.com.

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©2006 League of Women Voters in Chester County - Natural Resource Project
www.HealthyFrog.org
Email: info@healthyfrog.org