Opportunity Knocks: How an Influx of Funding for Wetland Conservation Could Kickstart Your Next Big Project
Wetland conservancy is making a comeback. For our country’s first two centuries, wetlands across the United States were viewed as a waste. As a result, the U.S. lost an estimated 53 percent of its total wetland area from the colonial times through the 1980s. Wetlands were dried, drained and eliminated as the country expanded, which […]
Native Seeds in Wetland Systems and Natural Water Treatment
Regrettably, wetlands have often been viewed as undesirable wastelands to be avoided or destroyed. Today less than half of America’s original wetlands remain. The recent devastation left behind by Hurricane Ida is a grim reminder of what we have lost with them. Wetland losses have slowed in recent years thanks to our better understanding of […]
Residential, Commercial and Municipal: Why Native Vegetation Is A More Cost-Effective, Sustainable Option Than Turfgrass For Landscape Architects In Any Setting
America loves a good lawn. A lush green lawn is a symbol of the American Dream; it’s been that way ever since the country’s post-World War II economic expansion. As the suburbs boomed, so did the idea of trying to grow the best lawn in the neighborhood. Any company that had a lawn usually hired […]
‘Blind’ Queen Honeybee Study Q&A With Charlie Vorisek
The PA Queen Project and the HHBBC, with support from Penn State University and Purdue University, collaborated on a study comparing colonies with varroa mite-resistant queens versus non-varroa mite-resistant queens from 2018 to 2019. The study enlisted 100 hobbyist beekeepers in the comparison study with the objective of helping change their behavior to promote varroa […]
Keep It Simple, Solar: Developing Native Vegetation at Solar Energy Sites to Improve Drainage, Soil Health and Biodiversity
by Gregory Monahan As municipalities search for cheaper and cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, the number of solar installations across the United States is ramping up. With the U.S. government expecting solar energy sites to cover an area about the size of Massachusetts by 2050, one important issue will continue to arise: what should energy companies […]
Creating Low-Impact, Pollinator-Friendly Solar Energy Sites with Native Seeds
by Rachel Sohmer Solar farms can (and should) do more than produce clean energy. Creating pollinator habitat at solar energy sites means renewable energy in a sustainable landscape that benefits us all. As the sight of rows upon rows of solar panels sprawling across the landscape becomes increasingly more common, we have good reason to […]
Understanding the Nutritional Needs of Bees Can Help Drive Pollinator Conservation Toward Better Outcomes
by Rachel Sohmer Given the current realities of pesticide use, habitat destruction, parasites and disease, climate change and air pollution among yet other stressors, there is no denying that conserving bees is a complex problem demanding complex solutions. Poor nutrition, linked to widespread declines in both the abundance and diversity of flowering plants, has profound […]
Vindicating the Goldenrod
Allergy sufferers often curse the golden sea of blooms from goldenrods that appear in fallow fields, landscapes and along roadsides from July to November. Sadly, these complaints are based on an unfortunate case of mistaken identity. Both members of the aster family (Asteraceae), goldenrods (Solidago genus) are often errantly identified as allergenic ragweeds (Ambrosia genus). Though there […]
The 4 Key Quail and Pheasant Habitat Types You Need on Your Property
Pheasants and bobwhite quail have become iconic symbols of the American grassland and prairie restoration movement. For upland game bird hunters, they represent satisfying days afield with a loyal bird dog. The frenetic rush of cackling and wing beats on the flush. For others, these birds are indicators of healthy, biodiverse prairies and grasslands. Their […]
Creating Community and Economic Opportunity with Solar, Pollinator Meadows, and Craft Beer
A post by Guest Contributor, Rob Davis Filmmaker Scott Mason returned to his hometown of Meadville, PA earlier this year and produced a beautiful video about how the national trend of pollinator-friendly solar is creating community and economic opportunity in Pennsylvania. Touring the Ernst Conservation Seeds farm last fall, and hearing from native and naturalized […]
