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The mission of the Johnson Creek Protection Group is to preserve, protect, restore and

enhance the water quality, habitat and function of this cold water stream and its watershed.

Native Landscaping

Naturescaping is a process of using native plants that already exist in nature and utilizing them for landscaping. A native landscape is made up of indigenous species, undisturbed soils and geological features. The plant species of a native landscape have adapted, over thousands of years, to survive climatic extremes and are well-suited to local soils and the associated plants of their community. Most of us live in urban or suburban areas where there is not all that much room to incorporate plants and other natural elements. Corporations tend to overlook these details and usually have posh green areas that probably would look even better if native plants were grown there. Native planting offers many benefits – it's easy to develop, cost-effective and pleasing to see compared to lush bare areas of turf. (www.sustainablenc.org/thewaytogo/main/naturescaping.html)

Naturescaping is landscaping that allows people and nature to coexist. By incorporating native plants into your yard, you can attract insects, birds, and other creatures and help keep rivers and streams healthy. We all live in a watershed and our everyday activities have an impact on our area's rivers and streams. Contaminants from our yards--pesticides, fertilizers and loose soil--are washed into rivers and streams when it rains. Because Naturescaped areas require less water and fewer (or no) chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Naturescaping helps keep polluted storm water from entering our waterways. (www.prairiewa.com/about_naturescaping.htm)

There are many benefits to native landscaping, whether practiced in place of or in addition to traditional landscaping. The benefits include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Low Maintenance - Native plants evolved to grow in local conditions and to predictable sizes. They do not require watering (except during establishment), chemical pesticides and fertilizers, or frequent cutting.

2. Public Health (lowers cancer rates) - Traditional landscaping uses large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, some of which are suspected carcinogens. During rains, these chemicals often run off into public water supplies. Traditional landscaping also contributes to air and noise pollution.

3. Saves you Money - The cost of maintaining a naturescape is dramatically less than that of a traditional landscape because a naturescape essentially takes care of itself. Naturescapes also save you time - and how valuable is your time?

4. Water - In the West, 60% of consumed water goes to lawns; in the East, 30%. This water diversion harms the environment, kills fish, and returns polluted water to our streams and rivers. It also costs you - on irrigation system installation and maintenance, and on your water bill. .

5. Song Birds - Our song bird populations having dropped steadily - 5-10% per year, depending on the species - for the last several decades, and there is no end in sight. The loss is primarily due to habitat loss. Adopting naturescaping is critical if song birds are to remain.

6. Enhances Livability - An ecologically functional landscape offers so much more than a sterile, static landscape. It offers imagination to our children, and color, sound and wonder to all of us. It is cleaner, quieter and healthier, and may increase property values.