Rooted Ramblings: The Homegrown National Park

By Debbie Barber, Portage County Master Gardener Volunteers

We all know about how important it is to protect habitat for our native species.  Edwin Teale writes, “We cannot make the world uninhabitable for other forms of life and have it habitable for ourselves.”

The Homegrown National Park concept, co-founded by Dr. Doug Tallamy and Michelle Alfandari, seeks to create connected habitats that protect and expand our native flora and fauna to preserve biodiversity on our planet.  Why is this important?

Biodiversity means variety of life, and it is important because it sustains life on Earth.  We have food, medicine, clean water, and clean air because of biodiversity.  How does this happen?

E.O. Wilson writes that “insects are the little things that run the world.”  They are the foundation for our food web.  Over 90% of flowering plants need insects for pollination.  They provide food for birds, fish, and mammals.  They help decompose organic matter which puts nutrients back into the soil that we use to grow our food.  If we were to lose our insects, the ecosystem would collapse.  It is important to think about this when we apply insecticides to lawns and fields, and when we spray for mosquitoes (which kills other flying insects and is minimally effective).  Mosquito dunks are much safer and effective Native bees are in steep decline, and we have lost 90% of our monarchs.

So, what exactly is the Homegrown National Park (HNP) project and why should we all care?

HNP is an initiative to organize neighbors and anyone who owns land to help rebuild habitat on their property, then help connect them with others to create a corridor that supports our ecosystem.  There are several components to this, and each is vital.  What one owner does impacts others so we need to think not only in terms of our ecology, but also in ways neighbors can join to keep our environment healthy.

Let’s look at some specifics.  (1) Native plants play an important role.  These feed our fauna which are a vital part of the food web.  Ornamental plantings alongside natives can add color and enjoyment throughout the summer while the native plants help sustain wildlife.  (2) Remove invasive plants such as burning bush, garlic mustard, Russian olive, barberry, honeysuckle, and Callery Pear. These form monocultures that choke out our needed natives.  (3) Reduce your lawn.  Claudia West recommends thinking of lawn as an area rug, not wall-to-wall carpet.  (4) Control storm water runoff by planting native trees and shrubs along waterways (a riparian border) to slow overflow.

We all have a role to play in conservation and protecting our delicate ecosystems.  In the lower 48 states, 78% of our land is privately owned.  Residential landscapes make up 135 million acres and of those, 44 million acres nationwide are lawn!  Lawn is the worst plant for sequestering carbon.  Just think what we can do if we join together and create our own Homegrown National Parks.  

For information about being registered as a HNP site, go to Homegrown National Park - Get on the Map.  Get your name on the map and join thousands of others to make a difference!

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References:

• Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy
• (Video) https://homegrownnationalpark.org/doug-tallamy/
• Home Grown National Park
• Land Trust Alliance Why Land Matters
• Royalsociety.org
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources Native Plants Lists

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Ohio State University Extension Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer program. As OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, our articles will never endorse specific products or companies. Questions/comments/suggestions/want to find out more/become a PCMGV: 330-296-6432 •  OSU PCMGV web • portco.mgv.oh@gmail.com • FB PCMGV • PCMGV Speaker’s Bureau