

Volume III, Number 10	April 2009
eMDE is a bi-monthly publication of the Maryland Department of the Environment. It covers articles on current environmental issues and events in the state.

Take it from Maryland Farmers: Backyard Actions for a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay

By Sue DuPont, Maryland Department of Agriculture

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Are you planning landscaping or gardening projects this Spring? The Maryland Department of Agriculture has great tools and tips to improve your garden and the Chesapeake Bay. “Take it from Maryland Farmers: Backyard Actions for a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay” is a series of easy backyard actions that homeowners can take to help the Chesapeake Bay. The activities are based on “best management practices” that farmers use routinely in the management of their farms.

Backyard actions include:

Using alternatives to pesticides such as attracting beneficial insects and creating natural barriers to unwanted pests
Using fertilizers wisely to prevent runoff of nutrients
Preventing soil erosion by planting the right species to stabilize slopes
Composting leaves and other yard debris; and
Conserving water by installing rain barrels and planting “native” species adapted to Maryland’s climate.

“Farmers, like homeowners and all residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, play an important role in protecting our soil and water resources,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “It is a priority of the O’Malley-Brown Administration to protect the health of the Bay for all to enjoy and to strengthen the family farms that anchor our rural communities and economies, preserve open productive land, and provide a local source of food. Farmers are strong partners in conservation.”