A Garden Built to Benefit People & Nature: Visit the First SITES certified Residential Landscape on the East Coast!

Date: Thursday September 19th, 2013 (Rain Date: Friday September 20th: you will be notified in the event of a rain cancelation, the tour will go on if it is only raining lightly!)

Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Location: Creek Road, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Directions will be emailed to registered participants prior to the event. Please make all efforts to car pool - on site parking is limited.

Registration is required. Only the first 25 registrants will be able to attend this lecture and tour. If there is enough interest we will make every effort to add an additional tour date. REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL! If you would like to be put on a waiting list please send an email to mpc@whiteclay.org. 

Come join local landscape architect, Margot Taylor, on a personal and up close tour of her property, a 3-star certified sustainable SITES project. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), is an international program that evaluates and rates sustainable practices in Design, Construction, and Maintenance of landscapes. The new rating system gives credits for the sustainable uses of water, the conservation of soils, wise choices of vegetation and materials, and design that supports human health and well-being. The Taylor property is now developed as a landmark demonstration site for sustainable land practices. This accomplishment marks the second certification by SITES of a residential property world-wide and the first on the east coast.

Presentation will provide overview of SITES program, how residential project met standards, and include a hands-on demonstration/ activity on a sustainable landscape practice.  A site tour will follow the presentation.

Overview

The property demonstrates a variety of ways to make the home landscape sustainable, beautiful, and fun: (1) Storm water conveyances & rain garden, (2) green roof & straw bale hut, (3) drip irrigation, (4) Reuse of construction materials, and (5) recycled garden art.

The SITES program is ultimately about rebuilding a site's ecosystem services. Sustainable Landscapes Give Back, providing natural benefits that are essential to daily life, like cleaning air and water, reducing floods, combating climate change, and other natural benefits that support life on the earth.  Conventional landscape practices unintentionally often work against nature by ignoring, reducing or eliminating beneficial ecosystem services.  Sustainable landscape practices rebuild and optimize natural system processes and in doing so begin to repair the web of life by restoring environmental and human health and well being, one garden at a time.

Sustainable practices spotlight the following areas:

• Water; • Soil; • Vegetation; • Material Selection; and • Human Health and Well-Being.

The Christina Basin Pollution Control Strategy is designed to reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and bacteria in the polluted waters of the Christina Basin which is made up of the Brandywine, Christina, Red Clay and White Clay watersheds. SITES requires applicants to address control of pollutants of concern for project site watershed, in this case the Red Clay Creek.  The Red Clay Creek is impaired in area of property for the above pollutants and the addition of sediment.  The property extensive storm water management BMP's and state of the art wastewater treatment systems serve to eliminate contribution of known basin pollutants into the Red Clay and ultimately the Christina Basin.  Presentation will explain design, construction, operations, and maintenance responses that are adaptable and affordable at the residential project scale and reduce sources on non-point pollutants into local waterways.

Biography: Margot Taylor, RLA PA & DE, Environmental Consultant, Environmental Educator

Margot Taylor utilizes her 29 years of experience in landscape architecture, resource conservation, and environmental education to design/ develop and manage an array of ecological restoration, land management, and environmental design and advocacy projects through her consulting practice.  Her expertise includes riparian and forest habitat restoration; a holistic approach to land, vegetation and soil resource management; design of integrated and natural process-based stormwater management systems; design, construction, operations and management of sustainable landscapes; and procedural and documentation requirements that meet the Sustainable Sites Initiative standards.

She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Design, a Master’s level certificate in Education, has taught landscape architecture at Temple University, is a member of Delaware’s Forest Stewardship Committee and an advisor for Kennett Township on resource conservation and best management practices through leadership roles as chair/ member on the Environmental Advisory Council and Red Clay Scenic By-way Committee. For kicks she mountain bikes, kayaks and bows a Celtic fiddle style.

New Castle County Hosts BMP Maintenance Workshop.

On Wednesday, June 18, New Castle County hosted a Best Management Practice (BMP) Maintenance Workshop for employees charged with managing and maintaining the BMPs throughout the County.  More than 20 New Castle County employees attended the three hour workshop which consisted of an in-class segment, followed by a hands-on component at a recently installed BMP. The workshop was presented by Shane Morgan, White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program Manager, and Claudia West, MLA, Ecological Sales Specialist for North Creek Nurseries. This was a pilot workshop, the first in a series of programs we hope to offer to employees of municipal governments, government representatives, landscape contractors, home owner associations, and other organizations interested in learning about why and how we install BMPs, how they function to improve water quality, and how to maintain them so that they operate successfully.

The workshop began with an overview of what a watershed is an how water moves through the landscape, connecting what we do on land with the impact our actions have on water quality and quantity.  A more in depth discussion of how plant based BMPs function and look throughout different stages of establishment and seasons, and how to successfully maintain these systems followed.  Questions were taken from the attendees in advance of the workshop so that it could be specifically tailored to the needs and concerns of the county employees.

The second part of the workshop took place at a newly installed vegetated bioswale in Hockessin, DE. The group learned how to monitor planted systems and identify problematic invasive plant species in the field. These skills are essential for proper management and the long term success of stormwater management landscapes.

While this workshop focused on municipal owned BMPs, it's equally important that the public understands that best management practices are not limited to government agencies responsible for meeting water quality standards. These practices are just as applicable to individual property owners as well. We all live in a watershed and any individual action taken to improve water quality however small it may seem, whether it's disconnecting a downspout and installing a rain barrel or rain garden, collectively adds up. If we begin to treat stormwater as a resource, instead of the nuisance we currently perceive it to be, together we can accomplish a lot.

The Fifth Annual White Clay Creek Fest boasts record attendance!

Saturday May 4^th White Clay Creek State Park held the 5^th annual Creek Fest and had record attendance!  With a car count of 400 they conservatively estimated attendance at 1000 people! This is the highest attendance we have seen at Creek Fest, second was 2012 with an attendance of 800. The first 300 people received BPA free water bottles to encourage people to choose tap over bottled water, and White Clay Creek watershed passports were given out to encourage children and families to get out in nature and enjoy the many things that make the White Clay Creek watershed unique. Creek Fest is put on by Delaware State Parks, White Clay Wild and Scenic Program and the National Park Service to celebrate our precious natural resource – the White Clay!  It is supported by Suez United Water, The Friends of White Clay Creek State Park, the City ofNewark and The American Mushroom Institute.  In addition, the PA Friends of the White Clay Creek Preserve led 40 attendees on a pre-fest Mason Dixon Hike. Saturday brought beautiful weather, together with great music by Unity Reggae, the Juggling Hoffman’s and a live bird show by Animal Behaviors and Conservation Connections. We even had a special guest announce the band, Paul Baumbach Delaware State Representative for the 23^rd District.

Families who attended enjoyed crafts, face painting, and watershed related exhibits by local organizations such as Delaware Nature Society, Tri-State Bird Rescue, Wilmington Trail Club, Hale Byrns House, Southeastern Lyme Association, OH Farm and more. New this year were local artists whose work were on display for purchase. People also enjoyed food by Homegrown Cafe, Wood Fired Pizza and UD Creamery.

View photos at: Creek Fest 2013 Flickr and on the White Clay Creek State Park Facebook Page.