Less lawn chemicals, more native plants, healthier Earth

Bellport Village’s Environmental Committee, chaired by Marc Rauch, presented its first community forum on Saturday, March 18, to 130 residents who came pouring in to hear speakers urge residents towards greener ways of creating safe spaces and food for birds, bees, and beneficial insects, and also towards protecting groundwater and their bay from pollution.

“Today we have not one crisis to contend with, but two,” Rauch emphasized. “For the past 10 years, the breach has been keeping Bellport Bay cleaner and more full of life than anyone can remember.” With its closing, Rauch said, that will no longer happen. The second crisis is the worldwide crashing of the insect populations, such as bees and butterflies, which not only pollinate plants but also enrich soils and provide a protein source for species up the food chain.

The speakers—Friends of Bellport Bay co-founder Thomas Schultz; Brian Smith, creator of The Little Native Plant Co. and member of The Long Island Native Plant Initiative; Anthony Marinello, principal of Dropseed Native Landscapes, a native plant nursery; and Barbara Balman, a native of Switzerland who practices landscape architecture in the Washington, D.C., area and who has helped reestablish native plants in the District of Columbia region—launched into some simple initiatives that would significantly change the current situation

“We have 2.5 million shellfish planted so far,” said Schultz. “When the shellfish are gone, not much above will survive. We’re planning (with co-founder Katia Read) on planting 500,000 to 1 million more in 2023.” The nonprofit’s efforts, which started off Read’s dock, is a way to let nature do its work; each oyster is able to filter more than 50 gallons of water daily, and clams also contribute their share. Schultz showed a slide of algae blooms in Robinson’s Pond that appear every season on Father’s Day. “Too much reactive nitrogen is being dumped in Long Island waters, which triggers brown, red, and rust tides, making clams and oysters poisonous,” he said.

The message: Trounce your lawn pesticides and fertilizers, which cause the nitrogen blooms, blocking sunlight and killing underwater plants that act as nurseries for fish.

Smith was next and recalled a book he read by Douglas W. Tallamy, “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife and Native Plants,” that changed his life.

“That impact was so strong, I said, ‘I have to be part of this movement.’ When I finally met him, he wrote on my copy, ‘Garden as if your life depends on it.’” Smith suggested planting milkweed—monarch butterflies love it—mowing grass high, 3 to 4 inches, and leaving the clippings, which act as a natural fertilizer. Water in the early morning. “Lawns need 1 inch of water a week,” he said, “preferably rainwater.”

Marinello emphasized that native plants are the foundation of the food web for insects and have evolved to the point where they don’t need additional fertilizer and water. “Having native plants feeds songbirds, pollinators, and ultimately, ourselves.” Wasteful practices in our quest for better lawns and flowerbeds include consuming 3 trillion gallons of water, 200 million gallons of gas, and 70 million pounds of pesticides, he said. He made this sobering comment: Only 20 to 40 percent of Earth’s surface is in good condition. Marinello urged creating wildlife habitat areas. “It’s a great learning activity for children,” he added.

Balman threw out a simple challenge. “The single biggest change you can make is to change your own backyard. And the conservation effects start with you being here today. If you can do one thing, plant a pollinator garden,” she said. “Start small, then go big. Plant in big groups in front of trees and you invite pollinators,” she said. Also, shrink your lawn in the process. Some of her suggestions included a repetition of native plants, like astilbes (“don’t buy one or two; buy nine, 12 or 15 or more,”), then a row of native trees, then a row of boxwoods; they keep debris back, which looks good year-round. Balman’s slides showed the evolution of some properties using stone edging and sculptures.

Questions were taken at the end that included when to start cleanups (mid to late April, as beneficial insects are still hibernating), getting rid of invasive phragmites on your property if you have it, and if there are tax incentives for using electric lawn mowers. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Biden last August, includes a tax credit for electric vehicles; large commercial-grade lawn mowers were included.  Rauch said Bellport Village banned gas lawn equipment last year. “We bought electric leaf blowers and will use it on our properties to see if it’s feasible,” he said.