Urban & Community Conservation

By Sara Kangas Each fall, the U.S. Water Alliance asks us to “Imagine a Day Without Water." Tomorrow, October 12, is that time to reflect - how much do you value water? When Americans go to brush their teeth, shower, or fill their coffee pot, they expect clean, safe water to flow from their taps.…… Continue reading →

Guest column provided by Corrina Parnapy In observance of the Environmental Protection Agency's SepticSmart Week - September 18-22, 2017 – conservation districts nationwide are discussing septic systems and how they can help landowners use them sustainably. Septic systems - made up of a tank and absorption field - are effective methods for treating wastewater. The…… Continue reading →

Guest column by Lindsay Cameron [caption id="attachment_9773" align="alignright" width="263"] Sister Carlene running a bobcat to move soil into raised beds at Corinthian Baptist Church.[/caption] “The one thing I need here is a grocery store” is often heard on the south side of urban Fairbanks, Alaska - an area designated a food desert by USDA. In an…… Continue reading →

Guest column by Holly Lynne Killian  [caption id="attachment_9673" align="alignright" width="415"] Community leader and “Revitalizing Hillman” Project Coordinator Virginia Ward at the Bessemer Farmers Market.[/caption] In the southwestern part of Birmingham, Alabama, lies a seasonal high tunnel (also known as a hoop house) overflowing with fresh vegetables. Located in the neighborhood of Hillman, the high tunnel…… Continue reading →

By Lindsey Carver and Tonya Taylor [caption id="attachment_9448" align="alignright" width="262"] Purdue stands inside her CropBox, a turn-key agricultural system capable of growing the equivalent of an acre of field grown crops within a 320-square foot footprint.[/caption] Hydroponic producer Tami Purdue grows a long list of microgreen crops, but that's not all she grows. Purdue also helped…… Continue reading →

Guest column by Cara Culp [caption id="attachment_9264" align="alignright" width="494"] Container gardens ready for pick up at one of the local food pantries in Hamilton County, Indiana.[/caption] In 2016, the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (HCSWCD), located just north of Indianapolis, was awarded an NACD grant to develop an urban agriculture program with a…… Continue reading →

Guest column by Valerie Vissia Living and working in a small community is not always what you might imagine. Even after living in the same small town for 17 years, and working for the local conservation district for two, I still feel like a bit of a "newbie." [caption id="attachment_9062" align="alignright" width="461"] A rendering of the…… Continue reading →

By Lilias Pettit-Scott What would you say if I told you the secret to growing amazing tomatoes involves fish heads? About six years ago, I was working at Love Apple Farm in Santa Cruz, California, with farmer Cynthia Sandberg, an expert of the pommes d'amour (the French refer to a tomato as the love apple).…… Continue reading →

By Sara Kangas April is National Garden Month! While you’re welcoming spring and the return of pollinators, make sure you’re not introducing invasive species inadvertently. Recently, Cheerios launched a #bringbackthebees campaign in partnership with Veseys Seeds. The campaign distributed 100 million seeds packets (that’s over 1.5 billion seeds!) nationwide as part of an effort to…… Continue reading →

By Mike Beacom Gerry Gray and Paul Ries serve as co-chairs of the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition (SUFC), whose mission is to “increase tangible support for urban forests on a national and local level; educate diverse audiences (from policy makers to the public) about the value and need for healthy urban forests; and network and…… Continue reading →