Gardening for Conservation

I have been gardening for conservation in Traverse City since 2016, the year I bought my house here. One of the first gardening projects at my new home was tearing out sod on both sides of a chain link fense with my mom. Since then, I've spent hundreds of hours transforming my landscape from a scraggly, invasive infested lawn, to a home landscape that supports both wildlife and my own well being. 

Although buildings are far more dense in the landscape here in Traverse City than the surrounding regioins, we still have quite a bit of open space. How that open space is managed affects not just that property, but also the neighbors, our regional enviornment, and a good chunk of the world's supply of fresh surface water.

By "conservation gardening", I simply mean considering the impacts of our landscape management decisions. You might call this style of gardening "habitat gardening" or "nature-friendly gardening" or "sustainable gardening" or "permaculture gardening". On the ground, it means researching plants, digging holes, spreading mulch, watering, weeding, and reconciling relationships with beautiful invasive plants.

To my gardening, I bring a background of environmental studies, master composter training, family gardening, community garden management, permaculture certification, and most recently a certificate from the Michigan Conseravation Stewards Program.*

As part of the certicate requirements for MSU Extension's Conservation Stewards Program, I am sharing what I have learned and additonal research with you! I expect the contents of this gardening guide to be most relevant to land owners and managers in Traveres City, although much of the information here could be applied elsewhere.

I hope you enjoy learning more about gardening for conservation!

*To learn more about this and other great places to learn, check out my About Page.