Saving Endangered Species Can Start in Your Front Yard Today

"Conservationists and authors of a United Nations report on biodiversity loss say individuals have the power to create meaningful change."

"For many Americans, the first step to helping to save a million plant and animal species from being wiped out starts at the front porch.

Lush green lawns are a tradition that dates back to the arrival of European colonists. But they are also an environmental nightmare that strips away shrubs, flowers and weeds, which thousands of animals need for habitat and food.

Grass yards are the nation’s largest irrigated crop, covering “more than three times the number of acres that irrigated corn covers,” according to NASA. They suck up 9 billion gallons of water per day, the Environmental Protection Agency says, enough in a year to fill the Chesapeake Bay, one of the largest estuaries in the world."

Darryl Fears reports for the Washington Post May 13, 2019.

Source: Washington Post, 05/14/2019