Category FAQs Search : Ecosystem
Question: What You Can Do
Answer: We can make decisions in our everyday lives which help preserve coastal wetland area and maintain their ecological integrity.
1. Get involved by joining a clean-up in your community and spread the word.
2. Reduce, reuse, and recycle your trash. One of the easiest ways to help the environment and reduce trash is to follow the 3 R’s every day. Bring a reusable bag or use a reusable water bottle. Compost. Donate clothes instead of throwing them away.
3. Install rain barrels and reduce urban and suburban runoff. Keep sidewalks, lawns and driveways clear of pet waste, trash, toxic chemicals, fertilizers, motor oil -- all of which can wash into storm drains end up in our wetlands.
4. Use paper and recycled products made from unbleached paper. Bleached paper contains toxic chemicals that can contaminate water.
5. Be smart about lawn and garden fertilizer: use a mulching mower, use non-nitrogen lawn supplements to avoid nutrient pollution. It promotes algae growth which creates aquatic dead zones and can be toxic to humans.
6. Use non-toxic products for household cleaning and lawn and garden care. Never spray lawn and garden chemicals outside on a windy day or when rain could wash the chemicals into waterways.
7. Choose native species when planting trees, shrubs and flowers, including wetland native plants where appropriate.
8. Do not fill wetlands when building a new home or developing a property.
9. Use "living shoreline" techniques at your waterfront property, making use of plant roots to stabilize soil.
10. Enjoy scenic and recreational access to coastal wetlands while preserving their integrity for future generations. Observe park trail and trash rules.
(Source: NOAA Fisheries, 27 Jan 2021)
Source Link: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/coastal-wetlands-too-valuable-lose