\u00a0\u00a0 An Ancient Native American Proverb often attributed to Chief Sealth states: \u201cTreat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Another proverb takes it even further: \u00a0<\/span>“In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the next seven generations\u2026\u201d\u00a0 If you think about how much the world has changed in the last 200 years\u2014it is very difficult to imagine what the world will be like 200 years from now! My ancestors, 7 generations ago lived in the 1700\u2019s and early 1800\u2019s. (We all have 2<\/span>7 <\/span><\/sup>or 128 ancestors of that generation.) The ones of mine that I know about lived in Colonial America, mostly Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina. A little more than half of my lines immigrated later so were still in Germany and Ireland at that time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Whether we rent or own, most of us have control over a portion of land.\u00a0 There is often heated debate over \u201cproperty rights.\u201d\u00a0 Some feel that they should be able to do whatever they want on their property.\u00a0 But the fact is, what people do on their land may have severe impacts on their neighbor\u2019s quality of life and the overall ecology of the area.\u00a0 That is why there are zoning restrictions and permitting processes.\u00a0 How much regulation is necessary or good is debatable.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 People live and work in a variety of habitats.\u00a0 Each type varies in the degree of development (or disturbance, depending on your point of view).\u00a0 I try to focus on how the ecology of each can be improved for plants, wildlife and the web of life within the constraints of justifiable human activities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Following are \u201chuman habitats\u201d classified and arranged from most to least developed and strategies that may help improve the ecology of each.\u00a0 All include planting with native plant species to some degree.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0 Industrial<\/strong>\u2014<\/b> are sites that have been severely impacted by poisons produced as a byproduct of mining, or manufacturing.\u00a0 Companies still in operation must not allow toxins to leach into the ground, air or water.\u00a0 Toxic wastes on historical sites must be cleaned up or contained. Some plants and bacteria are able to break down or contain toxic wastes by absorbing and sequestering them into their tissues.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Disturbance](\"http:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Disturbance-continuum.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 Large Agricultural<\/strong>—<\/b> are large expanses of monocultural crops where pesticides are routinely applied or \u201cfactory farms\u201d where animals are raised in close confinement. Some may disagree that agricultural land should be included in a \u201cmost disturbed\u201d category.\u00a0 It is true that there is much variation in how farms are operated\u2014but stuck in my mind is an image of wheat fields as far as the eye could see which I discovered outside of Grand Coulee.\u00a0 Breaking up large expanses with \u201chedgerows\u201d and creating wildlife refuges can improve the ecology surrounding agricultural fields and even reduce the need for pesticides, by allowing wildlife to prey on pest species. The waste that is created by factory farms is increasingly a concern due to the antibiotics and hormones that it may contain in addition to disease organisms. Just figuring out what to do with such a large amount of organic waste is challenging. If we could go back to rotating crops and allowing farm animals access to fields at rest, their waste could fertilize the soil for the next crop and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Intensive agricultural production activities need to limit reliance on genetically modified crops, pesticides and chemical fertilizers by incorporating organic farming techniques.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Urban<\/strong>\u2014<\/b>in the concrete and asphalt jungle of inner cities, life is often limited to weeds in the cracks of pavement, pigeons and rats.\u00a0 Rooftop gardens can revitalize the ecology of the city.\u00a0 Planter boxes and street trees make a striking improvement in the aesthetics of the landscape.\u00a0 By removing impermeable surfaces and planting in open ground, you create \u201cRain Gardens\u201d that absorb life-sustaining rainwater<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Commercial<\/strong>\u2014<\/b>In the Gig Harbor area we have two glaring examples of commercial development.\u00a0 In Gig Harbor North, many trees were preserved and subsequent landscapes were planted mostly with natives.\u00a0 Whereas in Uptown, all the trees were cut down and, although I commend the pedestrian concept\u2014 people are often forced to walk through mostly non-native plantings.\u00a0 Not only is it not very ecological, the aesthetics of the design doesn\u2019t exhibit a true Pacific Northwestern style.\u00a0\u00a0 Better than either of the above strategies, is to redevelop<\/i> areas instead of abandoning them and encroaching on remaining wild areas.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Suburban<\/strong>\u2014<\/b>many people\u2019s homes are on small lots.\u00a0 Increasing plant diversity is the best way a homeowner can improve the ecology of their property.\u00a0 Reduce or eliminate lawn area unless it is used as a play surface.\u00a0 Try to avoid geometric, single species designs.\u00a0\u00a0 Include different heights of native trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and flowers.\u00a0 Help maintain community parks, green belts and wildlife corridors.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Rural (small acreage)\u2014<\/strong>the historical use of land and your activities will influence how you will want to handle ecological restoration.\u00a0\u00a0 Of utmost importance<\/span> \u00a0is controlling invasive species such as Scotch Broom and Himalayan Blackberry.\u00a0 If you can get native species established, they will care for themselves and you will have less to maintain.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n