Shorefront Gardening or How You Can Help Protect Harpswell’s Marine Environment[enter title]
HARPSWELL— Patricia Ianni, Master Gardener and a Directors of the Friends of Casco Bay, will be the fifth and final speaker in the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Sensitive Shoreline series of programs. The public is invited to hear Ms. Ianni speak about ‘ Bayscaping’ and how to garden so as to minimize adverse impacts on the waters of Harpswell and its shellfish resources on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, at 7 p.m. at the Trust’s Community Room at 153 Harpswell Neck Road.
In 1962, Rachel Carson sounded the alarm about pesticide pollution in her landmark book, Silent Spring. Many of the pesticides she warned us about are now banned, but other pesticides are still being used. In fact, about 3 million pounds of yard care pesticides are brought into Maine each year for home purchases. Friends of Casco Bay has found pesticides and the nutrients in fertilizers in storm water runoff flowing into the ocean. BayScaping is a six-step program that helps you (and your neighbors) reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Not only will you have a lawn that requires less maintenance, costs less to care for, and is safer for kids and pets, you’ll be helping the environment as well.
The Sensitive Shoreline series has focused on the health of Harpswell marine waters, the effects of water quality on shell fishing, and what we all can do to protect and improve Harpswell’s water quality and shell fisheries. Harpswell has the longest shoreline of any town on Casco Bay, so our actions can have a significant impact the Bay’s water quality and its shellfisheries.
Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne led off the series on January 22nd with an overview of the state of Casco Bay’s health. Amy Fitzpatrick, Director of the Division of Public Health for the Maine Department of Marine Resources spoke on February 4th about the shellfish testing program that assures the public that it is safe to eat shellfish. Peter Milholland, Citizen Stewardship Coordinator for the Friends of Casco Bay, spoke on March 10th about the results of 15 years of testing Harpswell’s marine waters and highlighted particular problems. On April 14th, Don Card, Area Biologist for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, spoke about the biology of clams, how the fishery is managed, and the value of Harpswell’s clam harvest. The final talk of the series will enable Harpswell gardeners and property owners to learn what they can do as individuals to help protect Harpswell’s marine environment and shell fisheries.
The Trust’s Community Room is located at 153 Harpswell Neck Road, .6 miles south of the Brunswick/Harpswell town line and 1.7 miles north of the Mountain Road.