The Providential Gardener

A Fowl Problem ~ Save the Bay Video

There are dozens more videos from Save the Bay on YouTube!

Tom Horton, Ecosystem Restoration, and the New Economy

Sigh.

We set goals, and then things happen. It always seems to take longer to achieve success than we can ever imagine.

That's what struck me as I reviewed my notes from the 7th Annual Land & Water Summit held on March 27, 2010, at URI. Tom Horton, the keynote speaker, has made the Chesapeake Bay's restoration his life's work. He described how the goal date for cleaning up the Chesapeake has slipped from 2010 to 2028. Voluntary compliance doesn't work well, he noted. Legislation with teeth, plus the money and will to enforce the law, are required for success. Adequate legislation and enforcement, in turn, rest on long-term monitoring and research. So restoring a large watershed like the Chesapeake (and our Rhode Island watersheds around the Narragansett Bay) takes a lot of time, money, and willpower.

Much of his talk reflected the substance of his book, Turning the Tide: Saving the Chesapeake Bay (first published in 1991 and updated in 2003). To get a sense of what you missed if you weren't there Saturday, you can skim some of the book's pages on Amazon and read a review of this book in the U. Richmond Law Review and a review of another of his books, Bay Country (review published in 1987 in The New York Times). You'll also find in an Amazon search a few other books on the Chesapeake that he has written or coauthored. 

For Horton, Chesapeake Bay, like Narragansett Bay, is a magnificent ecosystem coping with pollution and the overharvesting of its fish and crustacean resources, yet still resilient despite increasing human activity in and around it. He quoted Aldo Leopold ~ that "the oldest task in human history [is] to live on a piece of land without spoiling it." He stressed that grow-or-die economic models are simply unsustainable. It's all well and good for each of us individually to reduce our carbon footprint. But if the population around the Chesapeake is growing at the rate of 2 million per decade, how can enough people offset their carbon footprints enough to offset this population growth? Think about that for a moment.

We need to convince people there are viable alternatives to the never-ending-growth model, that the options are multifaceted and not either/or ~ either overeat or starve to death. Our own Greg Gerritt, who writes extensively on this topic in Prosperity for Rhode Island, could be seen nodding his head in agreement every time Horton drove this point home.

As I continue to digest all the fascinating ideas from the Summit, I've found the link to the Chafee Memorial Lecture in Washington DC in January 2010 that Horton stressed repeatedly. This lecture, "A New American Environmentalism and the New Economy," was given by James Gustave Speth, dean emeritus, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. The session was videotaped and posted on the web, so we can view it when we want. [FYI, It took a long time to download on my high-speed internet connection, and there's a bit of an introduction before he starts speaking, but hang in!] Horton urged the 325 Rhode Island conservationists present at the Summit to see environmental issues in a larger, systemic context, to ally with others working for political reform and for social justice projects,... and to CONTINUALLY QUESTION "GROW OR DIE" ASSUMPTIONS.

A quote of a quote from the Chafee lecture: "Anyone who thinks that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist." ~ Kenneth Boulding 

Here's a shorter interview with James Gustave Speth, The Environment and Economy in Conflict to whet your appetite for the Chafee lecture:


I began this post with a sigh, but I'll end with a story that illustrates our state's motto, Hope, which Horton describes as not being able "to see your way through the tall grass." He told of a short-legged dog that actually learned to jump up high enough to get his bearings when lost in the tall grass. Encountering Tom Horton's thought is to learn to leap up for a better view.

P.S.: In light of all this rain we've endured since the weekend, here's another idea from his talk we can implement: Let's pass impervious surface tax legislation in Rhode Island.

For other reports on the 2010 Land and Water Summit, see ecoRI and search for "Conservation Summit Focuses on Land and Water Issues"

Tap Your Drinking Water, Providence!

The Providential Gardener was delighted to see in a recent Providence Journal article, "City, 5 eateries say no to bottled water," that several Providence restaurants are serving only water from the Providence Water Supply. The water flowing from our taps is about the best in the world, and it is also so less expensive than bottled water ~ it's really a no-brainer to drink tap water. Bottled water is in most cases entirely unnecessary.

It is wonderful to see that Mayor Cicilline has made a major issue of this seemingly minor problem, which really costs us all a great deal of money, both buying water that takes a lot of petroleum to make the plastic for the bottles and then move it here from other states or from overseas (you can't dehydrate water(!), so it's heavy and expensive to move), and also burying the bottles, most of which are not recycled, in the landfill. Eliminating bottled water in Providence is one of the mayor's 8 strategic initiatives. See the mayor's press release of October 28, 2008. I'll write about these initiatives in another post soon.

Because of their pulling the plug on bottled water, I join with the recommendation of Natural News Network's October 30 post, "Providence Bucks Bottled Water," in urging Rhode Islanders to patronize the 5 restaurants, which are  Local 121, Trinity Brewhouse, the Hot Club, Benders Caffe, and The Garden Grille.

Wherever you are out and about and thirsty, looking for water to drink, encourage the folks there to serve and drink tap water and discontinue bottled water. Many companies, and even our universities and colleges ~ organizations that want to be seen as green ~ are using bottled water for marketing purposes, putting their names on this unnecessary plastic waste. Speak up when you see these water bottles, and make an effort to help the ones who make decisions about such things see the disconnect between serving bottled water and being green.

The Projo article by Peter B. Lord was fairer to the bottled water industry than I'm being here, although it's true we do need to keep some bottled water around for an emergency, but I'd rather stress a link in that article for a website with a great name: www.ThinkOutsideTheBottle.org.

Minimizing bottled water became a Providential Gardener priority in the spring of 2008 during the discussions of bottle bills in the legislature (see the post, "Why, Why Why? My Pitcher Pitch and My Pitcher Pi'tures"). This won't be the last post on the subject, and I'll be publishing the names of more restaurants and businesses that cut out bottled water. HOPE the list will grow soon, and HOPE it will be a flood of names!

Open Space Conservation Bonds Approved

The Providential Gardener is pleased to publish this report from the Rhode Island Land Trust:

2008 Election Results:
 
Rhode Island Voters Approve Open Space Conservation Bonds!
 
With 97% of the votes counted, 68% approve Question 2 providing the state with 
$2.5 million in bond funding for farmland protection and open space conservation. 
 
Voters in urban communities were especially strong supporters:
79.1 % City of Providence - 2nd highest approval rate after Block Island
73.8 % Central Falls
78.9% Newport
The Highest voter approval was 82.4 % in New Shoreham.
 
Local Land Conservation Bonds  were also Approved
Middletown $2 million passed by  68%
Glocester $500,000  passed by 53.8%

Take the Long View: Vote to Preserve More Open Space in Rhode Island

Last thoughts on Question 2 ~ Maybe you'll see this November 4 and mention the importance of approving the open space bond issue to another RI voter before they go to the polls today:

Despite the economic climate, many more folks urge the approval of Question 2, the Open Space Bond Referendum.

Chip Young's CHANNEL 10 BLOG: Chip Young posted this great recommendation for APPROVING Question 2 - the $2.5 million Open Space Bond Referendum on the Channel 10 blog.  It includes an endorsement by Governors Garrahy and Almond that has been printed as an op-ed in papers throughout Rhode Island.

Lincoln Almond and Joseph Garrahy's op-ed in the Providence Journal, October 23, 2008

Priceless Farmland at Bargain Basement Prices ~ Farmland Op Ed by Rep. Donna M. Walsh of Charlestown, New Shoreham, Westerly, and South Kingstown.

FARM FRESH RHODE ISLAND: This is a clear, dramatic explanation of the impact of previous bond issues on preserving farmland. In an email I received yesterday, they quote Rupert Friday of the RI Land Trust Council:

"Rhode Island has lost 80% of our farmland since 1945.  Today, only 45,800 acres remain in production - less than 7% of the land in the state.  Our remaining farmland is the basis for $100 million in Rhode Island's economy each year.  It is also essential to defining the character of our communities and our quality of life.  Rhode Island has the highest farmland prices in the nation and there is strong pressure to develop this land into new subdivisions."

East Bay RI ~ signed by Connie Lima, Tiverton Land Trust; Abigail Brooks, Sakonnet Preservation Association; Larry Taft, Audubon Society of RI; George Mason, Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust; John Berg, The Nature Conservancy of RI

Valley Breeze Fact Sheet. The Valley Breeze published several op eds from Smithfield, North Smithfield, and Cumberland Land Trust members ~ [ http://www.valleybreeze.com/www/Question_2-fact_sheet.pdf]

I want to be balanced about this, so I've looked for the other side of this issue. All I can find are the following:

THOSE OPPOSED TO Question 2:

Providence Journal editorial in mid-October. Main objection was the cost in this difficult economy. [Online link to this editorial seems to be unavailable.]

RI Republican blog -- objects to both bonds because opposes borrowing in principle and because of the cost of bonds. Believes RI should foot the bill completely for transportation and open space out of our own state budget.

The 2008 $2.5 Million Open Space Bonds Question ~ Yes, it's a Bad Economy, But Vote YES Anyway

 Of course the Providential Gardener supports the Open Space and Recreational bonds issue, even though our economy is in a bad way. It's not possible for me to oppose it!  I hope you'll join me in voting YES on Question 2 next week.

On November 4, 2008, Rhode Islanders will vote on two statewide questions ~

#1 is Transportation funding and #2 is for Open Space and Recreational Development funding. The Providence Journal endorsed the first and opposed the second in an editorial on October 16. The reason Projo gave for supporting the $87 million transportation bonds issue was that it enables Rhode Island to get matching funds, and they felt that the additional $2.5 million open space issue was more than Rhode Island could afford given the current economic situation. Apparently the Projo editors didn't realize that if the $2.5 million for open space and recreational development bonds is not approved, Rhode Island would also lose matching federal and private funds.

The RI Secretary of State website gives background and information about the two bond issues. I'm mainly concerned with the second one (although there is more than $3.6 million for public transit busses in the transportation bond issue) Here's what #2 will do:

Approval and issuance of these bonds will provide funds to the Department of Environmental Management to purchase, or otherwise permanently protect through the purchase of title to, development rights, conservation easements and public recreation easements, greenways and other open space, recreation lands, agriculture lands, forested lands and state parks.

The $2.5 million will be spent between July 2009 and June 2011, and the value to the state, the "useful life" will be "in perpetuity," or as we mortals say, forever, longer than any of us will live to see.

The background on this bond issue is that during the spring 2008 legislative session, the governor originally proposed $5 million, and land trusts and other conservation groups lobbied hard for upping the bond issue to $15 million. For a while in June, it seemed that the open space bond issue was dead, but at the last moment, the legislature approved $2.5 million to put the question on the November ballot and to continue the conservation program rather than ending this effort all together. The importance of this bond issued was outlined on May 7, 2008, in a post on our sister website, What Grows On in Rhode Island News Blog.

The Providential Gardener supports the Open Space Bond this November 4, and joins many other Rhode Islanders in urging you to vote YES. Rhode Islanders have a long history of supporting land conservation bonds ~ more than 70% of us supported open space bonds in 2000 and 2004. The main argument against it this year is the economy and our desire to see that every Rhode Islander has enough to eat, a safe, warm home, and a job, but $2.5 milllion is an investment in our future with everlasting consequences. Remember, though, that it's hard to make money by farming. We love our farmers' markets, we're enthusiastically supporting local agriculture, and we love our beautiful state. We're already sacrificing the other $2.5 million to $12.5 million that we would have approved if we were in a thriving economy and if the legislature had not cut the governor's original proposal and resisted the pleas of conservation groups to increase the governor's proposal. This is the least we can do, to approve this $2.5 million, especially when the transportation bond issue is more than 35 times its size and is also needed for our badly deteriorating bridges and infrastructure ($80 mil), commuter rail ($3.57 mil), and busses ($3.67mil).

The bonds bring in many millions of matching funds and it's short-sighted not to pass them no matter what our current economic problems are.

For more comments on this issue see a recent Forbes article about Rhode Island, an article in the South County Independent, and The Nature Conservancy website.

Farmland and Open Space Protection Funding Bond Referendum

Since local farming and preservation of open space is such a popular cause in Rhode Island and previous bond issues have been overwhelmingly approved, I've posted the RI Land Trust Council's views and supporting information in their entirety on What Grows On in Rhode Island. If this is something you value, please see RI Land Trust Council President Rupert Friday's full appeal on the What Grows On in Rhode Island News Blog.

Protect Rhode Island's Plants as You Plan Your Natural Holiday Decorations

The Providential Gardener received the following press release from the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, which I'm publishing in its entirety:

PROTECT RHODE ISLAND’S PLANTS

PLANTS USED FOR DECORATIONS 

As the holiday season approaches, many of us are beginning to think about natural decorations:  wreaths of hemlock, sprigs of holly, boughs of fir, twining or ground pine, vases of sea lavender…we love the colors, textures, and smells of these gifts from nature.  Unfortunately, many of our plants are in danger of being loved to death as people tramp the woods and fields in search of them, and dealers in holiday decorations strip our public lands.

There is a law to protect these plants.  It is known as the “Christmas Greens” law (State of R.I. & Providence Plantations, Chapter 15, General Laws 1956, 2-15-12 through 2-15-17).  It is illegal to take a part, or the whole, of any plant protected by this law, unless you are on your own property, or have written permission from the owner of a property. 

All plants on state property are protected; this includes state parks, management areas, state beaches and salt marshes.  You must have written permission from the Department of Environmental Management to dig or cut plants in these areas.  All plants on Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society of Rhode Island properties are also protected.

Visit the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society website at www.riwps.org to view illustrations of plants protected by the Christmas Greens law.  There are many.  Please respect this law and encourage others to respect it too.  Try to avoid purchasing decorations from dealers who steal from public lands or private property of others, and let them know why you won’t purchase from them.

For further information, contact the RIWPS office

(401) 789-7497 or www.riwps.org

~ Prepared by the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, Inc., PO Box 414, Exeter, RI  02822 ~

The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and propagation of our native plants.

News from The Rhode Island Land Trust Council

The Rhode Island Land Trust Council has a newsletter you might be interested in receiving. To subscribe, send an email request to rfriday@tnc.org

I have just finished putting all the meeting announcements in What Grows On in Rhode Island and in The Providential Gardener Calendar, but there is much more in it I want to pass along to everybody.

Here are the meetings they listed. Some are useful nonprofit organizational workshops for environmental groups and some are specifically for land trusts or bay/waterfront groups:

• Multiply Yourself: Growing the Conservation Community ~ November 17, 2007
• Nonprofit Workout Conference: The Ways We Lead, Building Adaptive, Inclusive Organizations ~ November 9, 2007
• Communication & Negotiation Skills: Collaborating Better with Multiple Partners
• What your Land Trust Needs to Know About the IRS, RIDBR and other Regulators
• Sea Grant Symposium: Creating Vibrant Waterfronts in Rhode Island
• Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change ~ October 19-22, 2007
• Passing Municipal Bonds for Land Protection ~ October 24, 2007
• Trail Planning & Design Workshop ~ October 13, 2007
• Federal Conservation CostShare Program Workshops ~ October 9, 10, 11, 2007
• Volunteer Center of RI Workshop ~ Grant Writing II - Advanced ~ October 11, 2007

Publication:

Amending Conservation Easements: Evolving Principles and Practices New Land Trust Alliance (LTA) publication available free for LTA members

News:

Land Trust Accreditation Lottery Update from Land Trust Accreditation Commission

The lottery for 2008 applications closed with over 80 participants.  The Commission announced that it will be able to accommodate all organizations that participated in the lottery in one of three application rounds next year. Land trust interest in the program matches the Commission’s projections for the number of applications it will review 2008.

The Commission will still be evaluating its pilot program in 2008 so it will not yet be at full operations. We expect the number of applications that can be reviewed to grow after 2008. Next year, the Commission will also evaluate the lottery for 2008 applications and determine how it will accept applications in future years.

Funding/Grant Opportunities

Temper of the Times Foundation Grants ~ advertising for the environment

Ever wish you could find funding to support your advertising needs? Temper of the Times Foundation, is a private grant foundation that supports increased environmental awareness through media campaigns.

It was created by the board of directors of The Moneypaper, Inc., in 1997. Since public opinion is often influenced by marketing efforts, The Moneypaper, Inc. decided to create a foundation that would promote the use of standard marketing concepts to increase environmental awareness. Recognizing that organizations working to protect the environment in general have limited access to paid media, the Foundation provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. Beginning in 2001, the Foundation has also supported earned income media campaigns. Grants are typically between $5,000 and $15,000 and should be used to fund the production of print, radio, or television ads, to pay for advertising space or airtime, or to produce or distribute pamphlets, books, videos, or press packets.

Information & grant applications: http://www.temperfund.org/index.html

Deadline October 15 via email

Environmental Education

Deadline: October 15

The Environment Council of Rhode Island Education Fund (ECRI Ed Fund) is opening the application process for the 2nd Annual Loraine Tisdale Environmental Education Fund awards.
ECRI offers 3 grants of $250 to teachers or environmental organizations for support of projects that:

• Have student participation
• Lead to measurable improvement in an environmental condition
• Involve the community beyond a school in some way

Awards will be made in January 2008 for projects to be undertaken in the Spring of 2008.

Information & Applications: 621-8048 ~ environmentcouncil@earthlink.net

Coastal & Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund

Deadline: October 17

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) is seeking pre-proposals for habitat restoration project funding

The fund was established to facilitate the design, planning, construction and monitoring of coastal and estuarine restoration projects as well as to increase opportunities for outreach and education related to coastal habitat restoration.

Municipalities, committees, boards or commissions chartered by a municipality,nonprofit organizations, civic groups, educational institutions and state agencies are eligible to apply.

To submit a pre-proposal, please download a pre-proposal form at http://www.crmc.ri.gov/projects/habitats.html

fill out the form and return it to:

Coastal Resources Management Council
Oliver H. Stedman Government Center
4808 Tower Hill Road;Wakefield,RI 02879-1900

Caitlin Chaffee: 783-7198

Information: http://www.crmc.ri.gov/news/2007_0901_habrest.html

Fund for Wild Nature Grants Program

Deadline: November 2

The Fund for Wild Nature provides "small grants to small groups who get things done." The fund provides money for campaigns to save and restore native species and wild ecosystems, including actions to defend wilderness and biological diversity.

The fund supports advocacy, litigation, public policy work, development of citizen science, and similar endeavors. The fund does not support basic scientific research, private land acquisition, individual action or study, or conferences. The fund will only support media projects that have a clear strategic value and a concrete plan for dissemination of the final product.

The fund gives special attention to ecological issues not currently receiving sufficient public attention and funding. The fund seeks proposals with visionary and yet realistic goals to create tangible change. All proposals must be highly cost effective.

The fund rarely supports proposals from organizations with annual budgets greater than $250,000. The fund makes grants for projects only in the United States,Canada, and Mexico.

Visit the Fund for Wild Nature Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

Information: www.fundwildnature.org

How about Moving U.S. Agriculture back East?

Katherine Brown of Southside Community Land Trust sent the Providential Gardener the link to a September 22, 2007, article, "Let the East Bloom Again," which argues that the Eastern United States is much more suited to agriculture than the West because of the abundance of water here. An excerpt:

...Until the middle of the 1900s, much of our country’s food and fiber was produced east of the Mississippi River. Maine led the nation in potato production in 1940, and New York wasn’t far behind. The South, including Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, dominated cotton. Large amounts of corn were grown in almost every state for consumption by the local livestock and poultry. Regional vegetable markets, especially in the mid-Atlantic states, served the population centers of the East.

...Through irrigation, Western farmers were spared the occasional droughts that had plagued Eastern farmers, but the specialized Western system came with a price. Water projects dried up the area’s rivers. Salmon runs disappeared. Soils were poisoned from the salt in irrigated water that is left behind after evaporation....

The key is to invest in irrigation systems that make the most of the East's winter rains that currently run into the sea. Having been in Colorado recently, I can tell you that water is in short supply there and it's a contentious issue. This is an interesting article that gives broad, national, and also historical perspective to our local farming initiatives ~ well worth serious consideration. If we don't deal intelligently with the West's limitations there are consequences:

...If the United States does not expand agriculture in the East, the nation’s food production will move offshore, to developing countries that may not manage herbicides, pesticides and health safety as well as our country does.

Is this what we want?

The authors of the article are Richard T. McNider and John R. Christy, professors of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Here are some links to reports they have written:

• Developing Opportunities: Feasibility of Large Scale                       Irrigated Assisted Rain-fed Agriculture in Alabama (2003)
• Bringing Agriculture back to Water: A Sustainable Solution for the 21st Century (2005) [Also, link at the American Meteorological Society to this paper, and recorded presentation.]