How To Conserve
The Wolf River Conservancy goes well beyond the traditional roles of a land trust by also educating youth and the public, and engaging the community through educational seminars, workshops and programming along the Greenway.
There are so many ways for you to go above and beyond for conservation too! Here are a few options to guide you along your conservation journey.
One of the best things the public can do to conserve is to simply pick up after ourselves. It is alarming how much debris and trash flows into our bodies of water, not only contaminating the water for wildlife, but compromising our community drinking water. Littering out of cars is especially problematic, as the litter inevitably finds its way into a water source. If you celebrate holidays with fireworks, make sure you pick up the debris after your fun. Think about adopting your nearest storm drain to keep it clear of trash and recycle appropriate items. Plastic containers, plastic shopping bags, and foam to-go containers are the most numerous trash items in our rivers. Consider reducing your usage of these items and clean them up where feasible.
Native trees are such an important part of our community, as they provide oxygen, clean the air, combat climate change and help protect our water resources. Tree canopies reduce stormwater runoff by “catching” rain while the root systems enhance soil’s ability to absorb water. Trees can even increase property values by 15% in some cases. Whenever we can, we should plant a native tree. Plant native trees from November through mid-April.
The Wolf River Conservancy hosts a large annual tree planting event every February/ March and a smaller project in November. Bookmark our calendar to learn more.
We can’t forget about air quality and preserving our clean air. Air quality is increased when we walk, bike, carpool or take public transportation. Additionally, water pollutants come from exhaust and car leaks. Be sure to dispose of your car oil and antifreeze in proper receptacles and never in storm drains or in the street. In the near future, the Wolf River Greenway trail will be complete and provide citizens with the opportunity to ride their bike from Germantown to Mud Island, enabling an amazing recreational and commuter route.
As a nationally accredited land trust and nonprofit organization, we actively work to conserve land. Working with landowners, we are able to come to agreements that permanently protect conservation values of their properties. For more information on how we work with landowners to protect land, see the Landowner Options page.
Homeowners and landowners alike have the ability to manipulate their landscape to benefit native plants and animals, slow and recharge heavy rainfall, and much more! Consider establishing a rain garden in your yard to reduce stormwater runoff into our storm drains. Rain gardens are also a good excuse to plant native plants that will help soak up the rain, increase pollinator habitat, invite migratory birds into your yard, and provide beautiful flowers to your landscape. People with more land have the ability to reduce the lawn they frequently cut and instead establish native flower beds. Visit our Epping Way property to see an example of what you could do in your yard.
