Healthy Lakes and Wetlands For Tomorrow - Species at Risk

Eliminate pesticide and herbicide use and keep your family and environment healthy.
Chemical free gardens contain a diversity of natural predators that will keep down most insect outbreaks.
Pesticides have many unforeseen impacts and can kill beneficial insects, amphibians, and other wildlife.
Pesticides and fertilizer runoff from lawns and gardens expose our family, pets, and wildlife to chemicals,
and can end up in the water we rely on to drink. Eliminate the need for these products by practicing
natural pest management techniques (see resources).
What’s So Bad About a Lawn
Lawns are not ideal around the lake shoreline. When natural vegetation surrounds a lake only 10%
of the rainwater flows into the water body. Lawns retain much less water and allow up to 55% of
rainwater to directly enter the lake and with it fertilizers, nutrients, and chemicals.
Lawns need to be weeded, mowed, and watered - the less lawn you have, the more time you have
to relax. It may appear that your lawn is not having much of an impact but many lawns around a
lake may result in decreased water quality and loss of wildlife habitat. So relax, get rid of your lawn
and let nature do the work for you!
Invasive Alien Species
• Are animals and plants that have become
established in areas outside their natural
range and have the potential to harm the
environment, economy and/or society.
• Threaten our natural biodiversity by displacing
native species and disrupting food chains.
• Once established it is often difficult or
impossible to eliminate them - that is why it
is so important to prevent their spread!
• Some non-native aquatic plants can rapidly
take over natural environments. If you have a
garden pond build it well away from natural
water sources and plant native species only.
• Knowing what you are planting, eliminating
your lawn, and having a natural shoreline are
great ways to prevent invasive plant spread.
D. Ure
Dame’s Rocket
Volunteers removing Glossy Buckthorn
Japanese Knotweed
Scotch Broom
Photos: NS Museum
To learn more please visit:
Hinterland’s Who’s Who: www.hww.ca
Plant Patrol NS: www.plantpatrolns.ca
NS Invasive Species Working Group:
www.invasivespeciesns.ca
Do not dispose of invasive plants by placing them
in your backyard compost. Disposal options vary
between species. To determine the best disposal
option for your invasive plant material, contact
the working group: www.invasivespeciesns.ca.
Some Invasive Plants to Beware of:
Norway Maple Yellow Floating-Heart
Bishops Goutweed Dame’s Rocket
Oriental Bittersweet Large-leaved Lupine
Scotch Broom Japanese Knotweed
Common Buckthorn Rugosa Rose
Glossy Buckthorn European Mountain-Ash
Scotch Pine
Honeysuckle species
Black Locust Yellow Iris
English Oak
Flowering Rush
Multiflora Rose Creeping Jennie
Resources:
Pesticide Free….A Guide to Natural Lawn and Garden Care
www.toronto.ca/health/pesticides/natural_lawn_guide.htm
Online resource providing tips on lawn and garden care and natural pest management techniques.
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