Conservation Education Shifts to Urban in Ada County   

urban conservationist Skip Vetten explains to a youthful crowd that everyone can take steps to protect and enhance natural resource (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)

Taking on conservation education can be a bit of a challenge — especially in the urban areas of the Treasure Valley, Idaho, where farms and traditional agricultural vistas are disappearing.  However, NRCS is working to meet the needs of a shifting customer base resulting from a steady increase in population and development in this area.  One of the most recent efforts included an interactive presentation on urban conservation for dozens of kids and adults at a community fair in Boise.

Several Idaho NRCS employees volunteered a Saturday to teach others about the importance of urban conservation and its benefits.  The presentation included an interactive exhibit from the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District, which depicted a landscape model of housing subdivisions, businesses, and small farms within close proximity to streams and waterways.

NRCS employees showed how the careless use of common pesticides and fertilizers could degrade water quality.  “Whether it’s by over fertilizing lawns; driving vehicles that leak oil, coolant, or transmission fluid; or ignoring dog waste on your lawn, everything we do affects our water quality,” said NRCS urban conservationist Skip Vetten.  He explained this concept while sprinkling colored powder on the lawns and buildings of the exhibit to symbolize fertilizer, pesticides, oil, and soil.  Using a spray bottle to represent rain, participants sprayed water over the landscape model.  Participants’ eyes widened as the rain swept the contaminants off the land into the water, turning it from clear to a murky brown.

“But the solutions are easy,” said Vetten.  “Using simple conservation practices around your home, yard and acreage can greatly improve water quality in your local streams.  Practices include planting grass strips to filter pollutants, practicing water conservation, fixing leaky cars to prevent oil seepage, or applying proper amounts of pesticides, among others.”
Your contact is Dastina Johnson, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 208-685-6978.