Watershed-Friendly Yards:

Show-Me Yards Project

One question many of you might have after reading this title is: what is a watershed? A watershed is simply the area of land that drains to a particular body of water. A raindrop falling on a parking lot at the University or the rooftop of the Daniel Boone library will both eventually find their way into the Hinkson, which drains roughly 60% of the city of Columbia . A stream is a reflection of all the activities that occur in its watershed. Chances are, if you live in Columbia , the raindrop falling on your yard will wind up in the Hinkson too. The big question is: What shape is that raindrop in after leaving your premises?

Many of the things we put on our yards don’t stay on our yards, particularly after a hard rainstorm.   Fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, de-icing salts, lawn trimmings, and soil itself often migrate from our yards unintentionally.   Considering there are now nearly 90,000 of us living in the city, even small amounts of pollution from each of our homes can add up to quite a bit, especially since most will eventually flow into Hinkson Creek. Similarly, if each of us does our part in protecting our city’s streams, we can have a significant impact.

What You Can Do:

1. Mow high...typically 3 to 4 inches or highest setting 2. Remember: storm drains lead straight to streams 3. Clover is okay; it provides nitrogen to your lawn 4. Increase the amount of your yard in tree cover 5. Sharpen mower blade (at least once per summer) 6. Compost grass clippings and/or leaf litter at home 7. Check streets & sidewalks after applying lawn products; sweep excess into lawn, not the street. 8. Include native plants. They tolerate drought and require no fertilizers or extra watering. 9. Mulch circles beneath trees and around beds 10. Install a rain barrel 11. Install a rain garden 12. Clean up pet waste 13. Leave clippings on lawn- they provide nutrients. 14. Consider using corn gluten as a pre-emergent & fertilizer 15. Map and measure your yard to determine correct application amounts 16. Attend a Show-Me Yards workshop 17. Have a soil test done, then apply fertilizer per recommendations. Call your county extension office at 445-9792 for details. 18. Use a rain gauge to track rainfall and avoid unnecessary over-watering 19. Reduce use of lawn chemicals and apply according to directions 20. Identify pests before taking action 21. Overseed bare spots in early spring or early fall

So what else can you do? Well, lots of things. A good first step is to join our Show-Me Yards project. Our advisory committee has assembled a checklist of good yard management practices, and has assigned points, actually “inches”, for each one. Click on the Hinkson Yardstick above to see good management practices, and their value in inches. If you achieve an entire “Yard” by accumulating 36 inches of good practices, you will get a certificate of recognition, and if you are one of the top scoring yards, you will receive a Show-Me Yard sign to proclaim your concern for the environment to your neighbors.

A good second step is to be tolerant. A monocrop of a single species of grass does not occur naturally in nature. It will not occur in your yard, either, without intensive management, which usually means intensive use of synthetic chemicals. Likewise, there will always be a certain number of "pest" insects in your yard. Before reaching for the pesticide, determine if they are really doing any damage.