Thanks to an EPA grant received back in 2005, Blount
Countians can be part of an effort that not only seeks to protect our valuable natural resources but
gives us the best tips for gardening success.
Lisa Phipps, a master gardener, has teamed up
with the Soil Conservation District and the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service
to offer to the community “Ten Principles for Blount Friendly Gardening Practices.” The next in the
series will be held Aug. 4 at the Blount County Public Library.
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The program, said Phipps, is
a practical approach to helping homeowners meet their landscaping needs while also protecting
Tennessee’s 60,000 miles of streams.
The smart thing to do
“We are teaching
homeowners things they can do to be more sustainable,” she explained. “Things like cutting down on
use of pesticides, putting the right plants in the right place and mulching so you don’t have soil
erosion.”
The first workshop was held back in June and was completely filled up. There will
be the Aug. 4 one and then two more — Aug. 25 and Sept. 15.
The 10 principles also include
the importance of knowing your soil and how to water efficiently. Fertilizing appropriately,
attracting wildlife in your landscape, managing yard pests, recycling grass clippings and leaves
and reducing storm water runoff are key components in this program. Phipps said.
John
Wilson, UT Ag Extension agent for Blount County, has been a participant in this homeowner outreach
program for years. He said typically there will be newcomers to the area who want to learn the
best techniques and tips for growing, and those who’ve been here for years but they still feel
they have something to learn.
For Wilson and Phipps, it’s a way to get everybody thinking
about the important role we all play in global sustainability.
“We are blessed here with
water resources — natural resources in general but particularly our water resources, with our
streams, rivers and reservoirs,” Wilson said. “Water is critical.”
The threat is
real
The biggest threat to our water is from impervious surfaces. Runoff picks up
fertilizers, animal waste, pesticides and construction runoff and takes it into our water supply,
Wilson and Phipps explained. It originates from many sources but has the same negative
effect.
That’s why it’s important for people not to dump grass clippings and stuff like used
oil into storm drains, they stressed.
Blount County’s water source is Little River, which
originates in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Clingman’s Dome at over 6,600 feet in
elevation. It flows 60 miles through the cities of Townsend. Alcoa and Maryville as well as
portions of Blount, Knox and Sevier counties. The river supplies drinking water to over 100,000
residents in Blount County. The quality of the river degrades with increasing distance from the
national park.
The EPA grant that made this program possible has also been used for other
important projects in Blount County. One example is at Springbrook Park in Alcoa, where non-native
invasive plants have been removed. In their place are the native plants. The environmental design
lab at UT helped with this project.
Depending on what Blount County gardeners are interested
in, future topics for discussion during these gardening workshops might include things like
installing rain barrels, organic gardening and composting.
It’s important to hold these
community outreach programs, Phipps and Wilson said, so that new information can be taught and
reminders can be given on the delicate balance of nature.
The Little River that supplies all
of us with drinking water is one of the few remaining high quality rivers in East Tennessee. But,
it’s also considered threatened, according to the State of Tennessee. That’s because if current
trends continue, the river will be impaired due to increased development.
Everyone has to do
his/her part to keep our water safe, these two said.
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