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Native Landscapes Help Michigan’s EconomyBy Lois B. Robbins As in 2006, the Oakland Native Partnership Initiative* (ONPI) and the Oakland County Farm Bureau have awarded grants to Ortonville and Clarkston for native landscape demonstrations. As these demonstration projects inspire property owners to create native landscapes on their own property, water quality will be protected and Michigan’s economy will prosper. How does planting a native landscape help Michigan’s economy? If anything defines Michigan, it’s water, yet we’ve taken our water for granted. This is changing. A recent study** by The Brookings Institution concludes that the “Great Lakes states and the federal government should capitalize on the Great Lakes and the natural assets of its watersheds as an economic driver for the region”, directly linking Michigan’s economy with our water supply. The headwaters that burble up in North Oakland County, and other counties in the region, - these are the true source of our Great Lakes water. Whatever happens on the land that drains to our local river or tributary will determine the integrity of the entire Great Lakes ecosystem. Runoff carrying petrochemicals, fertilizers and pesticides will eventually end up in a river that drains into the Great Lakes, and can damage Great Lakes water quality. With the introduction of more rooftops, driveways, parking lots, and lawns due to increased development, these problems will multiply. Working with a conservancy to protect existing native landscapes with a donation of land or a conservation easement is one way to reduce the threats to water quality that come with development. Planting your own native landscape is another. A symbiotic relationship exists between our native plants***, and the quality of the water we enjoy. Native plants have deep, fibrous roots that seek out deep reserves of water and nutrients. The roots hold soil in place preventing erosion. They filter runoff from driveways and parking lots, trapping chemicals and preventing them from reaching our waterways. Their extensive root systems allow water to be absorbed by the soil instead of running off. Native plants are drought-resistant and need no fertilizers or pesticides. Since these plants evolved in relationship with the wildlife we enjoy, a side-benefit of native landscapes is that they provide wildlife habitat and help protect existing habitat from invasive cultivars that escape into the wild. Our creeks and wetlands, our rivers and lakes, our sweet seas, the Great Lakes – these weave together to create the common thread that links us all together, defining the health of our bioregion. Protecting existing native landscapes through conservation and planting new ones on private land mean healthy water. And that means healthy people and a healthy economy. * ONPI: Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Services, Oakland County Drain Commission, Clinton River Watershed Council, Oakland Land Conservancy, Oakland Wild Ones, and the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy. **The Vital Center: A Federal-State Compact to Renew the Great Lakes Region. *** Native plants are plants whose ancestors were in this region before European settlement in the 1800’s. More information on native landscapes. Oxford Eccentric, March 15, 2007
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