Spring is here, and with it comes the start of the growing season.  Maybe you have plans to reconfigure your landscape, install some new plants, or build a patio or deck in your yard.  Since most improvements or changes to the landscape involve some type of land disturbance, it’s important to factor in how to prevent soil from being exposed to the elements while your project is being implemented. Soil and the things that live in it and because of it make up a complex web of interdependency.  Without soil, most living things would cease to exist.  Wind and rain can leach away valuable nutrients that nourish plants from bare soil.   Rain also can erode soil,  creating sediment in creeks and streams which kills aquatic wildlife and fills in streambeds, causing flooding.  Soil particles attract and bond with yard chemicals, so these chemicals tag along with eroded soil and can end up in local waterways where they harm water quality, aquatic plants, and animals.  If you have dug up the soil for a small project but can’t complete it right away, you can cover the exposed soil with a tarp and secure the edges, or install a layer of mulch to help hold soil in place until the project can be completed.  If you are going to implement a project that involves digging up, filling in, or grading large amounts of soil, you may be required to obtain a land disturbance activity permit and implement some additional BMPs.  To find out if the project you are planning to implement within unincorporated Jefferson County requires a permit, call 325-8741.  If you live in an incorporated area, contact your municipality to learn about permitting requirements.

What’s Happening?

Brown Bag Lunch & Learn Seminar Series – Birmingham Botanical Gardens – This free series of seminars starting in May and running through October offers fresh and practical ideas and techniques for your landscape and garden.  No reservations are required; light refreshments provided.

 Do Dah Day – May 14 – Rhodes and Caldwell Parks, Birmingham – Go to dodahday.org for information about this fun, family friendly event.

Rain Barrel Workshop – June 18 –  Learn how to build a rain barrel or purchase one to take home, and start enjoying the benefits that storing and using rainwater can bring.  Preregistration required by June 8.  Click HERE for more information.

Step Away from the Spray! – Stop by Storm Water Management (B-210 Courthouse Annex) to pick up a free mosquito dunk kit which targets mosquito larvae growing in standing water, or invite us to speak at your next community or organization meeting in unincorporated Jefferson County.  These biologic dunks target and kill mosquito larvae in standing water, they can’t accidentally kill pollinators like bees or butterflies, and they do not harm people, pets or wildlife.