The mornings and nights are noticeably cooler, colorful crunchy leaves are falling from the trees, and the hours of daylight are getting shorter.  Kids are back in school, the vacation mode of summer is a thing of the past, and the activity calendar is full.  To balance out the uptick in your to do list, the growing season is winding down which means you don’t have to cut the lawn every weekend (just in time for football season)!  In spite of the change of pace in the yard which coincides with the start of cooler weather, there’s still a lot to do to take advantage of the gifts of autumn and get your landscape ready for spring.  Sallie Lee, Urban Regional Extension Agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Jefferson County, has assembled some easy stormwater friendly tips to help you prepare your yard for the months to come.  And as if that’s not enough, Sallie has provided some calorie burning motivation to tackle these tasks.  Taking the time to implement these strategies now will have your landscape off to a great start when spring rolls round again.

What’s Happening?

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day – October 22 – Safely dispose of old or unwanted prescription drugs at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Center Point Substation (2651 Center Point Road 35215) or McCalla Substation (5725 Eastern Valley Road 35111) from 10am until 2pm.  Visit the DEA website for more information.

Cease the Grease – Remember that Jefferson County’s free household cooking oil and grease recycling program offers clean plastic jugs and recycling kiosks conveniently placed at 20 locations throughout Jefferson County.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Sale – October 22-23 – This is a great opportunity to purchase native plants and trees just in time for the optimum planting season!  Visit bbgardens.org for more information.

They’re Here!!!  Stop by the Storm Water Management Department, Room B-210, Jefferson County Courthouse, to pick up your FREE 2017 Stormwater Calendar!