Backyard Conversation
Connecting Community + Conservation
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Welcome to Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District's Backyard Conversation newsletter! Each month, we will share a conservation topic from a more personal viewpoint for our readers and residents. Thanks for reading! |
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Clean Water Tips
Only Rain Down the Drain & National Pollinator Month
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Happy June! What a great time to get outside and enjoy our wonderful county. We have many gorgeous parks, greenspaces, and waterways. Let's talk about how we can keep them clean with small conscious actions that can be done at home.
Clean Water Tips
Our storm drains lead directly to our creeks and rivers. They DO NOT go to the sewer plant. Anything that ends up in the storm drain can end up in the waterway at the end of it! Keeping storm drains clean keeps our creeks and rivers clean. Only rain should go down the drain. There are a LOT of different pollutants that can end up in storm drains and waterways, but proper disposal and maintenance keeps pollutants and chemcials out of our environment and waterways.
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Household Hazardous Waste
Household hazardous waste is a lot of things from batteries to e-cigarettes to old gasoline, spray paint, paint thinners, helium tanks, light bulbs, and more! Do NOT dispose of these things in the trash. Improper disposal is dangerous for the waste workers and facilities handling your trash or recycling, and it can release these flammable, poisonous, or corrosive chemicals into the environment. SWACO provides household hazardous waste services for Franklin County residents. To learn more and find an upcoming disposal event or drop off facility, click here.
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Paint & Concrete Washout Disposal |
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Franklin County Pollinator Pathway Meeting
To celebrate National Pollinator Month, we are hosting the very first Franklin County Pollinator Pathway meeting on Thursday June 6, 5:30-7:00pm at Franklin Soil & Water Conservation District. This meeting is to gather people interested in starting or being involved with a Franklin County Pollinator Pathway group. We welcome anyone including residents, community leaders, volunteers, and conservation professionals to join us. There are so many amazing efforts and projects going on in Franklin County for native plants and pollinators already! With this meeting and eventually this group, we want to help coordinate efforts and learn from each other with some CROSS-POLLINATION. Despite that bad pun, please join us at the meeting or help us spread the word.
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Our annual Community Backyards rebate program is OPEN! Anyone can take the course (online or in-person) to learn about rain barrels, rain gardens, native plants, and composting. Plus, residents of Franklin County and/or participating municipalities can receive a voucher for a rebate. Rebate eligibility depends on where you live and their available funding. Rebates and vouchers are limited to one per household per year, but luckily, you can participate once each year! Attend a workshop or take the online course to participate. Find the info on the program website CommunityBackyards.org
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Rain Barrel Rebates
EarthMinded RainStation
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Rain Garden Rebates
Available in select participating communities. Extremely limited availability!
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Native Plant Rebates
Purple Coneflower
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Compost Bin Rebates
SWACO Compost Bin
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Upcoming Events
Check out these events from the District and our partners in June.
COMMUNITY BACKYARDS WORKSHOPS
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Columbus (East Side) - Thursday June 20, 6:30-8:00pm @ St. Catharine Catholic Church
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Hilliard - Saturday June 22, 10am-11:30am @ Hilliard Community Center
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Grove City - Tuesday June 25, 6:30-8:00pm @ Eagle Pavilion at Rotary Lake in Fryer Park
Our workshops are open to everyone! You are welcome to attend a workshop in a different community than where you live. Find more dates and sign ups here. If the registration is closed, you're still welcome to just SHOW UP. See the presenters to fill out a voucher request, and we will send it in a couple business days after the workshop.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
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MORPC Riverfest - Saturday June 8 & Sunday June 9, 11am-4pm. @ Genoa Park (during the Columbus Arts Festival)
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Yardening Tips from Lonnie the Garden Gnome
Consider these June "yardening" tips.
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As the weather starts to warm up, use your rain barrel to water your gardens and flowerbeds. Newly planted native perennial plants will need watering in their first year to help them establish, but they will be more resilient after the first year.
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Mow your lawn frequently, high, and let it lie! Your grass might be growing well this time of year, so it's best to mow regularly and on a higher blade setting (3"-4") to avoid chopping too much off at a time which can stress out your grass. "Let it lie" means leave your grass clippings on your lawn and put those nutrients back into the soil. Check out our healthy, low-input lawn care tips.
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Compost food scraps and yard waste. As the weather warms up, the composting process will speed up with the increased temperatures. Get to composting now to reduce your footprint and turn your waste into nutrient-rich, "garden gold." Check out our composting resources.
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Celebrate National Pollinator Month by planting a new native plant, attending a local pollinator event, or spreading the word to neighbors, family, and friends. Additionally, check out the Pollinator Partnership's Pollinator Week (June 17-23, 2024)
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How will you celebrate National Pollinator Month?
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Attending a pollinator or native plant event
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Get the Scoop from Nature Scoop
Want to learn more about backyard conservation, pollinators, and more? Read the latest edition of the monthly newsletter Nature Scoop by Toni Stahl, National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassador.
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Mikaela Mohr
Outreach Program Specialist
Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District
1404 Goodale Blvd. Suite 100, Columbus, OH 43212
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