West Glenmoore, PA - Beautiful. Green. Home.

Sharing Links: Here’s a Handful of Home and Garden Tips

Just a few links that I found listed LeapTag this evening. The links cover composting, using household items for cleaning and freshening your indoor air.

From time to time I’ll just include simple posts like this with a list of great links! Hope you find some useful information.

• Simple Composting
• Indoor Air - Houseplants
• Green Living: Housecleaning with Baking Soda and Vinegar
• Composting grows in popularity

Discovered with LeapTag

Image via Wikipedia

Certify Your Yard With The National Wildlife Federation

Source: WikipediaLast summer, I contributed to the National Wildlife Federation and received information on establishing my backyard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. There are a few quick steps you must take to certify.

All you need to do is provide elements from each of the following areas:

• Food Sources. For example: Native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, nectar
• Water Sources. For example: Birdbath, pond, water garden, stream
• Places for Cover. For example: Thicket, rock pile, birdhouse
• Places to Raise Young. For example: Dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting box, pond
• Sustainable Gardening. For example: Mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizer

This year I am going to be creating more habitable living areas for certain animals. Last summer my (then) 2 year old son and I built a bat box so the bats in our yard could have a safe home. They were making our deck umbrella home! I am also thinking about leaving a portion of my property uncut to allow the wildlife to flourish in the higher grasses, attracting more butterflies, moths, and smaller animals, such as rabbits.

If we can get a few properties certified I think we can apply for a NWF Community Habitat, which is a group of individual Certified Habitats (homes). So if you do become certified please let me know.

For more information on how you can establish a Certified Wildlife Habitat in your yard, visit www.nwf.org/backyard.

Woodlands/Wetlands Preservation Ordinance Passed By Township

Image via Wikipedia

At last nights township Board of Directors meeting the Woodlands/Wetlands Preservation Ordinance was passed. With opposition only coming from Greenfield and Heim who are creating a development and Township Supervisor Bryan McDonaugh, the other two Supervisors, Janet Grashof and Bob Bock both voted to pass the Woodlands/Wetlands Preservation ordinance. The ordinance will slightly raise the regulations on developers but leave the individual homeowner alone. However, Heim/Greenfield were dismayed they may be required to leave a few trees and plan to protect the waterways by the ordinance.

Heim/Greenfield plan a country club, spa, 18 hole golf course and 300 homes by combining their acreage of the 283 acre Heim Farm on Devereux Road and the 312 acre tract owned by Greenfield on Marshall Road. You can view a PDF version of the development plans by clicking the link below.

Download & View Greenfield Development Concept Plans

Many residents spoke out for preservation of the canopy of trees as we lose more land here to development. Issues including climate change and loss of property value which comes from over-development.

At the end of the meeting a letter was read by Wallace resident, Cathy Poole, truly thanking Supervisor Janet Grashof for coming to our August 25th turnpike meeting and she explained to the group about the difficulties of being “neighbors” with the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Come out and support the Wallace Woodlands Preservation Bill

On Wednesday, October 3rd at 7:30, the Wallace Township Board of Supervisor’s meeting will be held and we will hopefully see the Woodlands Preservation Bill signed. This bill will protect many of the trees (and those creatures living within) that will lose their lives when the 1,000 new homes are put on some of the most pristine land in Wallace Township. It DOES NOT take away any home owner’s right to cut trees except in extreme situations. Please come out and support the passage of this ordinance so that our children will have some heritage trees to admire. For further information call Cathy Poole, 610-942-3440. Please come and show your support.

For more about Open Space Preservation in Chester County check out Arboreality. They have blogged about numerous Preserves around the county.

Go to Arboreality