June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
CONSERVATION
Thriving Parks: More
Habitat, Less Lawn
By Autumn Costelle
W
pushes
24 Parks & Recreation | JUNE 2 0 2 3
hen we were children, many of us had opportunities to
connect with wild and natural habitats. We caught bugs,
painted birdhouses and picked wildflowers. We learned
that healthy habitats are filled with plants and animals that
evolved together to survive, including squirrels and oak trees, finches and
coneflowers, monarch butterflies and milkweed. As we've grown, those of
us working in parks finally have the opportunity to care for a precious ecosystem.
Many of us, however, have forgotten what we knew as children
- instead of embracing natural habitats, we force land into the rigid mold
of the lawn. And what creature has evolved alongside the turfgrass of modern
lawns? The mower. You may think of lawns as a popular component
of home landscapes, but lawns were first created in wealthy European estates
called parks. Our parks today often mimic that aesthetic, even though
lawns cost money and time to maintain and they often are unused by humans
or animals. It is time that we recognize the importance of habitat in
park management and take responsibility for the land we steward.
Urban sprawl, with its
highly
manicured landscaping and concrete,
its
way outward,
encroaching on and degrading
healthy native ecosystems. The
natural spaces left over, such as
parks, often lack the required habitat
to sustain the wildlife that once
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
Habitat loss and fragmentation exacerbated
by urbanization cause biodiversity
to decline, especially in areas where
non-Indigenous plants, including turfgrass,
have been introduced.
called these spaces home. The decline
of biodiversity is widespread
and due largely to habitat loss and
fragmentation exacerbated by urbanization.
This is seen especially
in areas where non-Indigenous
plants,
including turfgrass, have
been introduced and taken over
what little habitat is left. Wildlife
cannot thrive in this challenging
matrix of lawn, ornamental plants
and concrete. As habitat dwindles,
so does the population and genetic
diversity of plants and animals,
further increasing the likelihood of
extinction.
The problems facing humans
in cities also prove daunting. City
governments work to manage
the consequences of pollution,
extreme weather events, urban
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTUMN COSTELLE
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023 - Parks & Recreation
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
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June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
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June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
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June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
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June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
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June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
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June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
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https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
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