Enhancing Biodiversity in Louisville Kentucky, One Yard at a Time

 Around the world, and back to our own city, land degradation and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity today. 
According the the United Nations,  
"Land-use change, habitat loss and fragmentation as well as other land degradation processes are driving unprecedented losses in biodiversity that forms a foundation for many benefits provided by nature. Today, the abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20 per cent on average, with around one million species facing extinction."  https://knowledge.unccd.int/ldn/ldn-knowledge-products/ldn-and-biodiversity

In the Louisville, Kentucky area, we are seeing a soul-searing destruction of green space by developers. Every plot of bare land seems to be up for grabs. A growing awareness of this "development" has led small neighborhood groups to form native Kentucky seed and plant swaps. These swaps take place at various times and places, including 1:1 sharing. It has also led my husband, Stephen Brown, and I, (Anne Milligan) to form a non-profit, private Foundation called Let the Earth Breathe, Inc. We hope to fund small community native plants projects that both service our pollinators and help restore the soil in which these native species grow. We believe that property owners are one of the most important factors in restoring the balance by practicing land-use behaviors for the higher good such as the following:
1. Gradually removing grass. "Mow less, plant more native species." We call these spaces "yardens." 
2. Landscaping with trees, grasses, shrubs, wildflowers, and ferns that are native to our region. Leaving grass for mown pathways only.
3. Creating rain gardens, populated with native species to reduce rain water run-off and flooding/drought cycles. 
4. Leave the leaves where they fall. Pollinators overwinter in fallen leaves. The decaying leaves provide natural fertilizer for the soil, and they hold water. 
5. Sharing the abundant biodiversity of native plant species via swap and give-away communities of native plants gardeners. 

As a follow-up to Douglas Tallamy's landmark book "Bringing Nature Home", Stephen Brown and I have published our account of a 12+ years native plants sanctuary at our home in southeast Jefferson County. In this book, LET THE EARTH BREATHE we hope to encourage citizen property owners to experience the delight and wonder of co-existing within an increasingly diverse range of pollinators by planting their host species. The journey is meant to be fun, magical, and perhaps even spiritual because, as we are doing something for the larger good than just ourselves, we are being blessed day after day with an abundant, beautiful natural context in which to learn and grow. And now we can share this journey with our larger "tribe" of those who have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" our calling as we seek to abide peacefully on our planet, and to value each other as part of this mystical, magical, beautiful home we call Earth.
Anne Milligan
November 23, 2021

                                                                       

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