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 s an environmental writer, time and time again I find myself returning to the work of Aldo Leopold. I did so for this column because I felt it important to support my renewed call for sustainable landscaping with the words of a conservation pioneer. Published in 1949, A Sand County Almanac features an essay entitled "The
Land Ethic" in which Leopold presents an irrefutable defense
for ecological preservation and balance.
 A "must
read" for anyone concerned about their quality of life as
it relates to the habitat in which they raise their families,
the Land Ethic, as proposed, "reflects the existence of
an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction
of individual responsibility for the health of the land."
Let's face
it folks, the one thing missing in San Diego County is a Land
Ethic that would require us to think before the bulldozers rolled.
In my not
so humble opinion, I believe the first step in repairing the
health of our region's biotic communities is a renewed commitment
to the planting of native species. Not only will this be good
for the environment, it will also be good for he economy. Without
environmentally sustainable policies governing how we grow, sooner
or later we will be forced to pay the price for our environmental
indifference.
As all of
us know, water is an issue in Southern California. It always
has been. And because of a limited supply of this life-giving
element, the flora of this region have adapted to survive on
what occurs naturally. Biologically unique, the native coastal
sage scrub community is perfectly suited for life on the edge.
Yet, we reject it at every turn.
Here in San
Diego's coastal North County, one would think xeriscaping is
the work of the devil, due to the way residents avoid it like
the plaque. Natives species, considered too dull and unattractive,
are shunned like a leper at a dinner party. We live in a desert,
yet we can't seem to plant enough water-hungry lawns and ornamentals.
When it comes to land management, we as a society have no ethics.
I live in
Encinitas, where none of the commercial nurseries carry native
species. Oh, sure, you might find the occasional riparian species
such as an coastal live oak or sycamore. But try finding the
plant from which the city takes it's name and you'll be searching
long after the California gnatcatcher has become another extinction
statistic.
According
to the Dictionary of Ecology and Environmental Science,
xeriscaping is landscape design using native and drought-tolerant
species of plants. Native landscaping is, by design, xeriscaping,
because our region is one with little annual rainfall. By planting
natives, we not only will be conserving a precious resource,
we will also be saving a great deal of money: water is not cheap
now, and in the near future it will be worth its weight in gold.
Anoter
benefit resulting from native landscaping is the reestablishment
of wildlife habitat in our neighborhoods. Currently, developers
and government agencies are squabbling over how much native land
to set aside for conservation purposes. If native species were
used for all landscaping, not only would we be promoting environmental
sustainability, we would also be creating suburban wildlife corridors
that would only add to the forward-thinking policies inherent
in the Multiple Habitat Conservation Program and the Multiple
Species Conservation Program.
Now is the
time for Coastal residents to look at the price they pay for
heavily irrigated exotic landscaping. And, if you doubt that
there is an environmental price to pay, you only need to look
at the bluffs of Leucadia to see that lush landscaping, in soil
unable to absorb the water to maintain it, is threatening the
homes of many residents.
I remember
a time in the seventies when local surf spots were posted with
signs that said "locals only." It is time our yards,
parks, roadsides, and commercial spaces reflected that sentiment.
It is time to come to terms with the fact that our region lacks
water, and to plan accordingly. If we fail to do so, we have
no one to blame but ourselves. 
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