Contact:

Nordica Holochuck, NYSG's Hudson Estuary Specialist E: nch8@cornell.edu, P: 845.340.3983

Kingston, NY, May 11, 2016 - Along with the season's increasing temperatures comes a similar uptick in home landscaping and gardening practices. And with New York Sea Grant's "Water-Wise Guide for Home Gardeners," you can take part in those efforts in a more environmentally-friendly way.

This recently-revised 20-page guide, which marks its 15 year anniversary in 2016, reviews everyday practices that can help reduce threats to water quality.

"We realize that proper watering is essential for a healthy garden," says New York Sea Grant's Hudson Estuary Specialist Nordica Holochuck, who complied the publication. "But its just as essential that we be water-wise when planning a garden or landscape."

Due to the popularity of the guide for use in community education programs, volunteer master gardeners for Cornell Cooperative Extension offered their time to help Holochuck revise the booklet's content. The color-coated guide includes sections on how best to reduce water use and manage insects in the surrounding environment as well as tips on landscaping, composting and lawn care.

"By making well-informed choices, you can enjoy a healthy, attractive landscape and promote sound stewardship of New York’s water," says Holochuck. The guide also features suggestions on locations where a home garden might thrive and how the practices you employ impact the watershed you live in.

And for even more "Around Your Backyard" tips, check out the related "What You Can Do" section of Long Island Sound Study's Web site.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College. 

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published several times a year.