Did you mow your lawn this past weekend?

Did you mow your lawn over the nice sunny weekend? Are there lots of grass debris scattered on the sidewalk, driveway, or other areas around your home?

Hopefully you have cleaned the grass clippings up and put them in your compost pile. Excess grass clippings, especially on paved surfaces, can get washed down storm drains during rain storms and cause water quality problems.

Reminder:  

SOIL SAMPLING (noon) and COMPOSTING (1 PM) CLASSES

FREE AND NO PRE-REGISTRATION NEEDED

May 31, 2014

Wessman Arena – Caitlin and 28th St.

Soil Testing & Compost Basics Classes May 31 - Free

SOIL SAMPLING and COMPOSTING CLASSES

FREE AND NO PRE-REGISTRATION NEEDED

 

May 31, 2014

Wessman Arena – Caitlin and 28th St.

Noon – Soil Sampling and Testing

                Learn how to take a soil sample to submit for analysis.  A discounted price for the lab sampling will be available to those attending this demo.   You will also learn how to read a soil sample test and how to improve your garden or yard’s soil.  Directions and demo on collecting a sample will be done in this session.  Guest: Jane Anklam, horticulturalist with the UW Extension.
You will have a week to then submit a sample to UW Extension in the Douglas County Courthouse, 1313 Belknap St., Room 107. 

The lab test fee is $12 ($8 plus $4 Shipping & Handling) which is a reduced price going to a lab in Marshfield, WI.  The soil test will let the landowner know :

*N-P-K needed for the plants being planted

*If there is excessive or  low amounts of  P and K in the soil
* What the % of organic matter is in the soil
* If there is a call for lime to be added

1 P.M.  Compost class

This free one-hour long class will include the basics about compost, what you can compost, and trouble-shooting about composting.  Participants earning a Master Composter class will be present and get you ready for making great soil by composting.

From 9 am -2 p.m. a rain barrel and composter pre-order pickup will be going on.  A limited quantity of extras will be for sale. 

There will also be a display setup on Vermi-composting.  Using worms to breakdown food waste.

These learning opportunities are brought to you by the City of Superior Environmental Services.  For information about these events or other learning opportunities go to www.ci.superior.wi.us/news.  Pre-registration for the classes is not required. 

DNR Free Fun Weekend June 7-8

June 7-8 is "Free Fun for Everyone" to enjoy Wisconsin's great outdoors. This means . . .
Free entry to state parks and forests
Free fishing
Free DNR trails
Free ATV/UTV riding on public trails (where open to such uses)

This is a great opportunity to try new things and visit new places for free! Click here to go the the DNR website for more info.

Enjoy our local waterways

We want clean water.  We can all help keep it clean from our activities on land and on water.  Get outdoors this summer season and enjoy our local waterways.  UWS is organizing community paddle events.   Also, plans are being made to Celebrate Lake Superior Day on July 20 at Barker's Island.  Stay tuned for more information.


Community Paddle evenings on select Wednesday evenings starting at 5:30 p.m.

Tentative Locations: Locations will vary based on weather and water conditions
June 25 -Allouez Bay
July 9 -Billings Park
July 16 -Billings Park *Youth Paddle
July 23 -WI Point
Aug. 6 -Nemadji River
Aug. 13 -Allouez Bay *Youth Paddle

Kayak rentals available on a first come first served basis for $5.

If you have any questions or would like to receive weekly emails about specific times and locations, contact us at Adventures@uwsuper.edu or (715)395-4647.

Mercury reminder

Now that WI's fishing season is a week in, this is a friendly reminder about mercury. Mercury is a toxic metal settles in the environment and turns into organic methyl mercury in our waters. Methyl mercury bioaccumulates up the aquatic food chain. You should be proud of the large walleye you caught during the opener, but reminder that walleye will have a lot more mercury in it than the little trouts you keep catching (General consumption guideline is ONE per MONTH of game fish, unlimited inland trout consumption).

Mercury is in a lot of products such as electrical components and florescent light bulbs. It is really important that when you properly dispose of  mercury-containing products so the toxin will not leach into our environment and get into our fish (can you imagine not being able to catch walleye at all because of elevated mercury risks?). We accept mercury items here at ESD free of charge.

Happy fishing!

Rain, rain, how much water in rain?

Spring, summer, and fall rains are going to happen.  How much water falls during a rain?

A number of websites are available to show how much water falls during different storm events.  Some go further and tell you how many rain barrels you would fill.

Rain barrel calculator

A one-inch rain will collect 600 gallons from a 1,000 square foot roof.  Larger homes would collect even more.   The rain water will runoff a room, down a downspout and could all go down a driveway to the street and then storm sewer. 
Where else could it go?

A rain barrel
A rain garden  - direct the flow to a native plant area
A gravel bed designed to have a greater water carrying capacity

Slow the water runoff down, use it for your plants.
Is water collected from your roof safe?

The best advice is to use it for ornamental plants and lawns.  Never drink it.


Plant love water.  Give them a drink.  Harvest water and recycle it right on your property.

Reminder about the Rain Barrel sales.  More info at www.ci.superior.wi.us/news

Let's Talk Lawns, Rain Barrel Sale, Storm Drain Artists

This post is a 3 in one.
1. Let's Talk Lawns program.  Speakers on healthy soils, organic lawn care, and keeping your yard clean.  The talk starts at 6 p.m. at the Superior Public Library.  We will also have some prizes.  Come learn.


2. This week's weather forecast is wet all week.  Have you ever collected or 'harvested' rain to use later?  Rain collected from your roof makes a good water source for lawns and gardens.  UWS is having a rain barrel and composter sale. 
The prices are $55 for a rain barrel and $45 for an Earth Machine composter.   Please pre-order by May 5.  Call Carrie at 715/394-8525. The form is available at www.ci.superior.wi.us/sale. 
There will also be a Truckload sale of the same items and same prices at Lake Superior College parking lot on the morning of May 17.

3. Finally, you'll be hearing more and seeing more art in Superior as six local artists have been selected to paint their artwork beside a storm drain in Superior.  The six drains are spread throughout town and will be painted in May  (we need dry weather....!!!)

2014 Superior Storm Drain Artists

The six selected artists are:
Tom Rep, Jeredt Runions, Falyn McCotter, Colin James Wiita, Holly Bounting, and Chelsey Miller.

Stay tunes as their work becomes part of Superior - and part of a message and awareness about stormwater pollution. 

 
3.

Stuff going on this week

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is Earth Day! We only have one Earth, and it is our roles to protect it.  

Wednesday is World Book Night at the Superior Middle School. It is a free, community event. You can browse books and other materials at the booths. We'll be there with free bookmarks and info on pet waste. Come check it out and pick up a free book!

Thursday is the start of Scoop the Poop Week! Are you finding a lot of pet waste with the melting snow? It is time to scoop it up! Pet waste carries may diseases and should not be left on the ground. It is considered a pollutant to the environment just like pesticides.

Friday is Arbor Day! Plant a tree. Trees are very beneficial to water quality. They help stabilize soils and prevent erosion, they slow down runoff by retaining rain water in their leaves and roots. We'll be out at the library for a little bit during their book sale, and a couple of the Super Ones in town to acknowledge Scoop the Poop week.

ESD Water Words Poetry Contest

 

Water Words Poetry & Short Prose Contest

  For Superior residents of all ages.

Submit your entry by May 22 (one month after Earth Day)

Why is water important?  What should we be doing to help keep it clean?  Use your creativity to paint a picture with words expressing the role water has here in Superior or in the world. 

 

Please limit entry to one page.  Submit entry (1 per person) and include name and age (or indiciate adult).   Also, include your phone number, email and address. 

Submit poem or short prose by May 22 via email to grethenw@ci.superior.wi.us within the email or as an attachment or mail or drop off at
Environmental Services,
51 E. 1st St.,
Superior, WI 54880. 
Questions?  715/394-0392

 

Thinking of lawn care?

It's a great time of year! The sun is shining and the snow is melting. It is time to start thinking about our yards! Though we strive to have a lush green lawn, keep in mind that overuse of phosphorus and nitrogen based fertilizers have a profound effect on the watershed, which includes streams, rivers, lakes, and the entire watershed. When heavily applied, these nutrient rich lawns produce nutrient rich runoff, these often go untreated before entering a stream which ultimately leads to our Lake Superior.

Think you're being conscientious by not using any fertilizer? Think again! A U of M study found that neglected lawns produce more polluted runoff than a modestly fertilized, cared for lawn. Everything in moderation!

Lake Superior residents, if we are to live up to our name, lets act like it!