Sorting Out the Trash!
The statistics are everywhere: These jaw dropping statistics were brought to light in a recent scientific study. The enormous mass known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch continues to grow at an alarming rate. According to the three year study published in March, this trash island is about 1.6 million square kilometers in size. That’s up to 16 times bigger than previous estimates! Laurent Lebreton, is the lead author of the study and an oceanographer
How to Avoid a Goose Attack!
Springtime brings with it a rebirth in nature – trees and flowers bursting to life. Adorable baby bunnies and chicks abound. Oh, and then there’s the goose! For many people, geese (and we might as well throw swans in here too) might be a not-so-adorable or welcomed creature during this time of year. If you have ever walked through one of the many Atlanta parks or played golf on a local course, you may have
Fountains and Aerators
Have you ever been on a beach and felt a calm wash over you as the waves crashed onto the shore? Or enjoyed the soothing, repetitive rush of a mountain waterfall? The sights and sounds of water can provide a sense of relaxation and help to relieve a bit of the stress that daily life throws your way. Installing a fountain in your lake can induce the same type of calm in our hectic world.
Trash to Treasures
Earlier this summer we posted an article referencing the debris that we at Aquascape Environmental pick up in and around waterways as we go about our normal service activities. Much of that material is recycled, but some of it heads to the trash dumpster. However we do come across a fair number of usable sports related balls, such as footballs and soccer balls that warrant another opportunity to be “recycled” but also kept from taking
It’s a Dirty Job…
When our crews are out attending to day-to-day lake management and stormwater services they expect to take care of issues that are biological in nature, such as weed and algae control, pest control and debris removal from leaves and branches, but we are always amazed at the amount of man made trash that ends up in our waterways! Despite increased environmental awareness in the last several decades, some people still use waterways as receptacles for
Gopher Frog in Court: Rare Species in GA
In mid-August, the area surrounding Baton Rouge, Louisiana received over two feet of rain, causing yet another massive flooding event in a state already overwhelmed with weather issues. Along with the 30,000 people displaced, there is another resident of Louisiana that may see its home threatened: the Dusky Gopher Frog.In 2012, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature identified the Dusky Gopher Frog as one of the top 100 most endangered species in the
A Different Way to Garden
Gardens are not one-size-fits-all. Yard space varies in moisture and sun exposure across the state. For folks with a lot of wet, low-lying areas with spotty sun, there probably aren’t tomatoes. But there can be a rain garden. A rain garden is a planted depression or a hole that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas, like roofs, driveways, walkways, and parking lots, the opportunity to be absorbed. This reduces rain runoff by allowing stormwater
Fall Leaf Composting for Better Soil
It’s still hot today, but before we know it, the deciduous trees and shrubs in our backyard will be dumping leaf litter all over our yards and gardens. Over the course of the autumn, residents everywhere will break out their various rakes and blowers and try to control the fallen leaf population. But what is the best means of disposing of the piles and piles of leaves? Traditional options include bagging them up for the
A Pesky Plant
A nuisance plant is the kind you do not want in your lake or pond. One such plant, the hydrilla or ‘water-thyme’, has been known to spread astronomically and even cause disease in animal populations. Hydrilla is a perennial plant that forms dense colonies and can grow to the surface in water over 20 feet deep. Hydrilla branches profusely and after reaching the surface it extends across it forming thick mats. This plant is present in
Turning Over a New Leaf…or Some New Water
Lake turnover is the process of a lake’s water turning over from top to bottom.This occurs when the layers of water with noted temperature differences begin to mix together and the water and debris that has been sitting at the bottom of the lake begins to mix with the layers of water above it. During the summer, the surface layer is the warmest. It is heated by the sun. During the fall, the warm surface water begins to
