Medford resident enhances the environment with the creation of a website

Society has grown to place a great deal of emphasis on their lawns as a symbol of success and pride.

Through his years serving on the Pinelands Preservation Alliance board of trustees, Kevin Sparkman noticed an alarming rate of property owners who were not aware of their regular landscaping practices potentially harming lakes, rivers and bays.

“An appreciation for the incredible natural resources that surround us in the Medford area is very much a part of my DNA,” Sparkman said.

After growing up in Medford Lakes, Sparkman moved to the Tamarac Lakes section of Medford for 20 years, and along with being a member of the PPA, he has spent time as a member of the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge and Medford’s Environmental and Open Space Commission.

These experiences have laid the foundation for Sparkman’s great appreciation of the unique ecosystem the Pinelands offer.

The 1980 Shawnee High School graduate has also worked on the Medford Lakes Committee for many years and has been vocal about encouraging neighbors to be very careful about their fertilizer use.

As the cofounder of Fusionspark Media Inc., he has focused much of his web producing on environmental and conservation related issues.

Having worked extensively with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the past, Sparkman grew familiar with a project called FloridaYards.org and thought it would be beneficial to replicate the idea here in New Jersey. He worked closely with Barnegat Bay Partnership and the Ocean County Soil Conservation District to create the content plan for the new website and the structure, architecture and design.

The goal of the project was to help property owners learn about landscaping techniques to minimize the harm by changing their practices to reduce lawn areas, use fertilizers correctly, if at all, and to use native plants and planted beds in place of lawn areas.

Many of New Jersey’s rivers and bays are considered “impaired,” meaning not fishable or swimmable, because of excess pollution flowing into them from surrounding communities and urban areas. The sources of pollution are numerous and include fertilizers and pesticides that flow off residential and commercial landscapes into storm drains during rainstorms or other weather events.

The polluted storm water moves through storm drains and, in most cases, directly into a water body.

“There’s simply no reason that a homeowner’s or business owner’s landscape should contribute pollution to our lakes, rivers and bays that we use for recreation, fishing and as water sources for drinking water,” Sparkman said. “Simple steps and changes in behavior can greatly reduce the amount of pollution.”

The site places a specific emphasis on showing people how they can reduce their lawn areas by using native or “Jersey-friendly” plants that require little or no irrigation or pesticides and little or no fertilizers.

According to Sparkman, simply replacing lawn with natives can greatly reduce the need for fertilizers while also providing food and habitat for beneficial insects, birds and other wildlife.

The featured tool the site brings to its users is the “interactive yard.” BBP was responsible for gathering most of the content from a landscape architect at Rutgers University to define how the interactive yard would be designed.

“It was very much a team effort to produce the project,” Sparkman said.

The Interactive Yard is a tool that helps users understand the basic concepts of taking a lawn-dominated property and turning it into a low-impact landscape by replacing lawn with beds planted with native plants, adding a rain garden, removing invasive plants and adding plants that attract pollinators.

In New Jersey, you cannot apply fertilizer after Nov. 15 and before March 1 in any calendar year, so the site is in its off-season. However, it is in the midst of reviewing consumer feedback to better the product any way possible, as planting season quickly approaches.

“I believe that most people want to do the right thing. However, too few people consider their individual actions regarding their landscaping and the potential negative impact on the environment,” Sparkman said.

Build your own free interactive lawn and learn more about how you can contribute to the prevention of water pollution by making your yard an eco friendly one at www.jerseyyards.org.