* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. 1, 2, 3, 4. [00:00:02] OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. UM, WELCOME TO WELCOME TO OUR URBAN GARDENING, UM, UM, AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, UM, SEMINAR TODAY. UM, MY NAME IS SAMMY AL. I'M JEFFERSON PARISHES, UM, STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR, AND I WELCOME EVERYBODY. I HOPE YOU, UM, ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER THIS MORNING. ON BEHALF OF JEFFERSON PARISH'S, UM, ADMINISTRATION, UH, WE HAVE MS. JULIET KAHAN. SHE'S OUR CAA FOR LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT, AND SHE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL OUR ATTENDANCE IN PERSON AND THOSE WHO ARE REVIEWING US ONLINE. SO, MS. JULIET, THANK YOU FOR COMING THIS MORNING. THANK YOU, SAMMY. UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS JULIET KASSAN. I AM THE C AA FOR THE LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CLUSTER HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH GOVERNMENT. AND ON BEHALF OF PARISH PRESIDENT CYNTHIA LEE SAYING, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION BOTH HERE AND ONLINE WITH US. UM, THIS IS PART OF A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES THE PARISH IS UNDERTAKING REGARDING STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, BOTH, UM, FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR SYSTEMS, WHICH YOU ARE GONNA LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IN THE VERY FIRST SEGMENT WITH THE DISCUSSION OF OUR MS FOUR, UM, BUT ALSO JUST ALL OF THE INITIATIVES THAT THE PARISH IS DOING TO ADDRESS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WATER. SO, YOU'RE ALSO GONNA HEAR LATER TODAY ABOUT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, UM, NEW GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN. UM, WE HAVE SOME OTHER INITIATIVES, INCLUDING AN INTERNAL, UM, ADMINISTRATION INITIATIVE CALLED BALANCING WATER AMBASSADORS, WHERE THE EMPLOYEES OF JEFFERSON PARISH OURSELVES ARE LEARNING MORE AND MORE ABOUT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND WHAT WE CAN DO. SO IT'S NOT JUST WHAT WE'RE ASKING OF OUR CITIZENS, BUT IT'S ALSO GONNA BE THE SERVICES THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS PROVIDING. SO, I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY TODAY. I THINK YOU HAVE SOME VERY INTERESTING SESSIONS. I AM UNFORTUNATELY NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO STAY FOR, UM, FROM THIS SEMINAR. UM, I THINK THAT YOUR, YOUR FINAL SESSION WHERE YOU REALLY KIND OF GET INTO, UH, URBAN GARDENING AND NATIVE PLANTS IS GONNA BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING. SO I WISH YOU ALL A GREAT DAY, AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING. THANK YOU, MS. JULIET. THANK YOU. HAVE A GREAT DAY. UM, OUR FIRST SESSION, AND LET ME BEFORE WE START, UM, INTRODUCE MY CO SPEAKER AND CONSULTANT, ANDREW WOODRUFF. UM, ANDREW WOODRUFF AS A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, UH, WITH DIGITAL ENGINEERING, UH, BEEN WORKING WITH FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. HE IS A GRADUATE OF, UH, LSU, AND HE IS LOCAL TO SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. SO HE'S, HE'S A NATIVE, HE'S ANOTHER NATIVE PLANT, BUT HE'S A NATIVE CITIZEN. AND, AND HE KNOWS, UH, THIS REGION, UH, LIKE, UH, LIKE NOBODY ELSE, UM, DOES. AND, UM, WE ENJOY WORKING WITH EACH OTHER AND, UM, COMING ALWAYS WITH, WITH THOSE IDEAS, UH, UM, INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND, UH, CREATIVE IDEAS THAT, THAT, UM, THAT HELPS OUR, UM, COMMUNITY AND, AND OUR REGION WITH STORM WATER ISSUES. SO, UM, I'M GONNA INTRODUCE, UM, ANDREW. SURE. THANK YOU, SAMMY. AND, UM, I'M GOING TO DO LIKEWISE AND INTRODUCE MY COHORT, UH, SAMMY. UH, SO SAMMY WAS BORN IN JERUSALEM AND RECEIVED HIS BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AND CHEMISTRY FROM WILLIAM WILLIAM CAREY UNIVERSITY. HE UNDERSTANDS THAT EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT INCLUDES WORKING WITH PEOPLE FROM ALL CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES AND BACKGROUNDS, COMING FROM THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, UH, COORDINATING JOINT INSPECTIONS WITH THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS TO ADDRESS MATTERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN ON THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL. SAMMY IS A FELLOW OF THE LOYOLA INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS SINCE 2008. AND, UH, JUST LIKE JULIET SAID, AND SAM SAID, I DEFINITELY WANTED TO WELCOME EVERYONE HERE TODAY. UH, THANK YOU. THOSE OF YOU THAT JOINED IN PERSON. AND, UH, WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE VIEWING ONLINE TODAY. UH, THAT'S BEEN ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT HAPPENED SINCE COVID, YOU KNOW, UH, WE'RE DOING THIS DIRT ON WORKDAY, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN BE AT THEIR DESKS OR AT THEIR HOMES, UH, LEARNING HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE STORMWATER QUALITY IN THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM. UH, SO WHAT I'M GONNA DO TODAY IS PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN JEFFERSON PARISH, UH, BOTH FROM A QUALITY PERSPECTIVE AND QUANTITY PERSPECTIVE. UH, I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN NATIVE PLANNINGS, UH, BUT I DO WORK A LOT IN THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FIELD AT THE PUBLIC MUNICIPAL LEVEL. UH, SO WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS SET THE STAGE FOR OUR FOLLOWING SPEAKERS, UH, WHO ARE THEN GONNA TALK ABOUT MANAGING STORMWATER ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY AND HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE WATER QUALITY, WATER QUALITY, AND [00:05:01] ALSO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER QUANTITY THAT COMES FROM YOUR PROPERTY. AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT AFFECTS JEFFERSON PARISH, UH, MORE AT A MACRO LEVEL. UM, AS YOU'LL SEE FROM WHAT SAMMY AND I ARE GONNA PRESENT, UH, THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF WAYS THAT STORM WATER IS AFFECTED BY OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT. UM, URBAN GARDENING AND MANAGING STORMWATER ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY MEASURES, UH, THAT CAN BE TAKEN THROUGHOUT JEFFERSON PARISH. UH, SO I HOPE TO GIVE YOU ALL MORE OF A, A BIG PICTURE UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN JEFFERSON PARISH. UH, SO THAT EVEN BEYOND JUST GARDENING ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY AND MANAGING STORMWATER ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY, UH, THAT AS YOU'RE GOING ABOUT YOUR DAILY LIFE, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, UH, THAT MAYBE YOU THINK SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING, UH, HOPEFULLY BY WHAT I'VE PRESENTED TO YOU TODAY, YOU CAN, UH, BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEN MAYBE NOTIFY SOMEONE, UH, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT, THAT CAN BE IMPROVED. SO, JUST A QUICK AGENDA FOR TODAY. UH, AS I MENTIONED, UH, SAMMY AND I ARE GONNA TALK ABOUT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN JEFFERSON PARISH. UM, AFTER THAT, AFTER I'VE KIND OF SET THE TABLE FOR THAT, THEN WE'LL GO IN, UH, TO OUR JEFFERSON PARISH PARISH PLANNING DEPARTMENT, UH, LSU, UH, AG CENTER, AND SOME OF OUR OTHER EXPERTS ON NATIVE PLANNINGS. UH, THEY'LL TALK ABOUT THE IMPACTS ON COMMUNITIES AND HOW YOU CAN IMPLEMENT THAT ON YOUR OWN PROPERTIES. AND FOLLOWING ALL OF THAT, WE'LL HAVE A QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION. UM, WE DO HAVE SOME Q AND A CARDS, UH, RIGHT OUTSIDE IN THE LOBBY SO THAT IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE OR WE RUN OUTTA TIME, OR FOR ANY REASON YOU JUST WANT TO LEAVE YOUR QUESTIONS, UH, YOU CAN LEAVE THEM WITH US AND WE'LL EITHER ANSWER THEM LIVE HERE, UH, OR WE CAN HAVE THE APPROPRIATE PERSON REACH OUT TO YOU IF YOU'LL LEAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION. SO, UM, UNFORTUNATELY ANY CONVERSATION WE HAVE ABOUT THIS HAS TO START WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF RULES AND REGULATIONS. UM, I LIKE TO DO THIS JUST SO THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS, HEY, WHY IS JEFFERSON PARISH FUNDING THIS PROGRAM? WHY ARE THEY DOING OUTREACH? WHY ARE THEY REQUIRING BUSINESSES OR RESIDENTS TO DO THESE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO? UM, IT ALL STARTS WITH THE CLEAN WATER ACT, WHICH WAS ENACTED IN 1972, WITH THE INTENT OF MAINTAINING AND RESTORING THE CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF THE WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES EPA. THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY IS THE FEDERAL AGENCY THAT HAS AUTHORITY OVER THAT, UM, LOUISIANA. IT IS WHAT IS KNOWN AS A DELEGATED STATE. EPA CAN DELEGATE ITS AUTHORITY TO THE STATES BELOW IT IN ORDER TO ENFORCE THOSE REGULATIONS. SO IN LOUISIANA, WE HAVE D E Q, THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, AND D E Q IS DELEGATED BY E P A TO ENFORCE REGULATIONS ENACTED BY THE CLEAN WATER ACT. SPECIFICALLY, THERE IS A SECTION 4 0 2, WHICH ESTABLISHES THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM. N P D E S, LOUISIANA, LIKEWISE, HAS A MIRRORED PROGRAM CALLED L P D E S, THE LOUISIANA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM. UNDER THAT SYSTEM, THE STATE ISSUES PERMITS TO, UH, BUSINESSES, TO INDUSTRIES, TO CITY GOVERNMENTS, TO PARISH GOVERNMENTS, UM, A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS THAT CAN CAUSE, UH, POLLUTION ARE THEN PERMITTED UNDER THOSE PROGRAMS. SO THE CLEAN WATER ACT HAD TWO PURPOSES. UH, ONE IS TO PROTECT THE BENEFI BENEFICIAL USES OF SURFACE WATERS, AND ALSO TO PROTECT THE USES OF WATER NECESSARY FOR THE SURVIVAL AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE, PLANTS, AND WILDLIFE. UH, SOME EXAMPLES OF THAT ARE DRINKING WATER, RIGHT? WE ALL GET OUR DRINKING WATER, UM, HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. WE GET IT FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. UH, SO THAT WATER QUALITY HAS TO BE PROTECTED IN OTHER AREAS. IT COULD BE FROM RESERVOIRS, IT COULD BE FROM GROUNDWATER, BUT IN ANY CASE, THE QUALITY OF THAT WATER HAS TO BE PROTECTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOCIETY. UM, OTHER USES ARE RECREATION. UH, THAT CAN BE CONTACT OR NON-CONTACT RECREATION, CONTACT RECREATION, RIGHT? YOU'RE GOING WATER SKIING IN THE LAKE. UH, YOU'RE GOING SWIMMING, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN A CREEK OR A RIVER. UM, NON-CONTACT WOULD BE BOATING, CANOEING, KAYAKING, ANYTHING WHERE YOU'RE ON THE WATER, BUT NOT PHYSICALLY IN THE WATER. AND FINALLY, ALSO, UH, INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY AND HABITAT. UH, WE KNOW THE QUALITY OF OUR WATER HABITAT IN LOUISIANA IS VERY IMPORTANT. UH, WE HAVE A ROBUST SEAFOOD INDUSTRY. UH, WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST ECOTOURISM TOURISM INDUSTRY, SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE, RIGHT? PEOPLE LIKE TO BE ON THE WATER, UH, WITH HABITAT AND WILDLIFE IN LOUISIANA. SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE PROTECT THAT. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT POLLUTION OF OUR WATER BODIES, THERE'S TWO SOURCES OF POLLUTION THAT ARE ADDRESSED BY EPA AND D E Q. THE FIRST IS KNOWN AS A POINT SOURCE. A POINT SOURCE IS ANY IDENTIFIABLE POINT WHERE POLLUTANTS ARE DISCHARGED. UH, SO THIS IS, YOU [00:10:01] KNOW, THIS IS TYPICALLY YOUR END OF PIPE POLLUTION. THIS CAN COME VERY SPECIFICALLY FROM AN INDUSTRY, FROM A SHIP, UH, FROM A RESTAURANT, FROM A MANUFACTURING FACILITY. IT'S THE TYPE OF POLLUTION WHERE WE CAN SEE POLLUTION IN THE WATER AND TURN AROUND AND POINT TO THAT FACILITY AND SAY, YES, THAT POLLUTION IS COMING FROM RIGHT THERE. THE OTHER TYPE THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT TODAY IS KNOWN AS NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION. THIS IS POLLUTION THAT'S CAUSED BY RAINFALL MOVING OVER AND THROUGH THE GROUND. AS THE RUNOFF MOVES, IT PICKS UP AND CARRIES NATURAL AND HUMAN MADE, AND FINALLY DEPOSITS THEM INTO RIVERS, LAKES, WETLANDS, COASTAL WATERS, AND GROUNDWATERS. AND, UH, THIS INCLUDES, LIKE I SAID, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY. IT COULD BE EXCESS FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES, AND INSECTICIDES FROM AGRICULTURAL LANDS, FROM LAWNS, FROM GARDENS, RESIDENTIAL AREAS. IT COULD BE OILS, GREASES, HEAVY METALS AND TOXIC CHEMICALS, UH, FROM OUR ROADWAYS AND PARKING LOTS, RIGHT? AS WE ARE ALL DRIVING IN PARKING ALL THROUGHOUT THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT, OUR VEHICLES ARE DEPOSITING OILS, GREASES, UH, HEAVY METALS ALL OVER THE GROUND, RIGHT? BUT WE CAN'T ATTRIBUTE THAT TO ANY SINGLE PERSON. WE CAN ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. UH, SOME OTHER EXAMPLES ARE FROM IMPROPERLY MANAGED CONSTRUCTION SITES. UM, I KNOW AS ALL OF US, AS WE ALL DRIVE AROUND AND WE SEE HOMES OR BUSINESSES OR INDUSTRIES BEING BUILT RIGHT, WE SEE THE DUMP TRUCKS LEAVING SITES. UH, WE SEE THE SEDIMENT THAT'S DEPOSITED ALL OVER THE ROADWAYS, ALL OVER THE HIGHWAYS. UM, IF WE CATCH THEM IN THE ACT, WE COULD CONSIDER THAT A POINT SOURCE. BUT ON THE GRANDER SCALE, UH, THAT IS A NON-POINT SOURCE OF POLLUTION, WHERE IT'S JUST THE OVERALL IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT IMPACTING THE QUALITY OF OUR WATER BODIES. AND FINALLY, WE ALSO HAVE BACTERIA AND NUTRIENTS, UH, FROM LIVESTOCK, PET WASTE, UH, SEPTIC SYSTEMS, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES OF URBAN RUNOFF AND ITS IMPACTS TO OUR ENVIRONMENT THAT I, I CAN GIVE WITHIN THIS METROPOLITAN AREA IS THE BONNET CAREY SPILLWAY. UH, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF OPENINGS OF THE BONNET CARRY SPILLWAY OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. UM, I WANNA SAY IT WAS TWO TO THREE YEARS AGO. UH, IT WAS ONE OF THE LONGEST OPENINGS OF THE SPILLWAY THAT WE'VE EVER HAD. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE SPILLWAY, WE HAD LARGE ALGAE BLOOMS IN LAKE PONCHO TRAIN, UM, AS THAT ALGAE THEN DIES AND DECOMPOSES, UM, IT SUCKS THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE WATER AND THE WATER QUALITY IN LAKE PONCHO TRAIN DEGRADED OVER THAT SUMMER TO THE POINT THAT LDH, UH, CLOSED BEACHES ON THE NORTH SHORE, AND THEY CLOSED THE LAKE FOR PRIMARY CONTACT RECREATION. ALL OF THAT POLLUTION IS COMING DOWN FROM NON-POINT SOURCES, RIGHT? IT'S COMING FROM AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY AND THROUGH ALL OF THE OTHER, UH, POLLUTANTS, HEAVY METALS, UH, OILS, GREASES THAT ARE DISCHARGED INTO THE RIVER. AND THEN WHEN WE OPEN THAT SPILLWAY BEING DISCHARGED INTO LAKE PONCHO TRAIN, AND THAT'S THE EXAMPLE THAT WE HAVE IMMEDIATELY WITHIN OUR METROPOLITAN AREA. UM, ALSO, SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEAD ZONE OFF THE COAST OF LOUISIANA, BUT WHEN THAT WATER EXITS THE DELTA, UH, WE THEN SEE THE SAME PHENOMENON THAT WE HAD IN LAKE PONCHE TRAIN. WE SEE IT IN COASTAL LOUISIANA RIGHT OFF THE COAST. UH, THE DEAD, THE DEAD ZONE BERRIES IN SIZE IS USUALLY THE SIZE OF A, A STATE. UM, I BELIEVE IT IS FREQUENTLY GREATER THAN THE SIZE OF, UH, YOU KNOW, RHODE ISLAND AND NEW HAMPSHIRE. UM, AND IN THAT ZONE, THE OXYGEN IS SUCKED OUTTA THE WATER IN COASTAL WATERS BECAUSE OF THE DECOMPOSITION OF THESE ALGAE BLOOMS. AND THEN THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR WILDLIFE TO SURVIVE. YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THE BOTTOM FEEDING CREATURES LIKE CRAB AND SHRIMP, UH, MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THOSE ORGANISMS. AND A LOT OF THOSE POLLUTANTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE ORIGINATED FROM URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A BUSY MAP, BUT I LIKE TO SHOW IT BECAUSE YOU'LL SEE ON THE NEXT IMAGE, IT REALLY ILLUSTRATES HOW OUR WATER BODIES ARE IMPACTED, UH, BY URBAN POLLUTION. SO THIS IS A FIGURE FROM THE 2018, UH, 3 0 3 D INTEGRATED REPORT PUBLISHED BY D E Q. THE 3 0 3 D LIST IS A LIST REQUIRED BY THE CLEAN WATER ACT THAT D E Q HAS TO PUBLISH THAT IDENTIFIES THE, UH, THE PRIMARY USES OF THE STATE IDENTIFIED WATER BODIES, AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE MEETING THOSE DESIGNATED USES. SO I MENTIONED PRIMARY CONTACT, RECREATION, SECONDARY CONTACT, RECREATION, AND FISH AND WILDLIFE PROPAGATION. SO THIS IS THE MAP FOR PRIMARY CONTACT RECREATION. AND ALL THE WATER BODIES THAT YOU SEE IN BLUE WERE IDENTIFIED AS MEETING THEIR DESIGNATED USE FOR PRIMARY CONTACT RECREATION. SO IN THESE WATER BODIES, IT IS SAFE FOR YOU TO SWIM, WATER, SKI, UH, WHATEVER. THE WATER BODIES THAT YOU SEE IN RED ARE NOT MEETING THEIR DESIGNATED USE FOR PRIMARY CONTACT RECREATION. THEY'RE WHAT'S KNOWN AS IMPAIRED, RIGHT? THOSE WATER BODIES ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS SAFE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH [00:15:01] AND D E Q FOR PRIMARY CONTACT. NOW, I HAVE THE SAME MAP SHOWN, AND THIS IS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROPAGATION. AND IF I CYCLE BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, YOU CAN SEE A LARGE NUMBER OF THE WATER BODIES THAT WERE BLUE ARE NOW RED. SO WE NOW SEE THAT MANY OF THOSE B WATER BODIES DO NOT HAVE THE QUALITY OF WATER THAT D E Q HAS IDENTIFIED AS BEING CAPABLE OF, SO SUPPORTING WILDLIFE TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL. UH, HERE ON THE SOUTH SHORE, A LOT OF THE WATER BODY IMPAIRMENTS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROPAGATION ARE LOW DISSOLVED OXYGEN, RIGHT? AND A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM, UM, AGAIN, NUTRIENTS ENTERING, UH, THE WATERWAYS, THE ALGAE BLOOMS, AND THE DECOMPOSITION, AND THEN THE, YOU KNOW, REMOVAL OF OXYGEN FROM THOSE WATER BODIES ON THE NORTH SHORE AND OTHER PARTS OF LOUISIANA. YOU DO SEE A LOT OF OTHER URBAN CAUSES FOR THOSE IMPAIRMENTS. UM, IT COULD BE, UH, FAULTY SEWER SYSTEMS THAT ARE DISCHARGING, UH, BACTERIA AND FECAL MATTER INTO STREAMS. UM, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, MANUFACTURING FACIL FACILITIES, PAPER MILLS, UM, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT SUPPORT SOCIETY, BUT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. SO, DURING THE COURSE OF THE PRESENTATION, YOU MAY HEAR ME SAY MS FOUR A NUMBER OF TIMES. UH, SO I DID WANT TO DEFINE THAT FOR YOU AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS. SO, MS FOUR IS A MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM, AND I LIKE TO BRING THAT UP CUZ I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM A COMBINED SEWER SYSTEM HERE IN THE SOUTHEAST. UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF MS FOUR SEPARATE SEWER SYSTEMS, UM, HERE. UH, WHEN YOU GO MORE INTO THE MIDWEST, UH, NORTHEAST, UH, AREAS THAT DON'T HAVE QUITE AS MUCH PRECIPITATION AS WE DO, THEY HAVE WHAT'S KNOWN AS A COMBINED SEWER SYSTEM. IN A COMBINED SEWER SYSTEM, ALL OF YOUR PRECIPITATION AND ALL OF YOUR SEWAGE ENTERS A SINGLE PIPE, AND IT ALL GOES TO A TREATMENT PLANT. SO ALL PRECIPITATION AND WASTEWATER IS TREATED BEFORE IT'S DISCHARGED TO THE ENVIRONMENT. HERE IN THE SOUTHEAST WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF SEPARATE SEWER SYSTEMS, WHEN YOU FLUSH YOUR TOILET OR RUN YOUR SINK, YOUR SEWAGE GOES INTO A SANITARY SEWER PIPE AND TO A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. FROM THERE, IT IS TREATED, UH, POLLUTANTS ARE REMOVED, AND IT'S EVENTUALLY CHLORINATED AND DISINFECTED BEFORE IT'S DISCHARGED TO THE ENVIRONMENT. AND IT EATS ALL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS. IT IS NO, NO LONGER HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, OUR RAINWATER DOES NOT GO THROUGH THAT SAME PROCESS IN A SEPARATE SEWER SYSTEM. WE HAVE A DRAINAGE NETWORK WHERE A DROP OF WATER WILL ENTER A DRAIN INLET, IT'LL GO THROUGH A PIPE, IT'LL GO INTO A CANAL, AND FROM THERE IT IS DISCHARGED DIRECTLY INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, TOTALLY UNTREATABLE, WHICH IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL THAT WE ARE IDENTIFYING SOURCES OF URBAN POLLUTION AND TRYING TO ADDRESS THEM, UH, BEFORE THEY ARE TOUCHED BY RAINWATER AND THEN CARRIED TO THE ENVIRONMENT. SO, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE JUST TO ILLUSTRATE TO YOU, UH, WHAT THE JOURNEY OF A DROP OF RAINWATER IS IN JEFFERSON PARISH OR ANY URBAN AREA. UM, IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO SEE. UM, I DON'T HAVE A CLICKER WITH ME, BUT YOU CAN SEE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THIS MAP, WE HAVE CLEARVIEW MALL, UH, RIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION OF CLEARVIEW AND VETERANS. UH, YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE ORANGE LINE THERE. UH, BUT SO WHAT YOU'LL HAVE THERE IS, UM, A DRAIN INLET IN ANY POLLUTION THAT FALLS IN THAT PARKING LOT. AND AS I MENTIONED, A LOT OF THAT WILL BE, UM, OILS, GREASES, AND LITTER, RIGHT? WE ALL DRIVE AROUND PARKING LOTS AND WE SEE ALL THE LITTER THAT PEOPLE LEAVE AROUND THEIR CARS AS THEY'RE GETTING IN AND OUT. THAT FALLS RIGHT INTO THAT STORM DRAIN. ONCE IT'S IN THAT STORM DRAIN, IT TRAVELS DOWN A CANAL. SO YOU'LL SEE I'VE EXTENDED MY ORANGE LAWN. UH, THERE'S A CANAL RIGHT THERE ALONG VETERANS BOULEVARD. UM, IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE THIS ONE. THIS IS NOT THAT EXACT CANAL, BUT IT IS ANOTHER CANAL IN JEFFERSON PARISH. AND I CHOSE THIS ONE BECAUSE I DID, UH, DURING AN INSPECTION OF THIS FACILITY, UH, FIND AN OIL SHEEN THAT WAS BEING DISCHARGED, UH, FROM THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. SO THAT DROP OF WATER THEN CONTINUES ALONG THESE CANALS. UH, YOU'LL SEE I'VE NOW EXTENDED THE PATH OF OUR DROP OF RAIN, UM, TO THE SUBURBAN PUMP STATION, WHICH FLOWS NORTH TO LAKE PONCHO TRAIN. AND WHEN IT HITS THAT PUMP STATION, THOSE PUMP STATIONS ALL AROUND THE PERIMETER OF JEFFERSON PARISH LOOK A LOT LIKE THIS. AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE'S SOME BAR SCREENS ON THAT PUMP STATION. THOSE BAR SCREENS DO FILTER OUT A LOT OF THE LARGE FLOATABLE POLLUTION. SO, YOU KNOW, YOUR WATER BOTTLES, YOUR TRASH, UM, LOTS OF CHILDREN'S TOYS END UP IN THOSE CANALS. A LOT OF BALLS. UH, WE SEE TIRES, UH, WE SEE THINGS AS LARGE AS FURNITURE, UM, COMING INTO THESE CANALS AND GETTING CAUGHT ON THOSE BAR SCREENS. HOWEVER, THE POLLUTION THAT CANNOT BE CAUGHT BY THOSE BAR SCREENS, YOUR OILS, GREASES, PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES, FERTILIZERS, GO THROUGH THE BAR SCREENS, AND THEN ARE [00:20:01] PUMPED DIRECTLY INTO THE ENVIRONMENT UNTREATED. UH, SO AS I MENTIONED, THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE DO TRY TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES AT THE SOURCE. THERE ARE A VARIETY OF WAYS THAT JEFFERSON PARISH AS A, UH, MUNICIPAL SYSTEM TRIES TO CONTROL THAT POLLUTION. THERE ARE PASSIVE MEASURES. SO THOSE ARE MEASURES WHERE WE ARE NOT PHYSICALLY OUT TRYING TO PICK UP POLLUTION. THERE ARE MEASURES THAT WE PUT IN PLACE TO TRY TO CONTROL IT BEFORE IT HAPPENS. UH, THOSE ARE REGULATION AND ORDINANCES. THOSE ARE EDUCATION, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE TODAY, IS TRYING TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON HOW TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY. UH, THOSE ARE INSPECTIONS TO TRY TO IDENTIFY PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN, UH, PROPER OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES. UM, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT IS I SHOWED YOU A PHOTO OF THAT PUMP STATION. UM, JEFFERSON PARISH DOES MAINTAIN STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLANS AND SPILL PREVENTION CONTROL AND COUNTERMEASURE PLANS FOR ALL OF THEIR PARISH FACILITIES. SO THAT'S OVER 70 PUMP STATIONS. THAT'S, UH, FIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS. UH, THAT'S THEIR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. THAT IS, UH, THEIR, UH, TRASH DROP OFF SITES. ANYWHERE WHERE THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF POLLUTION ENTERING THE SYSTEM AT A PARISH FACILITY, JEFFERSON PARISH MAINTAINS STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLANS FOR THOSE FACILITIES. SO THAT'S ANOTHER ACT, UH, PASSIVE MEASURE. AND AGAIN, PROPER PESTICIDE AND HERBICIDE, UM, APPLICATION. IT'S TRYING TO CONTROL THOSE THINGS BEFORE THEY BECOME PROBLEMS. OUR ACTIVE MEASURES ARE, AS I MENTIONED, WHERE WE ARE PHYSICALLY GOING AND CLEANING POLLUTION. THAT'S YOUR STREET SWEEPING AND CLEANING, THAT'S YOUR CATCH BASIN CLEANS, DRAIN LINE CLEANINGS, UH, CANAL MAINTENANCE, UH, AS I MENTIONED, BAR SCREENS. WE ARE PHYSICALLY REMOVING POLLUTION FROM THE WATER BEFORE IT ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT AND SPILL RESPONSE. AND, UH, I DO HAVE A QUICK EXAMPLE OF A SPILL RESPONSE. UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY AT A PARISH FACILITY THAT WE WERE GOING TO INSPECT TO DRAFT THEIR NEW STORM WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLAN, AND THEIR SPILL PREVENTION CONTROL COUNTERMEASURE PLAN. AND AT THAT PUMP STATION THAT MORNING BEFORE WE CAME AND INSPECTED IT, THEY HAD A DIESEL SPILL. SO THIS IS A VERY ACTIVE RESPONSE TO A DIESEL SPILL THAT WE FOUND. I DO WANT TO ILLUSTRATE HERE ONE OF THE VERY UNIQUE ADVANTAGES THAT JEFFERSON PARISH HAS IN CLEANING UP POLLUTION. UM, IN MANY LOCATIONS, UH, WHERE YOU ARE DISCHARGING DIRECTLY TO A STREAM OR A RIVER, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO STOP THE FLOW OF THAT STREAM OR RIVER. WE DO HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY IN JEFFERSON PARISH TO MANAGE STORM WATER. HOWEVER, ONE BENEFIT IS THAT WE HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THAT STORM WATER. AND AT THESE PUMP STATIONS, WE CAN SHUT DOWN THE PUMP STATION AND KEEP IT FROM PUMPING INTO THE ENVIRONMENT UNTIL A SPILL IS CLEANED. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS INSTANCE. THERE WAS A DIESEL SPILL IN THIS CANAL. THE PUMP STATION WAS SHUT DOWN, NOTHING WAS PUMPED TO THE ENVIRONMENT. UM, THE PROPER AUTHORITIES WERE NOTIFIED IT WAS CLEANED UP WITH OIL BOOM AND PROPERLY DISPOSED OF. AND, UH, WITH THAT BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HOW STORMWATER IS ACTUALLY MANAGED AND CONTROLLED IN JEFFERSON PARISH, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO SAMMY, AND HE'S GONNA TALK TO YOU, UH, MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM AS IT'S ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS. THANK YOU, ANDREW. THAT WAS VERY GOOD, VERY INFORMATIVE. UM, SO JEFFERSON PARISH ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS CONSIST OF, UM, SEVERAL, UM, DIVISIONS AND STORMWATER, UM, STORMWATER PROGRAM IS ONE OF THEM. AGAIN, UM, LIKE ANDREW SAID, STORMWATER PROGRAM IS, UH, A FEDERALLY MANDATED PROGRAM. AND JUST LIKE AN INDUSTRY THAT WE INSPECT IN JEFFERSON PARISH, JEFFERSON PARISH AS A WHOLE, WHOLE HAS TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH, UH, WITH THE, WITH THESE, UH, FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS. THIS IS OUR TEAM THAT, UM, IN THE, IN THIS SLIDE, UM, CONSISTS OF ME AND DAN AS OUR SPECIALIST AND, UH, GARY, OUR TECHNICIAN. SOME OF THE THINGS WE DO ON DAY TO DAY, A VERY DIVERSE PROGRAM I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED. UH, LIKE ANDREW SAID, PUBLIC EDUCATION, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT. YOU SAID THESE ON THE TAB BECAUSE WE VALUE THESE TWO COMPONENTS VERY HIGHLY. AS, AS YOU SAW, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF, UH, RESOURCES, A LOT OF PERSONNEL. UH, HOWEVER, UM, EDUCATION AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT CAN GO A LONG WAY. UM, YOU ARE OUR EYES, YOU ARE OUR MONITORS OUT THERE. WHEN SOMETHING GOES DOWN, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING WRONG IN A CANAL OR A STREET OR A WATER BODY, YOU ARE OUR, UH, SURVEILLANCE ALERT THAT, THAT, THAT BRINGS OUR ATTENTION IN MANY, MANY INCIDENTS. WE ALSO DO WATER QUALITY SAMPLING. AFTER ALL, EVERYTHING WE ARE DOING, WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO ACHIEVE THOSE, UH, STRINGENT, I SHOULD SAY, WATER QUALITY STANDARDS THAT, [00:25:01] UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IMPOSE ON, ON, ON JURISDICTIONS LIKE, UH, LIKE OURS. SO WE, WE DO SAMPLE, UM, AT, AT MULTIPLE CANALS, MULTIPLE, UH, WATER BODIES, UM, UM, IN, UM, ROUTINELY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ACHIEVING THESE STANDARDS. TRAINING, YOU KNOW, UM, IT VERY IMPORTANT, UM, UH, WHETHER IT'S PARISH STAFF OR WHETHER IT'S THE PUBLIC, LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE IN TODAY, UM, INCLUDING, UH, CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS, BUSINESS CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS, SCHOOLS, YOU NAME IT. UH, WE, WE REACH OUT TO, UH, TO THE MASSES WHEREVER THEY ARE TO GET THE WORD OUT. ENFORCEMENTS. THIS IS MY LAST RESORT. I DON'T LIKE ENFORCEMENT VERY MUCH. I LIKE TO BE MORE EDUCATIONAL, UH, THAN ENFORCING, YOU KNOW, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS OUR LIVELIHOOD. THIS IS WHERE WE ALL LIVE, AND WE SHOULD ALL UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS FOR EVERYBODY'S SAKE AND WELLBEING. UM, IS TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BO WATER BUDDIES AND OUR RECREATIONAL WATER BUDDIES, I MEAN, LOUISIANA, AFTER ALL, WAS FAMOUS FOR BEING A SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE FOR BEING AND, AND SWIMMING AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THAT IS ALWAYS THE, UH, THE, UH, WITH, WITH THE HUGE, HUGE DRAINAGE SYSTEM, WHETHER IT'S CANALS OR UNDER, UNDER, UH, UNDER, UM, A GROUND CAN, UH, PIPES OR, OR DITCHES OR YOU NAME IT. BUT WE GET THOUSANDS OF MILES WORTH OF DRAINAGE SYSTEM TO BE MAINTAINED. 28,000 AND ANYBODY IN, IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION. THAT NUMBERS ARE ASTOUNDING. UH, OF COURSE, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF ALMOST 80, 85,000, UH, DRUG INLETS IN JEFFERSON PARISH, WHICH IS A HUGE NUMBER OF, OF, UM, OF CATCH BASINS, UH, VACUUM TRUCK CLEANING. THAT'S ANOTHER TEDIOUS PROCESS, UM, THAT OUR, UH, STREET DEPARTMENT AND DRAINAGE DEPARTMENTS, UM, DO, UH, ON DAILY BASIS. IT'S ALSO IN THE SOUTH, 166,000 LINEAR FEET OF PIPE, UH, GREATER THAN 24 INCHES, A THOUSAND CATCH BASINS, ALMOST 6,000 DROP IN. AND 407 MANHOLES. THAT'S REPAIR OR IN THE CANALS IS ALSO, UH, REPORTED ANNUALLY. AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE IN, UH, IN, IN THIS REPORT THAT FOUR WELL OVER 4,000 LINEAR FEET OF CANALS WERE, UH, 14,000 CUBIC YARDS OF SOLIDS DREDGED ON THESE CANALS. AND ONLY OF TRASH WAS REMOVED. ALSO, LIKE ANDREW MENTIONED, IT'S ANOTHER FUNCTION FOR OUR, FOR OUR, UH, PUMP STATION AS THEY CATCH THESE, UM, UM, SOLID WASTE BEFORE PROCEEDING INTO OUR, UM, LAKE. AND, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE FISHED OUT AND, AND TRANS, UH, TRANSPORTED TO OUR LANDFILL ON THE INVESTIGATED ALMOST 110 COMPLAINTS FROM CITIZENS LIKE YOU ABOUT, UH, VARIOUS CONCERNS AND, AND VARIOUS, UM, ISSUES AROUND THE PARISH BANK OR WEST BANK. ALSO, 200 DRY WEATHER SCREENINGS. NOW, DRY WEATHER SCREENING IN, IN DRY PERIODS OF TIME, LIKE THE ONE WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW. IF YOU SEE A PIPE THAT IS DISCHARGING, UH, DISCOLORED WATER, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT RAIN WATER, SO YOU SHOULD REPORT IT SO WE CAN SAMPLE IT AND FIND OUT THE SOURCE OF THAT, UM, OF THAT DISCHARGE. UM, 295 WIDTH WEATHER SCREENING. THOSE ARE DURING, UM, BRAIN EVENTS AND ALL, AGAIN, WE LOOK FOR UNUSUAL DISCHARGES AND, UH, TRY TO INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE, UH, OF, OF THESE DISCHARGES, UH, TO ELIMINATE THEM 47 INSPECTIONS, UH, OR INDUSTRIAL HIGH RISK, INDUSTRIAL, HIGH RISK IN THOSE INDUSTRIES WITH A POTENTIAL OF HIGH RISK, UM, SOURCES THAT, UM, THAT WE, UM, PRIORITIZE ON, ON JUST A SMALL COMPANY THAT DOESN'T PROCESS WATER OR DISCHARGE [00:30:01] TO THE SYSTEM. 20 INDUSTRIAL SURVEYS, 77 CONSTRUCTION SITES. AND, AND THE LIST OF COURSE GOES AND ON AND ON. 56 WATER QUALITY, UM, UH, PRESENTATION AT EIGHT SCHOOLS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE LIKE TO DO, UM, WITH OUR, UH, SCHOOLS. AND, UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL PROGRAMS GOING, AND SOME OF YOU ARE AWARE OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT WE, UH, WE DO, UM, EVERY YEAR WITH, WITH OUR, UM, SMALLER KIDS AND HIGH SCHOOL KIDS. AND, UM, SO, UH, IF, IF ANYBODY HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO CERTAIN, UM, SCHOOL TO BE PARTICIPATING IN, IN, IN THESE PROGRAMS, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CONTACT OUR OFFICE. UM, OF COURSE, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL COMMITTEE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. UH, WE HAVE AN UNINCORPORATED CITY OF KENNER, THE UNINCORPORATED CITY OF HARAHAN, THE UNINCORPORATED CITY OF, UH, GRANA, THE UNINCORPORATED CITY OF WEST WEGO, AND OF COURSE, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. UH, AND THEY ARE ALL AN UNDER OUR MS FOUR PROGRAM, UH, ACTING AND, UM, IN, IN THEIR, IN THEIR OWN JURISDICTIONS. AND YES, WE DO HAVE AN INTEREST IN WHAT THEY DO IN THIS JURISDICTION BECAUSE THEY ULTIMATELY DISCHARGE INTO JEFFERSON PARISH BEFORE, ULTIMATELY INTO A WATER BODY. SO WE INHERIT WHATEVER DISCHARGES THAT COMES FROM KENNER, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, OR HARAHAN, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA END UP ULTIMATELY IN A JEFFERSON PARISH CANAL AND WILL BE TESTED. SO WE DO WORK WITH THEM VERY CLOSELY TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE, UM, DOING, UH, WHAT THEY NEED TO DO AT THEIR END. UM, AND WITH THAT, I THINK, ANDREW, HOW WE DOING WITH TIME? WE ARE RIGHT ON TIME. OKAY, GOOD. I THINK NEXT, LET'S SEE, NEXT WE ARE IS INTRODUCING, UH, OUR INTRODUCTION RATHER, TO RAINWATER MANAGEMENT AND URBAN GARDENING. AND THE FIRST SPEAKER IN THIS SESSION WILL BE MY COWORKER AND MY FRIEND ALINA GASSER FROM OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT. ALINA IS A GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF U N O IN 2012. SHE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH OUR, UH, PLANNING DEPARTMENT AS, UH, A RANGE, UH, AS, AS A LONG RANGE SUPERVISOR. AND SHE'S BEEN DOING A WONDERFUL JOB. AND, UM, UH, I'M, I'M VERY GLAD TO, UH, AND FORTUNATE ACTUALLY TO BE WORKING WITH HER ON, UM, ON, ON SEVERAL STORMWATER RELATED, UH, MATTERS AND STUDIES. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, PLEASE LET ME WELCOME MS. ALINA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. YEAH, HERE YOU GO. ALL RIGHT. SO, WELCOME. UM, LIKE I SAID, MY NAME IS ELENA GASSER. I'M THE LONG GREEN SUPER FOR THE JEFFERSON PARISH PLANNING DEPARTMENT. UM, TODAY I'M GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT AN IMPORTANT INITIATIVE, UM, THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S KIND OF BEEN FACILITATING, BUT IT'S A IMPORTANT INITIATIVE FOR THE WHOLE PARISH. UM, AND IT'S THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN. SO TODAY I'M GONNA KIND OF GIVE Y'ALL AN OVERVIEW OF THE PLAN, UM, KIND OF EXPLAIN KIND OF WHAT THE, THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN DOES IN A NUTSHELL. UM, HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE IMPORTANT GOALS, UM, I IDENTIFIED IN THE PLAN, UM, EXPLAIN SOME HIGH RISK HAZARDS AND CHALLENGES THAT WE, WE ALSO DISCUSS IN, UM, IN THE DOCUMENT, UM, AS WELL AS PROVIDE, UM, SOLUTIONS AND A BRIEF OVERVIEW ON DIFFERENT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS THAT SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, WILL BE ELABORATING ON IN MORE DETAIL, UM, DURING THE COURSE OF THE PRESENTATION AND PROVIDE, UM, SOME RE RESOURCES AND LINKS, UM, FOR Y'ALL. SO THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN HAS, UM, BEEN A LONG TIME IN THE MAKING. UM, THE PARISH IN 2016, UM, DEVELOPED THE JEFFERSON PARISH STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, WHICH FOUND A FOCUS ON INTEGRATED STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, UM, AS A DESIRABLE INITIATIVE TO CONTRAVE COMPREHENSIVELY ADDRESS STORMWATER ISSUES. UM, THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN IS THE RESULT OF THESE FINDINGS. IT IS THE RESULT OF RESEARCH INTO NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES, DATA COLLECTION AND LOCAL SURVEYS, AS WELL AS A DETAILED REVIEW OF PARISH REGULATIONS. UM, IT'S MEANT TO BE A VISIONING DOCUMENT, UM, INTENDED TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE PARISH COUNCIL ON BEST PRACTICES TO IMPLEMENT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. UM, AND LIKE OTHER IMPORTANT PLANNING, UM, DOCUMENTS, THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN, UM, WE ARE INTENDING TO, [00:35:01] UH, TO FORMALLY ADOPT AS PART OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UM, KNOWN AS THE ENVISION JEFFERSON 2040. SO WHAT DOES THE GI PLAN DO? THE PLAN SUPPORTS GOALS, ADVANCING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT. IT EXPLAINS HIGH RISK HAZARDS AND OTHER CHALLENGES. UM, IT ALSO PRESENTS SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE INSTANCES OF NUISANCE FLOODING, UM, PROTECT THE QUALITY OF OUR, OF, PROTECT THE LIFE OF OUR GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE AND ESTABLISHES RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS. SO WE UTILIZE VARIOUS CASE STUDIES. UM, SEVERAL OF THEM KIND OF HIGHLIGHT DIFFERENT EXAMPLES THROUGHOUT JEFFERSON PARISH. SO THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT, UM, IS A OF IMAGE OR SEVERAL IMAGES FROM THE 2004 FLOODS HERE IN ELMWOOD. UM, THE PLAN EXPLAINS THE HIGH RAINFALL AND AN ADEQUATE DRAINAGE SINCE STORMWATER FLOODING INTO STREETS, UM, BECAUSE ELMWOOD IS, UH, ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING AREAS IN JEFFERSON PARISH, UM, BASED ON THE 2020 CENSUS, AND HAS A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, UM, WHICH CAN REDUCE WATER QUALITY AND INCREASE PRESSURE ON THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM IS HIGHLIGHTED AS A PRIME CANDIDATE, UM, FOR FUTURE PLANS TO BALANCE GRAY AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THIS SLIDE KIND OF HIGHLIGHTS THE THREE MAIN GOALS OF THE PLAN, UM, TO REDUCE FLOODING AND IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BY SLOWING, STORING AND CLEANING HIGH ENERGY RUNOFF BEFORE IT ENTERS THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM. UM, OR NUMBER TWO IS TO CREATE OR ENHANCE PUBLIC SPACES. UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT GOALS OF THE PLAN BECAUSE WE ARE NOT PURSUING CHANGES TO, UM, ANY OF THE SPECIFIC REGULATIONS AT THIS TIME. THE PLAN IS INTENDED TO EDUCATE JEFFERSON PARISH ABOUT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE BENEFITS. UM, I KNOW MISS JULIET, UM, KASSAN HAD MENTIONED, UM, THE BALANCING WATER AMBASSADORS PROGRAM, UM, IN OUR INTRODUCTION FOR, FOR THE SEMINAR. UM, AND SO THIS IS KIND OF A, ONE OF THE INITIATIVES THAT PARTICULAR GROUP IS KIND OF FOCUSED ON IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING, PUT MAYBE PILOT PROJECTS, UM, THAT THE PARISH CAN IMPLEMENT SOME OF THESE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS INTO SOME OF THE PARKS, NEW PLAYGROUNDS AND OTHER, UM, NEW BUILDINGS, UM, IN JEFFERSON PARISH. UM, AND THEN THE LAST LIKE PRIMARY GOAL IS TO OVERCOME TECHNICAL REGULATORY AND INSTITUTIONAL OBSTACLES, WHICH ARE FOC FOCUSED ON HOW TO LOGISTICALLY INVEST IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, WITHIN THE PARISH. SO THE PLAN KIND OF IDENTIFIED SOME HIGH RISK HAZARDS AND CHALLENGES, IS TO KIND OF EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHY WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO IT. UM, JEFFERSON PARISH HAS, UM, ONE OF THE MOST DEVELOPED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS IN THE COUNTRY. UM, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT OUR GEOGRAPHY DEFINES AND CONSTRAINS OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM. SO IT SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE THAT OUR PARISH EXPERIENCES INTENSE RAINFALL, UM, AND THAT OUR LAND MASS IS PREDOMINANTLY BELOW SEA LEVEL. THESE CHARACTERISTICS HAVE REQUIRED US TO BUILD A COMPREHENSIVE DRAINAGE SYSTEM, UM, BUT EVEN WITH OUR SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM, UM, IT IS NOT WITHOUT HAZARDS. PUMPING WATER FROM THE SOIL CAN LEAD TO SUBSIDENCE, WHICH CRACKS PIPES AND WARPS AND DESTABILIZES EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, WHEN THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM IS OVERWHELMED, THERE IS NO BACKUP PLACE FOR WATER TO GO, WHICH CAN LEAD TO FLOODING. YOU KNOW, AS WE SAW IN THE, IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE IN ELMWOOD, UM, FINALLY A HIGH PROPORTION OF JEFFERSON PARSONS PAVED WITH CONCRETE. THE MOST PAVED AREAS ARE VISIBLE, AND KIND OF PINK ON THIS MAP IS, IS SO YOU CAN SEE WE ARE KIND OF IN A HOTSPOT HERE IN ELMWOOD. UM, AND YOU CAN SEE ALSO CONCENTRATIONS OF PAVING ALONG MANY OF OUR MAJOR CORRIDORS IN SOME OF THE, UM, MAJOR INDUSTRIAL AREAS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE PARISH. UM, AS STORMWATER RUNUP MOVES ACROSS THESE IMPERVIOUS SURFACES, IT PICKS UP SOME MOVES POLLUTANTS, SUCH AS PESTICIDES AND CHEMICALS FROM CARS, WHICH ARE THEN DE DEPOSITED DIRECTLY INTO THE PARISH WATERWAYS WHERE THEY CAN IMPACT WATER QUALITY, THE AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH. SO WE IDENTIFY, UM, THE PLAN ALSO IDENTIFIES SOME SOLUTIONS. SO, UM, IT, THE, THE DEVELOPED DRAINAGE SYSTEM, UM, OF THE PAIR GENERALLY WORKS WELL FOR RESIDENTS, AND WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO INVEST AND MAINTAIN IT. HOWEVER, MANY COMMUNITIES HAVE FOUND THAT BALANCING GRAY AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, OR USING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TO REDUCE PRESSURE ON THE TRADITIONAL DRAINAGE, UM, EXPANDS ITS LIFE IN ITS COST EFFECT, IS IN A COST OF EFFECTIVE APPROACH WITH MANY BENEFITS. UM, JEFFERSON PARISH SHOULD, SHOULD ASPIRE TO, UM, A UNIFIED DRAINAGE NETWORK THAT DELIVERS SUSTAINABLE COST EFFECTIVE BENEFITS AT SCALE OVER TIME. UM, AND SO WHEN USED IN THE CONJUNCTION WITH GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CAN EFFECT EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE FIRST FLUSH OF STORM WATER BY SLOWING THE SPEED OF RUNOFF. UM, AND DECENTRAL DECENTRALIZING ITS ABSORPTION INTO THE SOIL. THIS MEANS LESS PRESSURE ON THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM, UM, LOWERING THE RISK OF FLOODING FROM HEAVY RAIN AND ALSO MEANS FEWER POLLUTANTS IN THE WATERWAYS. A STORM WATER IS STORED AND FILTERED WHERE IT FALLS. UM, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCES A COST SAVINGS BECAUSE IT TENDS TO BE, REQUIRE LESS MAINTENANCE OVER LI OVER ITS LIFE THAN GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THE PLAN KIND OF, I, YOU KNOW, PROVIDES A DETAILED COST ANALYSIS, UM, OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT CASE STUDIES. UM, SOME KEY BENEFITS ARE SHOWN IN THE FAKE AT THE RIGHT. THESE INCLUDE ENERGY SAVINGS [00:40:01] FROM INCREASED TREE COVER, WHICH REDUCES THE STREET TEMPERATURE BY PROVIDING SHADE, REDUCES POLLUTION AND INCREASES WATER QUALITY, BETTER AIR QUALITY, UM, AND AESTHETIC BENEFITS IN ADDITION TO THE BENEFITS OF OUR EXISTING DRAINAGE SYSTEM AT A LOWER COST IN THE THAN BUILDING MORE PIPES AND PUMPS. SO, UM, THIS SLIDE KIND OF IDENTIFIES DIFFERENT SCALES OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE. SO I KNOW TODAY WE'RE KIND OF FOCUSING ON THAT RESIDENTIAL HOME OVER LEVEL, BUT THERE'S VARIOUS SCALES THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT, UM, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE PARISH. UM, SO AT THAT, UM, KIND OF COMMUNITY REGIONAL LEVEL, UM, WE IDENTIFIED, YOU KNOW, WAYS IN JEFFERSON PARISH WE CAN KIND OF IMPLEMENT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE SO THE PARISH CAN CONTINUE INVESTING, UM, IN VARIOUS ELEMENTS AND BEST MANAGES PRACTICES, UM, ON ITS PROPERTIES, ESPECIALLY IN LARGE PROJECTS LIKE THE BUCKTOWN BOARDWALK, UM, CONSTRUCTIVE WETLANDS ON LAKE CONTRA TRAIN AND SMALLER NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL INVESTMENTS LIKE ARY PARK, WHICH ARE ALL KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED THROUGHOUT THE PLAN. UM, THESE INVESTMENTS AND ALSO SERVE IMPORTANT EDU EDUCATIONAL FUNCTIONS AS THEY ARE JUST FIRST THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS. RESIDENTS CAN SEE WHAT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE DOES, LOOKS LIKE AND HOW IT WORKS AND HOW IT BENEFITS THEM. UM, WE ALSO IN OUR CURRENT CODE, UM, HAVE SOME LOW IMPACT, UM, INCENTIVES FOR DEVELOPERS FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES. UM, THEY OFFER REDUCTIONS TO PARKING AND SETBACK REQUIREMENTS. UM, THE, THE EXAMPLE SHOWN ON THE SLIDE IS ACTUALLY REPUBLIC DISTRIBUTION, UM, ON JEFFERSON HIGHWAY, WHERE THEY PUT, THEY PUT IN, UM, AN UNDERGROUND ONSITE DETENTION SYSTEM. SO YOU CAN SEE IS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE PICTURE ON THE TOP IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, AS THEY WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF STILL HAS THE APPEAL. UM, EVEN THOUGH IT IS COMPLETELY PAVED, IT STILL KIND OF SLOWS THE STORM WATER, UM, BEFORE IT HITS THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN INTENSE RAINFALL EVENTS. UM, AND THEN KIND OF WHILE Y'ALL ARE HERE, UM, IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT EXAMPLES OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE RESIDENTIAL HOMEOWNER LEVEL, UM, SO SOME, SOME, UM, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS AVAILABLE TO ALL HOMEOWNERS ARE DESIGNED TO SLOW AND STORE, UM, STORE AND SLOW WATER RUNOFF. UM, IN AREAS WITH SLOW SOIL PROBABILITY OR ANYWHERE, ANYWHERE, UM, RAIN BARRELS CAN HELP INCREASE WATER COLLECTION CAPACITY. UM, REDUCING IMPERVIOUS SURFACES AND ENCOURAGING WATER ABSORPTION WITHIN THE SOIL AT A HOMEOWNER LEVEL WILL ALSO HELP REDUCE THE STRAIN ON, UM, JEFFERSON PARISHES DRAINAGE SYSTEM. OKAY. AND SO, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE HAVE SEVERAL, UM, THE, THE HIGHLIGHT DIFFERENT ELEMENTS SUCH AS BIO RETENTION AREAS, CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS, DETENTION BASINS, DOWNSPOUT, DISCONNECTIONS, UM, GREEN AND BLUE ROOFS, PERMEABLE PAVEMENTS, UM, RAINWATER HARVESTING RETENTION BASINS, UM, URBAN REFORESTATION, WHICH IS KIND OF SHOWN IN THIS, IN THE PICTURE WITH, IN THE ORANGE BOX. UM, AND THIS IS LIKE A NOR A NORA PROPERTY IN NEW ORLEANS. UM, AND VEGETATED SWES IN AREAS. UM, WE HAVE OUTSIDE ON OUR BOOTH, UM, SOME GREAT, UH, FACT SHEETS ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS. SO IF THERE'S CERTAIN ELEMENTS THAT YOU WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT IN PARTICULAR, UM, THERE'S A GREAT KIND OF SYNOPSIS OF LIKE HOW THEY WORK, UM, PICTURES OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, UM, WHERE THEY'RE MOST SUITABLE, UM, DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, SOIL PERMEABILITY AND OTHER FACTORS. UM, SO THAT'S A GREAT RESOURCE FOR Y'ALL IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE POND OF PLAYGROUND EXAMPLE AS WELL, UM, AS A COMMUNITY SCALE DEVELOPMENT, UM, UM, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO BE USED A DETENTION POND TO SLOW THE FLOW OF STORM WATER AS IT RELEASES INTO THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM. THIS REDUCES FLOODING AND NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS BY AS MUCH AS SIX INCHES IN HEAVY RAIN EVENTS. UM, AND LIKE I MENTIONED, WE DO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, ABOUT GRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE SHOULD BE DATA DRIVEN. UM, PUTTING OTHER BIOSWELLS IN A, AN AREA THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE BE THE MOST SUITABLE SOIL PERMEABILITY, MAY NOT BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR INCORPORATING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ON A PARTICULAR SITE. UM, BUT THERE'S OTH, YOU KNOW, SO WE LOOKED AT, UM, IN THE PLAN, I IDENTIFIED A VARIETY OF FACTORS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING, YOU KNOW, THE MOST APPROPRIATE, UM, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY FOR A PARTICULAR LOCATION. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THIS MAP IS JUST ONE OF MANY IN THE PLAN THAT KIND OF, UM, WE'VE OVERLAID SEVERAL EXTRA LIKE PERISH PROPERTIES. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS ONE IS THE SOIL PERMEABILITY MAP, BUT THERE'S OTHER MAPS THAT KIND OF, UM, THAT KIND OF IMPACT WHERE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE SHOULD BE, SHOULD BE LOCATED AND CONCENTRATED. SO, UM, THIS, SO LASTLY, UM, DO GREEN, OUR FULL GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN ON THE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE. UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE THESE GREAT FACT SHEETS THAT ARE, WE HAVE OTHER BOOTH OUTSIDE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY, UM, IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO GET THE PLAN FORMALLY ADOPTED BY THE PARISH COUNCIL, UM, AS, LIKE I SAID, AS SIMILAR TO OTHER PLANS. [00:45:01] UM, IT HAS TO GO THROUGH OUR LE FORMAL LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES A PUBLIC HEARING, UM, BEFORE THE PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD. SO THE NEXT PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD PUBLIC HEARING IS, UM, ON THURSDAY AT THE G G B. UM, IF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED IN, I MEAN, BASICALLY GETTING A MODIFIED VERSION OF THIS PRESENTATION. UM, BUT IT IS, UM, UH, FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE PARISH COUNCIL AT THEIR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING ON MARCH 15TH, HERE IN THE YNY BUILDING. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. ALINA. CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME FINE? CAN YOU HEAR ME FINE IN THE BACK? YES. OKAY. NEXT, UM, OUR, UM, ANOTHER WONDERFUL SPEAKER WE HAVE THIS MORNING. UM, SPEAKING ABOUT RAINWATER, I THINK WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT RAINWATER ALL MORNING, UM, RAINWATER, UH, FOR REDUCING URBAN STORMWATER RUNOFF INTO THE SYSTEM. NO, I'M SORRY, I'M LOOKING AT THE WRONG THING. RAINWATER MANAGEMENT. WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL THAT WATER? I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THAT ANSWER. YEP. WITH 80 INCHES OF RAIN WE HAVE HERE, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A GOOD ANSWER. UM, NEXT WE WILL BE JOINED BY CHRIS DUNAWAY. CHRIS WORKS AT OUR, UM, LSU AG CENTER HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. HE IS AN LSU GRADUATE IN 1992, AND, UM, WORKED BOTH HERE AND IN THE CITY ON VARIOUS TOPICS. UH, HE, ONE OF THEM I WAS, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED, WAS THE FOREMOST ZENT TERMITES THAT'S RIGHT. THAT YOU SPENT SOME TIME WORKING ON. AND, UM, OF COURSE HE DID WORK ON PESTICIDE AND, AND HE'S AN ARBORIST AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO, UM, I'LL LEAVE IT UP TO YOU NOW. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, I'M A NEW ORIAN AND WE CAN'T TALK UNLESS WE HAVE OUR HANDS FREE, SO I HAD TO GET THE WIRELESS MIC HERE. SO YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE. UM, AS MY NEW, UM, POSITION WITH THE JEFFERSON PARISH, WITH THE AG CENTER, I'M A EXTENSION AGENT FOR THE PARISH. I ANSWER PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS ALL DAY ABOUT HOW TO GROW THEIR GRASS, HOW TO GROW THEIR TREES, UM, THINGS LIKE THIS. AND WATER'S BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO US. SOMETIMES WHEN SOMEBODY CALLS AND THEY HAVE A DEAD TREE, THE ANSWER IS, IT GOT TOO MUCH WATER. SOMETIMES WHEN THEY GOT A DEAD TREE, OH, IT DIDN'T GET ENOUGH WATER. SO, YOU KNOW, , RAINWATER AND HOW TO DEAL WITH, WITH IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US. SO, YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT IS RAIN, AND, YOU KNOW, RAIN IS JUST A BUNCH OF WATER, RIGHT? BUT WHEN THE METEOROLOGIST SAYS IT'S GONNA BE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN INCH OF RAIN, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT FOR EVERY SQUARE FOOT OF SURFACE, THERE'S GONNA BE ONE INCH OF RAIN THAT'S GONNA FALL IF YOU HAVE ONE INCH OF RAIN, AND THAT EQUATES TO ABOUT 0.6 GALLONS OF WATER PER SQUARE FOOT. NOW, IF YOU HAVE A, A 10 BY 10 SPACE, THEN IT'S A HUNDRED SQUARE FEET, THAT'S GONNA BE 60 GALLONS OF WATER WITH JUST ONE INCH OF RAIN. MULTIPLY THAT TO A THOUSAND. YOU GOT 600 GALLONS IN A SQUARE MILE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE OVER 17 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER WITH JUST ONE INCH OF RAIN. NOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP THAT I'VE GOT THERE, THERE'S A LITTLE CIRCLE, A LITTLE GREEN, UH, EXCUSE ME, A LITTLE RED SQUARE WITHIN THAT GREEN AREA. UH, AND THAT'S, UH, NEW ORLEANS CITY PARK, THE GREEN SPACE. AND THAT ONE RED SQUARE IS ONE, IS ONE SQUARE MILE. SO THAT'S JUST KINDA SHOWING YOU THAT, THAT THERE'S A LOT OF AREA. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THE LAKE PONTE TRAIN AND HOW DOES THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER STAY FULL? WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF WATER, UH, FLOWING INTO IT FROM ALL OVER. NOW, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE AVERAGE, UH, RAINFALL IN LOUISIANA, IT'S ABOUT 62 INCHES. SO THAT'S, UH, 37 GALLONS PER SQUARE FOOT. THE AVERAGE HOME SIZE IS 2,600 SQUARE FEET. SO THAT'S OVER 97,000 GALLONS OF WATER JUST COMING OFF THAT ROOF EACH YEAR. THAT'S NOT BEING ABSORBED ANYWHERE. AND THAT'S JUST THE ROOFS, THAT'S NOT THE SIDEWALKS, THE ROADS OR ANYTHING ELSE. SO, YOU KNOW THIS, JUST THINK ABOUT THAT. WHAT'S GOING ON. NOW, MOST OF OUR RAINWATER, AS WE DISCUSSED, IT GOES STRAIGHT INTO, UH, LOCAL BODIES OF WATER WITHOUT BEING, UH, FILTERED OR ANYTHING. AS IT FLOWS OVER THE LAND, AS HE MENTIONED, IT PICKS UP ALL THESE PESTICIDES AND STUFF. STORMWATER IS ACTUALLY CONSIDERED A HAZARDOUS WASTE. UH, YOU CAN'T, UH, VERY OFTEN YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT. SO WHAT CAN WE DO? JUST A FEW THINGS. I'M GONNA COME BACK THIS FROM THE, YOU KNOW, HORTICULTURES POINT OF VIEW. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN DO IS, IS APPLY PESTICIDES PROPERLY. IF WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT PESTICIDES BEING RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, LET'S MAYBE REDUCE THAT. LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. UH, WE CAN USE FERTILIZERS AS NECESSARY. AGAIN, THIS IS REDUCING INPUTS. IF ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THAT THERE'S NUTRIENTS BEING WASHED OFF [00:50:01] AND GETTING INTO THE LAKE AND CAUSING ALGEBRA BLOOMS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, WELL, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN'T REDUCE THOSE PESTICIDES, I MEAN, FERTILIZERS, UH, INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF WATER, PERMEABLE LAND, IMPROVE THE SOIL STRUCTURE TO INCREASE INFILTRATION AND WATER HOLDING CAPACITY. WE COULD USE WATER HARVESTING TO STORE WATER FOR FUTURE USE AND SLOW ITS RELEASE, USE PONDS, SWES, AND RAIN GARDENS TO SLOW THE FLOW AND FILTER THE WATER. SO PESTICIDES, NOW THINK ABOUT A PESTICIDE AS ANY PRODUCT THAT USE USED TO KILL SOMETHING, WHETHER IT'S GONNA BE AN INSECTICIDE TO KILL BUGS, A HERBICIDE TO KILL WEEDS, FUNGICIDES, ROIC, RODENTICIDES, TRAUMA, MITICIDES, MANY, MANY MORE. UM, ALL THESE THINGS GET APPLIED, AND I'M NOT SAYING YOU SHOULDN'T USE 'EM, I'M JUST SAYING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. SO ONE OF THE FIRST REQUESTS THAT I HAVE IS THAT YOU PLEASE CORRECTLY IDENTIFY THE PEST BEFORE APPLYING ANYTHING. I GET A LOT OF CALLS WHERE SOMEBODY SAYS THEY'VE GOT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SPRAYED BUG SPRAY ON IT, AND THEY SPRAYED EVERYTHING ON IT, BUT IT WAS NOT A BUG. IT WAS SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. YOU KNOW, IT WAS A FUNGUS MAYBE. SO THEY'VE USED ALL THIS INSECTICIDE FOR NO REASON. SO THAT'S REALLY HALF THE BATTLE, IS KNOWING WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH. NOW, MY SECOND REQUEST IS THAT YOU READ THE LABEL FOR THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU'RE USING AND FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS. NOW, VERY OFTEN THERE'S SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THESE LABELS AND HOW TO APPLY THE PESTICIDES REGARDS TERRAIN. IF YOU LOOK ON THIS ONE THING HERE, IT SAYS, UH, IN NEW YORK STATE, THIS PRODUCT MAY NOT BE APPLIED TO LAWNS WITHIN 100 FEET OF A COASTAL MARSH OR STREAMS THAT DRAIN DIRECTLY INTO THE COASTAL MARSH. WELL, IF THIS WAS NEW YORK, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO APPLY THESE, APPLY THESE PROBABLY ANYWHERE, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS GOING INTO THE CANAL AND THEN GOING INTO THE LAKE AND THEN INTO COASTAL MARSHES. SO THAT'S, THAT'S NOT GOOD. UH, IT SAYS, DO NOT APPLY THE PRODUCT. UH, DO NOT ALLOW THE PRODUCT TO RUN OFF FROM THE TARGET SIDE OR APPLY WITHIN 24 HOURS OF 24 HOURS OF RAIN. DO NOT MAKE APPLICATIONS DURING THE RAIN. UM, APPLICATION IS PROHIBITED DIRECTLY INTO SEWERS OR DRAINS OR TO ANY AREA LIKE A GUTTER WHERE THE DRAIN THAT DRAINS THE SEWERS, STORM DRAINS, WATER BODIES, AQUATIC HABITAT CAN OCCUR. DO NOT ALLOW THE PRODUCT TO ENTER ANY DRAINAGE DURING OTHER APPLICATIONS. SO THAT'S KIND OF LIKE WHERE WE ARE, IS THAT YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. YOU KNOW, YOU JUST GO, YOU THINK, OH, I'M GONNA GO KILL SOME WEEDS. WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROBABLY BREAKING SOME FEDERAL VIOLATIONS IF YOU PUT IT TOO CLOSE TO THE, THE STREET THAT IT'S GONNA GO INTO THE LAKE, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. SO YES, TAKE CARE WHEN YOU'RE USING YOUR PESTICIDES. NOW, FERTILIZERS ARE, ARE PROBABLY JUST AS BAD. YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE, UM, PHOSPHORUS GETTING INTO THE LAKES AND STREAMS IS REALLY CAUSING ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS OUT IN THE GULF. SO HOW MUCH FERTILIZER DO YOU REALLY NEED FOR THE PLANTS THAT YOU'RE GROWING FOR? ONE THING YOU NEED TO DO IS RESEARCH. THE PLANT NEEDS. SOME PLANTS NEED MORE FERTILIZER THAN OTHERS. TAKE A SOIL TEST TO DETERMINE THE NUTRIENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY AVAILABLE IN THE SOIL. DO NOT APPLY FERTILIZER BEFORE THE STORM AND INC INCORPORATE THE FERTILIZER INTO THE SOIL, IF POSSIBLE. IF YOU CAN GET IT DOWN INTO THE SOIL PROFILE, IT'S MUCH LESS LIKELY TO BE CARRIED OFF, UH, IN SURFACE RUNOFF. NOW, JUST INFORMATION, LIKE IF YOU WERE TO DO RESEARCH ON SAY, YOUR LAWN, WELL, FIRST, FIRST THING YOU NEED TO KNOW IS LAWNS ONLY NEED NITROGEN FERTILIZER. THEY DON'T EVEN NEED PHOSPHORUS OR POTASSIUM. SO IF YOU'RE ADDING THOSE, YOU'RE ADDING THINGS THAT YOU DON'T NEED. THE SECOND IS WE'RE PROBABLY ADDING TOO MUCH. WE REALLY ONLY NEED TO BE ADDING ABOUT A HALF A POUND OF OUR, OF NITROGEN PER THOUSAND SQUARE, SQUARE FEET ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT. AND HERE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE STORES AROUND ARE TRYING TO SELL US WINTERIZER. WE DON'T EVER USE WINTERIZER HERE, SO PLEASE DON'T EVEN BUY IT. UM, THIS IS SOME SOIL TEST RESULTS THAT I GOT FROM A LOCAL HOME. AND ACTUALLY, IF YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE RIGHT, IT SAYS, UH, PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIUM, T NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIUM ARE THE THREE MAIN NUTRIENTS. SO IF WE LOOK AT, UH, PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIUM, THOUGH, I'VE GOT VERY HIGH AND MEDIUM, UH, LEVELS OF POTASSIUM, UH, THOSE TWO. SO I REALLY DO NOT NEED TO ADD EITHER OF THOSE. IF I'M GONNA GROW A CROP, I REALLY ONLY NEED TO ADD NITROGEN. SO EVEN IF THAT PLANT NEEDS PHOSPHOR AND POTASSIUM, THERE'S ACTUALLY PLENTY IN THE SOIL. THAT'S A GOOD THING. ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT OUR CLAY SOIL, UH, SURE IT DOESN'T DRAIN WELL AND SOMETIMES IT HOLDS ON THE WATER LONGER THAN WE'D LIKE IT TO, BUT IT ALSO HOLDS NUTRIENTS REALLY WELL. SO THE OTHER THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, SPEAKERS IS INCREASED [00:55:01] THE AMOUNT OF PERMEABLE LAND, UH, IMPERMEABLE IMPERMEABLE MATERIALS, BLOCK INFILTRATION OF WATER, SO BUILDINGS, ROADS, PARKING, LOT SIDEWALKS, ALL THESE THINGS. WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS. UH, NEXT SLIDE JUST SHOWS, UH, AN AERIAL VIEW. UH, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU'VE GOT, UH, GOLF COURSE IN CITY PARK, AND ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE YOU'VE GOT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE IS, IS THE CANAL, THE, THE BAYOU THAT'S GONNA GO STRAIGHT INTO THE LAKE, RIGHT? WELL, CLEARLY ON THE RIGHT, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PERMEABLE SURFACES THAT ALL THAT GRASS WEIGH AND EVERYTHING. BUT ON THE LEFT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY, UH, CHOKED UP AS FAR AS THAT GOES. UM, SO IF WE CAN INCREASE THE PERMEABLE SURFACES, IS THE LIGHT OF THE WATER TO PERCOLATE INTO THE GROUND TO RECHARGE THE WATER TABLE AND SUCH, UM, AND LET THE SOIL ABSORB THE SOIL, THIS THE EXTRA MOISTURE. HERE'S JUST A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF SOME ALTERNATIVES FOR SIDEWALKS. YOU KNOW, UH, ON THE LEFT IS JUST SOME RANDOM PLACE ON THE RIGHT IS IN NEW ORLEANS CITY PARK. HERE IS MY, UH, VACATION PICTURES TO OUR SISTER CITY. UM, I CALL IT, UH, UH, NEW ORLEANS EUROPE, ALSO KNOWN AS PARIS. SO IN PARIS, IF YOU WALK TO ANY OF THE GARDENS, NUMEROUS GARDENS EVERYWHERE, THERE'S NOT A SINGLE SIDEWALK, SIDEWALK IN ANY ONE OF THEM. IT'S ALL, UH, STONE PATHWAYS. AND IT'S FINE TO GET YOUR WHEELCHAIRS AND BABY STROLLERS DOWN, NO PROBLEM. HERE'S SOME, UM, IDEAS FOR SOME KIND OF LIKE MESH SYSTEM THAT YOU CAN FILL WITH ROCKS OR MAYBE GRASS FOR PARKING. LOTS AND WALKWAYS. THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, PERVIOUS, CONCRETE PAVEMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT. THIS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S AN INTERESTING PRODUCT. IT'S NOT QUITE AS STRONG AS REGULAR CONCRETE. AND THEN BEFORE YOU PUT IT DOWN, YOU STILL HAVE TO COMPACT THE HECK OUTTA THE SOIL, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE STUFF. SO IT'S NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING, BUT IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE TOOLS WE HAVE. NOW, WE THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS. WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE AND METAL ROOFS AND EVERYTHING DON'T HOLD WATER, BUT A LOT OF OUR SOIL ISN'T ANY BETTER NOW. SO WE NEED TO IMPROVE THE SOIL STRUCTURE TO INCREASE THE INFILTRATION AND THE WATER HOLDING CAPACITY. SO THE INFILTRATION RATE IS THE SPEED THAT THE WATER IN IS THE SOIL. THE WATER HOLDING CAPACITY IS THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT A GIVEN VOLUME OF SOIL CAN HOLD. AND THE TRUTH IS, LIKE I SAID, THAT GREEN SPACE DOES NOT EQUATE PERMEABILITY. WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON, I'LL TALK ABOUT IT IN A SECOND, BUT JUST TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH TO START WITH, TEXTURE VERSUS STRUCTURE. TEXTURE IS THE COMBINATION OF SAND, SILT, AND CLAY PARTICLES. IT'S THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE MIXED TOGETHER THAT MAKES THE TEXTURE. SO IF YOU GO TO THE BEACH IN FLORIDA AND YOU PICK UP A HANDFUL OF SOIL, IT'S GONNA BE ALL SAND. SO IF YOU GO TO PLACE AROUND HERE, YOU DIG A HOLE, IT'S GONNA BE THIS THICK CLAY. UM, AND AS YOU MOVE AROUND THE STATE, THERE'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT THINGS. THEY, WELL, THEY MIX TOGETHER, BUT IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE THE TEXTURE WITHOUT DOING MAJOR EXCAVATION. YOU'D HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, YOU DIG OUT THE ENTIRE YARD AND REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE, THEN YOU'VE CHANGED THE TEXTURE. OTHER THAN THAT, YOU'RE NOT REALLY GONNA GET THAT. SO THE, THE TEXTURE IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW FAST THE WATER'S GONNA GO INTO THE SOIL. AND IF YOU WENT TO THE BEACH WHERE IT'S REALLY COARSE SAND, YOU KNOW, LIKE A GIANT OCEAN OF WATER WASHES UP ON THE BEACH EVERY FIVE SECONDS AND IT DRAINS AWAY JUST AS QUICKLY IT GOES DOWN INTO THE SOIL DISAPPEARS. IF THAT OCEAN OF WATER HITS OUR CLAY BEACH, IT'S STILL GONNA BE SITTING THERE WHEN THE NEXT WAVE HITS. SO LIKE A FINE SAND WILL GET ABOUT TWO INCHES OF INFILTRATION PER HOUR, WHEREAS A HEAVY CLAY SOIL IS 0.02 INCHES OF INFILTRATION. SO THE BIG HE HEAVY CLAY SOIL DOES NOT LET THE WATER GO INTO THE GROUND. NOW, SOIL STRUCTURE IS SOMETHING WE CAN CHANGE, AND THE SOIL STRUCTURE IS JUST WHAT'S IN A VOLUME OF SOIL. AND IF WE LOOK AT THIS PIE CHART HERE, WE SEE THAT IN THE GOOD HEALTHY SOIL, ONLY ABOUT 45% OF THAT VOLUME IS ACTUALLY THE MINERAL PARTICLES OF SAND, SILT, AND CLAY THAT I TALKED ABOUT. THE OTHER SMALL PERCENTAGE IS SOME, UH, HUMMUS, YOU KNOW, ORGANIC MATERIAL, HUMUS, , ROOTS, ORGANISMS, MICRO UH, WORMS AND BUGS AND STUFF. BUT HALF OF THAT IS GONNA BE PORE SPACE. HALF OF A GIVEN VOLUME OF, OF SOIL IS EITHER GONNA BE WATER OR AIR, DEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT IT JUST RAINED OR NOT. NOW THAT'S WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. IF WE COULD GET, UM, THAT INCREASE THAT, UM, THE PORE SPACE THAT WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE OUR WATER [01:00:01] HOLDING CAPACITY AND OUR INFILTRATION RATE. SOIL COMPACTION IS GOING ON AROUND HERE A LOT. AND IT OCCURS WHEN SOIL PARTICLES BECOME PRESSED TOGETHER. IT'S USUALLY CAUSED BY THE LOSS OF ORGANIC MATERIAL AND TRAFFIC OVER THE SURFACE. SO WHAT HAPPENED IS WE'RE LOSING THOSE, THAT PORE SPACE THAT FROM THE OTHER SLIDE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOWN TO 10% OR LESS. UM, AND IF YOU GET 10% DOWN TO 10%, A TREE ROOT CAN'T GROW, CAN'T EXPAND. IF YOU GET BELOW 5% POOR SPACE, THE TREE TREE ROOT WILL DIE. SO, AND THAT WILL KILL THE REST OF THE TREE. SO, YOU KNOW, IF THE WATER HOLDING CAPACITY DEPENDS ON THE PERCENTAGE OF PORE SPACE IN A VOLUME OF SOIL, JUST IMAGINE THAT IF A SOIL WITH 50% PORE SPACE DOWN TO ONE FOOT DEEP COULD HOLD NEARLY 3.7 GALLONS OF WATER PER SQUARE FOOT, THAT THE EQUIVALENT OF 6.25 INCHES OF RAIN. SO AN AREA OF 1000 SQUARE FEET COULD HOLD 3007 AND 50 GALLONS OF WATER, AND YOU'RE JUST KIND OF HOLDING IT THERE AND LETTING IT SEEP IN LATER. YOU KNOW, AS WE KNOW, ALL THIS RAIN DOESN'T COME OUT NICE AND SPACED OUT. IT COMES ALL AT ONCE, AND WE HAVE BIG DRY PERIODS AND THEN WE HAVE DELUGES. SO IT, IT'S REALLY HARD FOR OUR SOIL TO EVER IN INTAKE ALL THIS WATER BEFORE IT GOES, JUST TRAVELS OVER THE SURFACE. SOME LAYERING HAPPENS AROUND HERE. THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF, YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMEBODY COMES AND SCRAPES OFF JUST TWO INCHES OF SOIL AND THEN PUTS IN SOME SAND TO PUT THE SOIL TO THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE TURF OVER IT, YOU CAN HAVE LAYERING. AND LAYERING IS WEIRD CUZ WHEN THE WATER HITS JUST GOES FROM ONE TEXTURE TO ANOTHER, IT DOESN'T LIKE TO PENETRATE UNTIL THE ONE TEXTURE LEVEL IS COMPLETELY FULL. SO WE'RE CAUSING OURSELVES A PROBLEM WITH THAT. WE CAN HELP ALLEVIATE COMPACTION AND LAYERING ALL THIS BY USING SOME, UH, SOIL AERATION. WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA GO IN, USE A MACHINE TO GO OUT AND PULL PLUGS OF SOIL OUT, UH, AND CREATE CHANNELS. IT CAN INCREASE, UM, SOIL INFILTRATION, REMOVE PHYSICAL CARRIERS, AND HAVE BETTER PLANT GROWTH. AND THEN, WE'LL, IF WE FILL IT, IF WE FILL THOSE HOLES BACK WITH LIKE SOME CORE SAND, ACTUALLY CAN IMPROVE THE DRAINAGE REALLY WELL. THIS IS, THERE'S SOME REALLY COOL VIDEOS THE U S D A DID. UM, AND IT'S WHERE I'VE GOT THAT LAYERING THING. YOU CAN WATCH IT HOW THE WATER TRAVELS, BUT HERE, BY MAKING THOSE PATHWAYS, THEY'RE ABLE TO INCREASE THE IMPERMEABILITY. ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE TEXTURE IS TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE YARD DATA DEDICAT CATERED TO TURF GRASS. YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT'S GOOD FOR A TREE IS BAD FOR A LAWN AND VICE VERSA. SO IF YOU LIKE YOUR TREES, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE ANY KIND OF GRASS UNDERNEATH THEM IN ANYWHERE IN THE ROOT ZONE. SO HERE YOU'VE GOT THIS GREAT GARDEN WITH JUST A TINY BIT OF LAWN SPACE, AND THE REST OF IT HAS BEEN LEFT, UM, TO PLANT OTHER PLANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT, THAT ARE GOING TO ALLOW THAT WATER IN. WE CAN PLANT THINGS WITH DEEPER ROOTS. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT OUR SOILS ARE LOSING THE ORGANIC MATERIAL THAT THEY USED TO HAVE IS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT REINSTALLING NEW ORGANIC MATERIAL. YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY WHEN YOU HAD TREES AND BUSHES AND THINGS THAT PUT DOWN THEIR ROOTS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOUR AND FIVE FEET DEEPER. SO, YOU KNOW, AS THOSE ROOTS DIED, THEY WOULD BREAK DOWN. THEY WOULD CREATE PASSAGES, UH, THROUGH THE SOIL. AS THEY GROW, THEY'RE LITERALLY PUSHING THE CLAY PARTICLES A ASIDE, CREATING THESE PATHS. BUT ORGANIC MATERIAL CONTINUES TO BREAK DOWN. SO ONCE WE ELIMINATED THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAD A GOOD BANK OF ORGANIC MATERIAL IN THE SOIL FOR YEARS, BUT IT'S ALL GONE NOW. WE'VE PLANTED GRASS. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS LITTLE CHART HERE, ALL THE WAY ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE TURF GRASS IS, AND IT'S SHOWING THE RELATIVE DEPTH OF THE ROOTS. NOW, IN A GOOD SITUATION, IF YOUR SOIL IS HEALTHY AND YOU'RE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT, WHICH BY THE WAY, NONE OF YOU ARE , YOU MIGHT HAVE SIX INCH DEEP ROOTS AT BEST, BUT THAT'S IT. MOST OF US ARE DEALING WITH MUCH LESS, UH, ROOT DEPTH THAN THAT. BUT ALL THESE PLANTS LOOK AT, SOME OF THESE THINGS GO DOWN TO SIX AND EIGHT FEET OR MORE, UH, DEPENDING ON THE WATER TABLE, THEY'RE GONNA GO DOWN AS FAR AS THEY CAN THEN STOP. BUT IF WE GROW OTHER THINGS AND START REIN, YOU KNOW, INIT REIN, INPUTTING THAT ORGANIC MATERIAL, WE'RE GONNA BE BETTER OFF. UM, RAINWATER COLLECTION IS STORAGE IS SOMETHING WE THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT BRIEFLY. YOU CAN USE RAIN BARRELS. YOU KNOW, I'M KIND OF LIKE LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH RAIN BARRELS. THE PROBLEM WITH 'EM I SEE IS THAT, LIKE I SAID, ALL THE RAIN COMES AT ONCE. SO YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR RAIN BILL FULL AND RAIN BARREL FULL IN THE FIRST LIKE HALF MINUTE OF THE RAINSTORM. THEN WHAT? IT'S GONNA GO EVERYWHERE. AND DR. REGAL'S GONNA COME AND TALK ABOUT HOW LIKE, DANGEROUS THEY CAN BE WITH MOSQUITOES AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER STUFF. SO, , UH, BUT I'M NOT GONNA SAY THAT THEY'RE TOTALLY BAD [01:05:01] AND THEY CAN BE USED IN, IN DIFFERENT WAYS. ONE OF THE WAYS I LIKE TO SEE THEM USED IS THAT, UM, THEY JUST HOLD THE WATER AND THEY ATTACH THE SOAKER LINE TO IT, AND IT JUST DRAINS OUT PRETTY MUCH RIGHT AWAY. BUT IT, IT'S SLOWER. HERE'S SOME DIFFERENT BIGGER ONES. I LIKE THIS ONE. IT'S KIND OF NEAT. IT'S A VERY BIG SIS UM, CISTERN THEY'VE PUT IN, BUT THEY PUT IN THIS VERY CLEVER, UH, CLEAN OUT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE WAY THAT THING COMES IN, THE, THE, THE FIRST TUBE GOES DOWN AND THAT'S WHERE ALL THE LEAVES AND GUNK ARE GONNA GO. AND YOU, YOU TAKE OFF THE CAP THAT'S GONNA RUSH OFF. BUT THE, THE CLEAN WATER'S GONNA KEEP GOING INTO THE, THE SYSTEMING DETENTION PONDS VERSUS RETENTION PONDS. UH, THOSE ARE JUST TO TEMPORARILY STORE THE WATER. A DETENTION POND IS ALLOWED TO DRIVE BETWEEN RAIN EVENTS, WHEREAS THE RETENTION POND KEEPS SOME LEVEL OF WATER. THIS IS A SOMEPLACE YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE, UH, THIS AREA. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, LIKE, OH, MAYBE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CONCRETE, UH, AND IMPER IMPERMEABLE SURFACES AND GESTURES IN PERISH. WELL, THIS IS LIKE THE HUB OF ALL THAT. I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE GOOGLERS, THERE'S NOT A PIECE OF GROUND ANYWHERE IN THIS COMPLEX OF SHOPPING CENTERS AND EVERYTHING. AND JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, IT WOULD FLOOD CRAZY. UH, YOU COULDN'T DRIVE DOWN THE, THE ROAD, UH, AT THE LITTLE CLOVER LEAF THERE AT, UH, AIRHART EXPRESSWAY. THEY INSTALLED THESE RETENTION, UH, PONDS. AND I DON'T KNOW, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE, THE ENGINEERS SAY HOW MUCH WATER THIS CAN HOLD, BUT THAT'S A GIANT AREA AND THERE'S ALWAYS THIS SMALL AIR OF WATER. BUT THAT CAN FILL UP NOW AND THEN THEY HAVE CHANCE OVER TIME TO, YOU KNOW, RELEASE THAT BACK INTO THE LAKE. UH, BIO TANTRUM CELLS OR RAIN GARDENS ARE, ARE A GREAT THING. YOU KNOW, IF YOU GOT A GARDEN, A YARD THAT'S 100% TERRIBLE BECAUSE IT'S FLOODED A LOT OF TIMES, OR TOO DRY A LOT OF TIMES. IF YOU TAKE 10% OF THE LAWN AND DEDICATE IT TO A RAIN GARDEN, YOU KNOW, GO AHEAD AND MAKE IT. EMBRACE THE LOWNESS OF IT. YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE THE NI OTHER 90% WAY BETTER BECAUSE IT'S GONNA DRAIN BETTER. YOU'RE GONNA IMPROVE IT AND YOU'RE GONNA GIVE YOURSELF SOMETHING NICE TO LOOK AT. UM, THEY DO. UM, THEY, THEY, IT'S JUST THERE TO SLOW DOWN THAT WATER. ALL THAT WATER'S COMING AT ONCE RATHER THAN IT FLOWING ACROSS THE SURFACE, OUR LAWN AND INTO THE DRAIN. LET'S TRY TO SLOW IT DOWN AND HOLD IT. IT GOES INTO OUR RAIN GARDEN AND SO SLOWLY PERCOLATES INTO THE SOIL, IT FILTERS TRAPS AND REMOVES CONTAMINATION AND STORM WATER RUNOFF THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE CARRIED DOWNSTREAM. AND IT, THE NICE THING ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE PLANTS COMING UP THAT YOU PUT IN THEM, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF GREAT PLANTS. IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE UNATTRACTIVE. IN FACT, IT CAN BE AMAZINGLY ATTRACTIVE. UM, WE'VE GOT LOTS OF GOOD PLANTS THAT, THAT THRIVE IN WATER. UH, THIS IS JUST A, A PICTURE. YOU JUST BASICALLY DIG IT DOWN AND PUT A FEW PLANTS IN THERE. CONSTRUCTION, JUST BASICALLY, IT, IT HELPS IF YOU IDENTIFY A AREA THAT'S LOW ALREADY, MARK OFF THE AREA, DIG DOWN TO SIX TO EIGHT INCHES. UH, WE HAVE BETTER PUBLICATIONS ON THEM. I'M GONNA KEEP GOING FORWARD. AND BIOSWALES ARE ANOTHER, IT'S A TYPE OF RAIN GARDEN, BUT IT'S REALLY JUST A FANCY DITCH. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TAKING INSTEAD OF, UH, A CONCRETE LINE TUBE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU'RE, OR, YOU KNOW, JUST DIRT. YOU'RE TRYING TO JUST MAKE A, A CHANNEL FOR THE WATER TO GO FROM HERE TO THERE, BUT YOU'RE PUTTING PLANTS AND, AND ROCKS AND THINGS IN IT. THERE'S A REALLY GOOD, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A BIO WHALE OR A RAIN GARDEN OVER IN FRONT OF THE JEFFERSON PARISH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. THEY REALLY DID A GOOD JOB. IT, IT LOOKS LIKE A DRY RIVERBED KIND OF THING GOING. AND IT'S, UM, ALL THE CYPRESS TREES AND THINGS LIKE THAT GROWING AROUND IT. UH, REALLY A GOOD WAY TO HELP HOLD THAT WATER. THIS IS JUST SOME PICTURES OF SOME, YOU KNOW, D DIFFERENT ONES. THE VERY FIRST ONES I SAW IN LOUISIANA THAT ANYBODY HAD PUT IN WAS IN, UH, UM, NOT MONROE. IT WAS IN, UH, ALEXANDRIA, DOWNTOWN ALEXANDRIA. THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS. AND THIS IS JUST A BOOK THAT, UH, SOMEBODY THAT'S ON THE LSU PU PRESS USING PLANTS FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT. IT'S JUST GOT A GOOD LIST OF A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PLANTS. BUT THAT'S IT FOR MY PRESENTATION. I'VE LEFT, UH, PLENTY OF ROOM FOR OTHERS FOLKS TO TALK ABOUT THE PLANTS AND THINGS THAT WE'RE, UM, GONNA BE GOING OVER. BUT AGAIN, I'M RIGHT HERE ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE YI BUILDING. PLEASE COME SEE ME. UH, WE DO A LOT OF THINGS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I DO EVERY MONTH IS PUBLISH THIS, UH, G AND O GARDENING. IT'S A MAGAZINE, GARDENING MAGAZINE THAT'S REALLY SPECIFIC FOR OUR AREA, OUR AREA, UM, MYSELF AND THE OTHER LOCAL AGENTS. SO YOU CAN SIGN UP WITH ME LATER OR THERE'S A QR CODE OUTSIDE ON THE DESK. BUT FEEL FREE TO PICK UP MY CARD AND, AND CALL ME ANYTIME YOU NEED. OKAY? THANK YOU, CHRIS. THANK YOU. [01:10:03] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, CHRIS DUNAWAY WITH LSU EGG CENTER. WE HAVE, WE HAVE TWO WONDERFUL SPEAKERS TO SPEAK TO US ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS, NATIVE TO SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. THE FIRST IS RICHARD GILLAND FROM OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT. RICHARD IS A NATIVE, A NATIVE PLANT HIMSELF. HE'S A NATIVE, HE'S A NATIVE SPECIES TO SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. AND HE IS, UM, AND HE IS, UH, UH, GRADUATE FROM, UM, LSU AS WELL. WE HAVE A BUNCH OF LSU GRADUATES HERE. I HOPE, I HOPE WE DON'T HAVE ANY ALABAMA GRADUATES COMING UP IN NEXT. AND, UM, AND HE WILL START TALKING TO US ABOUT END OF PLANS. AND THEN AFTER THAT WE'LL SPEAK WITH MS. WENDY. THANK YOU. UH, LIKE SAMMY SAID, UH, I'M RICHARD GILLON. I'M THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT FOR JEFFERSON PARISH. I STRICTLY, UH, AM FOR COMMERCIAL. I WILL REVIEW THE COMMERCIAL PLANS THAT COME THROUGH OUR, UH, PLANNING DEPARTMENT. AND I ENFORCE THE LANDSCAPE REGULATIONS, UH, FOR COMMERCIALS. SO I DON'T DO ANY RESIDENTIAL. WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO DO ANY, YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED TO DO ANYTHING IN, UH, YOUR HOME. BUT WE REQUIRE THE BUSINESSES IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE PARISH, MOSTLY ALONG OUR CORRIDORS, UH, TO INSTALL A CERTAIN PERCENT OF LANDSCAPING AND HAVE OPEN SPACE. AND THAT'S WHAT I DO. UH, SO TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, RAIN GARDENS. UM, I'M GONNA ENHANCE WHAT CHRIS TALKED ABOUT AND WHAT WENDY'S GONNA TALK ABOUT. UM, I'M GONNA GO FAST. SO IF YOU HAVE, I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A HIGHLIGHT OF THE PLANTS THAT YOU CAN USE. UH, SO, UH, I'M GONNA GO FAST AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE A, UH, PRESENTATION FOR ME TO EMAIL TO YOU OF THE POWERPOINT, I CAN GIVE THAT TO YOU. UH, SO JUST SEE ME AND I'LL GIVE YOU A CARD AND I CAN EMAIL IT TO YOU. UM, UH, SO I'M NOT HERE TO MAKE A LOT OF WORK FOR YOU BECAUSE IF YOU GO ONTO, UH, GOOGLE AND YOU LOOK AT A LOT OF, UH, RAIN GARDENS, THEY TELL YOU YOU NEED TO DIG OUT THE SOIL, PUT IN GRAVEL, FORGET ALL THAT. YOU CAN DO THAT IF YOU WANT. UH, BUT THIS IS JUST ABOUT MAKING IT EASY FOR YOU. AND TO PLANT PLANTS THAT CAN GROW IN A LOW POINT IN YOUR YARD INSTEAD OF BRINGING IN SAND. I WAS AT MY PARENTS' HOUSE AND MY DAD SAID, I NEED TO GET A LOAD OF DIRT. I SAID, WHY YOU NEED A LOAD OF DIRT? HE SAYS, I HAVE A LOW SPOT BACK THERE. I SAID, YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THAT. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS PLANT THINGS IN THAT LOW SPOT. SO I GOT SOME LOUISIANA IRISH FOR 'EM, AND THEIR HAPPIEST CAN BE NOW WITHOUT HAVING ALL THAT DEER. CUZ WHAT HAPPENS IS EVERYONE RAISES THEIR YARD, RIGHT? AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOUR PATIO IS LOWER THAN THE YARD. IT'S CRAZY. AND THEN YOU NEED TO PUT IN A PUMP TO GET THE WATER OFF THE PATIO. UH, SO YOU REALLY JUST NEED TO DO AS LITTLE AS YOU CAN. BUT IT, UH, YOU KNOW, RAIN GARDENS CONSTRUCTED DEPRESSION. SO JUST TAKE THE LOWEST POINT IN YOUR YARD. UH, YOU WANT TO HAVE A PLACE IN THE YARD WHERE THE WATER CAN GO AND GET ABSORBED. AND IF YOU HAVE CLAY SOIL AND YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF, UH, INFILTRATION, THE PLANTS THEMSELVES WILL PROVIDE THROUGH EVAPORATION. EVAPOTRANSPIRATION, UM, WILL GET RID OF THAT WATER FOR YOU. UH, BALD CYPRESS TREES, MATURE BALD SE CYPRESS TREES, ANYWHERE FROM 700 TO 1200 GALLONS. UH, WATER A DAY. UH, IT'LL JUST GET RID OF THROUGH THE AIR, THROUGH EVAPOTRANSPIRATION. SO THE PLANTS THEMSELVES WILL TAKE THE WATER AND GET IT OUT OF YOUR YARD FOR YOU IF THE CLAY SOIL DOESN'T. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF AREAS IN YOUR YARD THAT YOU CAN, UH, PUT THINGS FOR ALL THE INS, THE BENEFICIAL INSECTS. I DON'T WANNA SAY JUST ANY INSECTS, BUT BENEFICIAL INSECTS. THIS IS A RAIN GARDEN HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, WELL, I DON'T WANNA DO A RAIN GARDEN. CUZ IT ALWAYS LOOKS LIKE, UH, A WETLAND. YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS LOOKS A MESS. WELL, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT PLANTS YOU USE. SO HERE'S THE DIFFERENT, UH, IDEAS HERE. WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST PLANTS THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY USE LOUISIANA, IRIS. UM, IN SOME PLACES THEY DO USE, UH, BLACK-EYED SUSANS. UH, BUT BLACK-EYED SUSANS WOULDN'T, THEY DON'T DO WELL HERE, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE A CLAY SOIL. THEY WILL GROW IN, UH, AREAS THAT HAVE INUNDATION, BUT NOT, UH, CLAY SOILS. UH, SO I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS, SO I HAVE SOME, UH, SUCCESSES AND SOME FAILURES. UM, SO WE'RE, UH, THAT'S LOUISIANA IRIS. AND IT COMES IN ALL, THEY HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT CULTIVARS NOW, DIFFERENT, UH, HEIGHTS, DIFFERENT COLORS IS, SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE EXPECTED BENEFITS OF A RAIN GARDEN. THE MAIN THING THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IS IT FILTERS [01:15:01] POLLUTION OUT OF THE RAINWATER. SO IF YOU CAN JUST GET THE FIRST FLUSH, WE TALK ABOUT THE FIRST INCH AND JUST GET ALL THAT POLLUTION THAT'S COMING OFF OF YOUR ROOF AND GET IT INTO THE RAIN GARDEN, SURE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HOLD 4, 6, 8 INCHES OF RAIN THAT WE HAVE. BUT IF YOU CAN GET THAT FIRST FLUSH, THE FIRST HALF INCH INCH OF RAIN AND KEEP IT ON YOUR YARD AND GET IT TO GO AND FILTER INTO THE SOIL, THE RAIN, THE WATER IN OUR, UH, BODIES OF WATER AROUND US ARE GONNA BE SO MUCH BETTER. SO YOU WANNA FIND A SUNNY LOCATION. UH, YOU WANNA STAY 10 FEET FROM THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR HOME, UH, 25 FEET FROM A SEPTIC SYSTEM. THESE ARE ALL SUGGESTIONS THAT THEY, THEY TELL YOU ON THE INTERNET. UH, SIZE AND DEPTH. IT DEPENDS ON YOUR SOIL AND IT DEPENDS ON YOU. HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO MAINTAIN? UH, HOW BIG IS YOUR YARD? UH, AVOID MULCH. THAT FLOATS, OF COURSE, RIGHT? YOU DON'T WANT TO USE BARK. THE BEST THING THAT I FOUND IS PINE NEEDLES IS THE BEST, ABSOLUTELY THE BEST. AND, UH, EUCALYPTUS, BUT YOU CAN'T FIND EUCALYPS EUCALYPTUS ANYMORE. THEY USED TO. LOWE'S USED TO SELL IT, BUT THEY STOPPED SELLING IT. UH, SO PINE NEEDLES WOULD BE YOUR BEST SOURCE. UH, SO NATIVE PLANTS ARE ADAPTED TO OUR LOCAL CLIMATE. THAT'S WHY YOU WANT TO USE NATIVE PLANTS. UH, THEY PROVIDE NECTAR, POLLEN, AND SEEDS FOR ALL LOCAL NATIVE PLANT, UH, WILDLIFE AROUND HERE. AND ALSO YOU HAVE SUPER PLANTS. THE LSU ACCENT PUTS OUT THAT ARE, UH, MORE CULTIVATED, UM, NATIVE PLANTS, UH, THAT DO VERY WELL IN OUR LANDSCAPES. HERE IN, IN SOUTH LOUISIANA, THERE'S A TEST PLOT OVER IN HAMMOND. SO THEY DO ALL THE HARD WORK FOR YOU, AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT DO ALL THE RESEARCH FOR YOU SO THAT THEY PUT 'EM OUT. ALL THE HARD WORK'S BEEN DONE, THEY'VE BEEN PROVEN. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE, UM, PERENNIALS OR GRASSES, UH, THAT YOU CAN USE. THEN I'LL, UH, JUST SHOW YOU ROUGHLY. THERE THEY ARE. AND I'LL GO, GO INTO A MORE DETAILED, UM, SO THAT'S LOUISIANA IRIS. UM, UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS RIGHT AFTER THEY PLANTED THEM OVER BY THE, UH, THE MUSEUM, THE NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART BY THE LAKE, THE BIG LAKE AND CITY PARK. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, AS THEY'RE VERY, VERY, UM, SUSCEPTIBLE AND, UM, THEY DON'T LIKE ANY TYPE OF, UM, HERBICIDES. UH, SO I, I USED TO TEACH AT DELGADO FOR 10 YEARS AND WE'D GO OVER THERE FOR OUR PLANT MATERIALS CLASS. I TAUGHT HORTER HORTICULTURE. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY GOT RID OF THE PROGRAM. UM, BUT WE WOULD GO OVER THERE AND I NOTICED OVER TIME THEY STARTED DECLINING. WELL, THEN I NOTICED THEY USED HERBICIDE. THEY USED ROUNDUP TO GET RID OF THE WEEDS. SO THEY DON'T LIKE ANY TYPE OF HERBICIDES AT ALL AROUND THEM. AND SO NOW I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE IN A WHILE, BUT THE LAST TIME I WENT THERE, IT WAS, UH, VERY SPARSE. SO, AND THEY DO ALL OF COURSE, UH, LOUISIANA, IRIS, THEY DO, UM, SORT OF DIE BACK, UM, IN THE SUMMER RIGHT NOW. AND IN FALL IS THEIR TIME TO SHINE. SO THEY DO KIND OF STOP GROWING AND GO DORMANT IN THE, IN THE SUMMER. UH, THIS IS ANOTHER NATIVE, UH, ROSE MALOW. IT'S A NATIVE HIBISCUS AND THEY HAVE ALL KIND OF CULTIVARS. NOW, THE CAJUN, UH, CULT SERIES, AS YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN IN THE NURSERIES, REALLY LARGE FLOWERS. UM, THIS IS THE ONLY AMERICAN CRIME THAT'S NATIVE TO AMERICA. AND, UH, IF YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN OUT NEW ORLEANS EAST IN THE SWAMP, UM, AND YOU'VE SEEN HIM BLOOMING OUT THERE, MIGHT HAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GET BEHIND ME IN A CAR, I'M ALWAYS LIKE THIS. SO YOU DON'T WANT TO GET BEHIND ME AND SAY, WHAT IS HE DOING? HE IS LIKE, I'M LOOKING AT EVERYTHING. AND I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS A NATIVE PRESERVE BECAUSE I, ONE TIME I ALMOST GOT MY SHOVEL AND STARTED DIGGING THEM UP CUZ I DIDN'T WANT 'EM TO GET DESTROYED CUZ THEY WERE GONNA GET DEVELOPED. BUT THEN I FOUND OUT, OKAY, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A BAD THING IF I WOULD'VE BEEN OUT THERE, CAUGHT OUT THERE. UH, CATTAILS IS A GOOD ONE, BUT THERE IT IS INVASIVE, UH, IN SOME PLACES, NOT REALLY IN YOUR URBAN GARDEN. IT'S NOT GONNA ESCAPE CULTIVATION HERE. BUT IF YOU ARE OUT IN A COUNTRY AREA, IT MIGHT ESCAPE CULTIVATION UP, UH, IN THE MIDWEST AND UP NORTH, IT IS CONSIDERED EVASIVE. UH, YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT WHERE YOU PLANT IT. UH, THIS IS A REAL GREAT PLANT HERE. UH, IT'S A SWAMP SUNFLOWER, A HELLING ANTHES. IT'S GROWS. YOU HAVE DIFFERENT CULTIVARS, DIFFERENT HEIGHTS, UH, BUT IT BLOOMS IN THE FALL WHEN THINGS ARE JUST STARTING TO, YOU KNOW, DIE BACK. UH, BECAUSE OF THE SUMMER HEAT. THIS STARTS BLOOMING, UH, THIS IS A MAIDEN GRASS. THIS LOOKS REAL NICE IN THE, UH, [01:20:01] SUMMER, IT SAYS DWARF PAMAS GRASS. IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH PAMAS GRASS, IT'S ONLY GETS ABOUT, UH, MAYBE SIX FEET HIGH AT THE MOST, UH, THINNER RELIEF. UH, THIS IS, UH, PURPLE CONEFLOWER. THIS IS GREAT. NOW, THIS IS THE STRAIGHT, UM, GENUS . IT'S VERY HARD TO FIND THIS WHEN YOU CAN FIND ALL THE CULT DE OURS. THE ORANGE ONES, THE RED ONES. BUT I FOUND OUT THEY DON'T DO REALLY WELL. THEY JUST DIE BACK FOR SOME REASON. WHEREAS THIS ONE, YOU CAN TAKE THE SEEDS ONCE THEY DRY AND JUST SPRINKLE 'EM IN THE YARD AND THEY COME UP EVERYWHERE. THIS IS REALLY TOUGH. ACTUALLY. I HAVE ONE BLOOMING. IT BLOOMED ALL WINTER, EVEN WHEN WE HAD THAT FREEZE. UH, BUT IF YOU CAN FIND THIS ONE, IT, IT'S GREAT. BUT IT'S JUST, IT'S THE STRAIGHT SPECIES. IT'S NOT ANY CULT BARS. UH, THIS IS A CARDINAL FLOWER AND I'M GREAT. GLAD THERE WAS SOME IN THE BACK THERE BECAUSE I'VE NEVER HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND IT . BUT, UH, THIS IS A REALLY LARGE MASS PLANTING. YOU DO HAVE TO, UH, TEND TO PLANT THEM VERY CLOSE TOGETHER IN ORDER TO GET THIS TYPE OF LOOK. UH, THE, UH, HUMMINGBIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES LOVE IT. UH, THIS IS A MARSH FERN. IT'S ONE OF THE FEW FERNS THAT'LL GROW IN A WET CON WET AREA. UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, MULI GLA GRASS. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. IN, IN THE FALL YOU CAN SEE IT, UM, YOU KNOW, BLOWING IN THE, IN THE WIND IS VERY, VERY BEAUTIFUL, VERY THIN. IT DOESN'T GET BUT MAYBE FOUR FEET HIGH AT THE MOST. UM, AND WE HAVE ALL KIND OF MILK WEEDS. UH, THE ONE YOU PROBABLY SEEN THE MOST OF THE ORANGE AND RED ONE. THAT'S FROM, UH, UH, MEXICO. BUT THIS IS THE ACTUALLY NATIVE ONE. AND ALSO SHRUBS. SO THE, HERE'S SOME SHRUBS THAT YOU CAN GROW. UH, THIS IS CALA CARPA AMERICANA. UM, THIS IS, UH, VERY NICE IF YOU LIVE IN A RURAL AREA. THIS IS, UH, THE DEER LOVE THIS OR ANY KIND OF, UH, WILDLIFE. THE BIRDS LOVE IT HERE IN THE CITY. WE DON'T HAVE TOO MANY DEER. I'VE NEVER SEEN A DEER. I'VE SEEN MORE COYOTES THAN DEER WHERE I LIVE. UM, INK BERRY, IT'S A, IT'S A SMALL, UM, EVERGREEN SHRUB. IT HAS THE BLACKBERRIES THAT THE BIRDS ALSO LOVE. UM, THIS IS A GREAT PLANT, UH, PLETHORA. UM, BUTTERFLIES LOVE IT. UM, OF COURSE BEES LOVE IT TOO. BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LEAVE THE BEES ALONE, I FIND OUT THEY DON'T REALLY HURT YOU. UH, SWEET SHRUB, UM, SMELLS LIKE APPLE. UH, THESE FLOWERS HERE, UH, SWEET SPIRE. ANOTHER, A REALLY GREAT PLANT THAT THE BUTTERFLIES LOVE. AND ALSO THE BEES AND THE, AND THE, UM, HUMMINGBIRDS, UH, TIE, TIE. THIS IS, UM, YOU'RE GETTING ALMOST UP INTO A, UH, A SMALL TREE. UH, WHEN THEY GET LARGER. IT HAS BEAUTIFUL CINNAMON COLORED BARK, UH, OF COURSE PALMETTO. UM, THERE IS, UH, CALLED THE BAR HERE CALLED, UH, A, UH, A SPECIES CALLED, UH, LOUISIANA. IT'S ONLY IT WAS FOUND IN LOUISIANA. IT'S, IT HAS MORE OF A TRUNK FORM THAN JUST, UH, ONE THAT, UH, GENERATES, UH, DOWN, UH, BASAL IN THE, IN THE CROWN THERE. UH, BUTTON BUSH. THIS IS A GREAT PLANT. UH, BUT IT STARTS LOOKING RAGGED IN THE SUMMER. SO IF YOU HAVE ONE, IT GETS ABOUT, UH, 6, 7, 8 FEET TALL. YOU WANT TO PLANT IT IN THE BACK OF THE GARDEN, UH, CUZ IT, IT LOOKS GREAT IN THE SPRING AND WANNA HAVE FLOWERS. BUT THEN DURING THE, OF THE SUMMER, IT LOOKS KIND OF ROUGH. UH, STAR BUSH, ELYSIUM FLORID. THIS IS A, A GREAT PLANT. ALSO EVERGREEN, UH, SPICE BUSH. UM, ACTUALLY WE HAVE AN AZALEA. UH, MOST OF THE AZALS YOU SEE HERE ARE NOT NATIVE TO, UM, LOUISIANA OR TO THE UNITED STATES. BUT THIS ONE IS, AND IT ACTUALLY GROWS IN WET SOIL. UH, MOST OF THE NATIVE AZALEAS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE DES DECIDUOUS. AND MOST OF THE INDICAS YOU SEE AROUND HERE ARE FROM INDIA OR JAPAN, OR CHINA. UH, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY A NATIVE AZALEA, UH, ARROWWOOD. THIS IS A GREAT PLANT THAT GETS VERY TALL. UH, YOU, YOU COULD BE USED IT AS A SCREEN. IT DOES LOSE ITS SLEEVES, BUT IT TURNS A, A BEAUTIFUL BURGUNDY COLOR IN THE FALL. AND THEN ANOTHER BY BURNUM. UH, PHA, UH, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE BEAUTIFUL CALL FALL COLOR THERE. UH, SMALL TREES. UH, OF COURSE THE, UH, WAX MYRTLE, OVER 40 SPECIES OF BIRDS EAT THE BERRIES. OF COURSE, IT IS, UH, A WEAK WOODED TREE. IT'S NOT A VERY LONG LIVED TREE. UH, BUT IT'LL GIVE YOU VERY FAST GROWTH AND SCREENING, UM, WHEN YOU TRY. AND THIS IS WHAT I'LL CALL A TEMPORARY TREE. YOU CAN PLANT THIS. SOME OTHERS I'M GONNA SHOW YOU, UM, TO GET [01:25:01] A LARGE SHRUB VERY QUICKLY, FAST GROWTH, GROWTH WHILE YOU GET IN. THE OTHER, UM, PLANTS THAT GROW SLOWER, GET UP TO THE SIZE, LIKE SOME HOLLIES, THEY GROW VERY SLOW. BUT YOU CAN PLANT THESE SO THAT YOU CAN GET THAT HEIGHT UP THERE IN, IN THE SCREENING. UH, YON HOLLY, UH, THEY DO HAVE A, UH, THIS VARIETY. THEY HAVE DWARF YON AND, UH, WEEPING YON. THEY ALL DO REALLY WELL IN WET CONDITIONS. UM, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE, BUT YOU CAN'T HARDLY FIND THEM. I DID FIND THEM AT JEFFERSON FEED REALLY ONES, BUT THEY HAD 'EM AT JEFFERSON FEED LAST YEAR. THIS IS, SHOULD BE THE SOUTH SHORES DOGWOOD GREAT PLANT, UH, LITTLE FLOWERS, THE GROWS IN WET CONDITIONS. AND THEN LITTLE FLOWERS HANG DOWN. SO IT IS GREAT FOR A PATIO AND YOU'RE LOOKING UP AT IT. AND YOU CAN SEE THE FLOWERS. THEY, CUZ THEY HANG DOWN, UH, PARSLEY, HAWTHORNE. UM, THIS IS A, A NICE PLANT. THE LEAVES LOOK LIKE PARSLEY, UH, BUT IT DOES HAVE THORNS. BUT IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO PLANT, MAYBE ALONG A BARR, TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR YARD IF YOU WANT. NOT PEOPLE TO COME CROSSING THROUGH INTO YOUR YARD. UH, CUZ IT DOES HAVE THORNS, BUT IT ALSO HAS NICE LITTLE BERRIES. ALSO. UH, THIS IS A GREAT, UM, MAGNOLIA TREE. A SWEET BAG. UH, IT HAS IT FLOWERS MUCH LONGER THAN A REGULAR MAGNOLIA. IT'S NOT AS MESSY. UH, IT CAN FIT INTO SMALLER SPACES. UH, THIS IS ONE OF MY REALLY FAVORITE, UM, PLANTS TO USE. UH, THE HOON HOLLY. AGAIN, IT'S A HOLLY THAT'LL GROW IN WET CONDITIONS, CUZ MOST HOLLIES THAT YOU SEE IN THE, THE NURSERY, THEY DON'T DO WELL IN CLAY SOILS. THEY LOOK, UH, VERY, UH, WEAK. AND ALSO THEY DON'T GROW, UH, DECIDUOUS HOLLY. SO THIS IS A DECIDUOUS HOLLY. IT LOSES ITS, UH, LEAVES. AND THEN ALSO, UH, THE BERRIES WILL STAY ON, UM, IN THE WINTER UNTIL THE BIRDS FIND THEM. UH, THE ROBINS LOVE THESE, SO YOU'LL SEE JUST A WHOLE MESS OF ROBINS, AND THEY'LL STRIP THE WHOLE ENTIRE THING IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. UH, SERVICE BERRY, UH, THIS IS A SMALL MULTIPLE, UH, TRUNK TREE. UM, IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST, UH, PLANTS TO BLOOM IN THE, IN THE SPRING. UH, GROWS IN WET CONDITIONS. UH, POP PAW TREE, ACTUALLY, THIS, UM, JEFFERSON FEED HAD THIS THE FIRST TIME I'D EVER SEEN IT IN A NURSERY. THEY HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT JEFFERSON FEED THAT I WISH OTHER NURSERIES WOULD CARRY. BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU, IF YOU GO IN THERE ALONG WITH 50 OTHER PEOPLE AND ASK FOR A PLANT, DON'T YOU THINK THE NURSERIES ARE GONNA, UH, FIND THEM? BECAUSE WAIT A MINUTE, I HAVE 50 PEOPLE COMING IN TODAY WANTING THAT ONE TREE. I HAVE TO LOOK FOR 'EM NOW BECAUSE I CAN SELL 'EM. SO WE JUST ASK IF WE CAN'T FIND SOMETHING. UH, RED BAY, UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ONE GETS A FIRE BLIGHT DISEASE THAT'S COMING THROUGH. UM, BUT, UH, IT'S A NICE EVERGREEN ALSO. AND NOW WE GET INTO OUR LARGE TREES, BALD CYPRUS. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, UH, I'VE SEEN STUDIES THAT HAVE DONE WHERE THEY WILL ABSORB 700 TO 12 OF WATER IN A DAY. SO I KNOW THE KNEES ARE A PROBLEM, BUT YOU CAN CUT 'EM OFF, UM, WITH A SAW. IT'S NOT GONNA HURT THE TREE. SO IF YOU WANT TO RUN YOUR LAWNMOWER OVER IT, UH, AGAIN, IT'S GREAT. UH, I HAD A, UH, AN AUNT THAT LIVED DOWN ON A BAYOU AND SHE WAS LOSING ALL OF HER LAND ALONG WITH ALL HER NEIGHBORS. THE NEIGHBORS WERE BUILDING, UM, BULKHEADS. SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY, SO I TOLD HER TO PLANT SOME OF THESE. AND IT WORKED PERFECTLY. UH, THIS IS A POND CYPRUS. SO THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN A BALD CYPRUS. IT HAS THINNER NEEDLES. IT DOESN'T GET AS MANY, UM, KNEES AS THE, UM, BALD CYPRUS DOES. UH, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BALD CYPRUS, A BALD CYPRUS LIVES IN BAYOU AND SWAMPS WHERE THE WATER IS ACTUALLY MOVING A POND. CYPRUS WILL GROW IN A WET AREA, UH, LIKE IN A FOREST THAT'S A, A DEPRESSED AREA WHERE THE WATER ISN'T ACTUALLY MOVING. IT'S LIKE STAGNANT WATER. SO THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POND AND A AND A BALD CYPRESS. THE TYPE OF ENVIRONMENTS THAT THEY LIVE IN. UH, THIS IS A GREEN ASH. UNFORTUNATELY. WE HAVE, UM, THE EMERALD, UH, ASH BOAR THAT'S JUST WIPING THEM OUT IN THE MIDWEST. BUT THIS IS WHAT I'LL CALL A TEMPORARY TREE. YOU CAN GET NICE, UH, LARGE, UH, LOT OF SHADE IN A QUICK, UH, TIMEFRAME WHEN YOU PLANT SLOWER GROWING TREES AROUND IT. AND THEN YOU CAN CUT IT DOWN WHEN THE LIVE OAK GETS TO BE A GOOD SIZE. UH, IN LAONARD PARK, THEY HAD A LOT OF GREAT, UH, GREEN ASH AND THEY WERE THE LARGEST TREE AT ONE TIME. NOW IF YOU GO THERE, IT'S ALL LIVE OAKS, RIGHT? SO THIS IS A GOOD, UM, TEMPORARY TREE, I CALL IT. BUT DON'T PLANT [01:30:01] TOO MANY OF THEM. WE DON'T HAVE THAT HERE IN OUR AREA YET, BUT IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT COMES DOWN FROM THE MIDWEST, UH, DRUM AND RED MAPLE. NOW, THIS IS A GREAT TREE. YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY SEEN IT BLOOMING. THE FIRST THING YOU'LL SEE IS, UH, BLOOMS BEFORE YOU SEE ANYTHING. AND, UM, YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE SEEDS AND EXPECT THAT TREE TO LOOK LIKE THAT. SO IF YOU WANT THAT EXACT TREE, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE FLOWER COLOR OR THE FALL COLOR, YOU HAVE TO GET A CUTTING OFF OF THAT TREE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT TRUE TO SEED UNLESS YOU GET A CULTIVATED VARIETY. UM, BUT SOME OF THEM ARE BEAUTIFUL RED COLORS. AND YOU DO HAVE SOME CULTIVARS LIKE RED SUNSET, WHICH GROW HERE. UH, I HAVEN'T HAD AS MUCH LUCK WITH, UH, OCTOBER GLORY. UH, BUT THOSE ARE STANDARD TREES THAT'LL GIVE YOU THE, THE COLOR, UH, BLACK GUM. THIS IS A GREAT SLOW GROWING TREE. UM, REALLY NICE FOLIAGE. AND THEN IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST TREES TO, UH, HAVE FALL COLOR IN THE FALL. UM, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE, BUT IT'S, IT GROWS HUGE. AND THE LEAVES ARE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A PAPER BAG. UH, WHEN I WAS AT LSU, THEY HAD ONE OVER BY THE, THE, THE INDIAN MOUNDS. AND I USED TO LOVE IT CUZ IT WAS JUST LIKE WALKING THROUGH PAPER BAGS. UM, THE LEAVES ARE SO LARGE AND IT'S A REALLY NICE TREE, BUT YOU NEED A LARGE PROPERTY FOR THIS, UH, A NUT, A OAK. IT'S, UH, THIS A STANDARD TREE. NOW, UM, OUR PARKWAYS DEPARTMENT DON'T, LIKE, DOESN'T LIKE THEM, BUT, UM, IT'S A GOOD TREE FOR A WET AREA, UH, CABBAGE, ONE OF THE VERY FEW NATIVE, UH, PALM TREES THAT YOU HAVE IN UNITED STATES. AND IT'S NATIVE TO OUR AREA, UM, MOSTLY FLORIDA AND SOUTH CAROLINA OR CAROLINA. BUT IT IS A NATIVE TREE, AND IT'S ABOUT THE ONLY PALM THAT DOESN'T GET THE, THE WILT DISEASE THAT, UH, JUST RAVAGING THEM ALL AROUND THE CITY NOW. AND, UH, PINE TREES GET A BAD, BECAUSE EVERYONE WANTS TO CUT 'EM DOWN AFTER, UH, HURRICANES BECAUSE THAT'S THE TREES THAT FALL, RIGHT? BUT THAT'S THE SLASH PINE PINE THAT ARE VERY WEAK WOODED. IF YOU CAN GET A NICE LONGLEAF PINE, A VERY SLOW GROWING, VERY TOUGH TREE. UH, THERE'S SOME IN THE GARDEN OVER BY THE PATAN. UM, THE, UH, NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART THAT SURVIVED BETSY SURVIVED KATRINA. SO IF YOU SEE PINE TREES THAT ARE VERY LARGE THAT ARE STILL STANDING, IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY'RE THE LONGLEAF PINE. UM, SO LIKE I SAID, IF YOU CAN GET A LONGLEAF PINE, THEY GROW SLOW, BUT THEY'LL BE AROUND. AND ANOTHER THING IS ABOUT TREES AND HURRICANES. UH, I HATE THIS IS BECAUSE, UM, AFTER A HURRICANE, EVERYONE WANTS TO CUT DOWN ALL THEIR TREES AROUND THE HOUSE. BUT THOSE TREES, THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED IN THE, IN THE HURRICANE, BUT OF COURSE, THE RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT LOCATION OF YOUR YARD IS GONNA KEEP YOUR HOUSE SAFE. AND I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE THESE TREES BUFFER THE WIND. UM, I LIVE BEHIND A LARGE FIELD AND I HAD A, I HAD A, SOME SWEET OLIVES IN THE BACK. REALLY LARGE SWEET OLIVES. THEY WERE COMPLETELY BARE BECAUSE ALL THE LEES WERE BLOWN OFF DURING IDA, ALL THE OTHER NEIGHBORS ON MY STREET THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING IN THEIR BACKYARD PLANTED ALL HAD REALLY BAD ROOF DAMAGE WATER COMING INTO THEIR WINDOWS. I HAD NONE OF THAT BECAUSE THE SWEET OLIVES TOOK ALL THE BUFF THE WIND AND THEY BUFFERED THAT WIND FROM HITTING THE HOUSE. THEY SURVIVED BECAUSE SWEET OLIVES GROW SLOW AND THEY'RE VERY TOUGH. BUT IT DID IT, ALL THE LEAVES WERE COMPLETELY BLOWN OFF, BUT THEY PROVIDED THE BUFFER, UM, AND PROVIDED PROTECTION TO MY HOME. SO, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IF YOU, UH, WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION OR WE, WE LIKE THIS PRESENTATION SO YOU CAN STUDY A LITTLE MORE. WE DO HAVE SHEETS OUT THERE THAT HAVE, UH, LISTS OF ALL THE PLANTS THAT I TALKED ABOUT. AND, UH, IF YOU SEE ME, I'LL GIVE YOU A CARD AND I CAN EMAIL YOU THE PRE THE, THE POWERPOINT. OKAY. THANK YOU RICHARD. WE ARE A FEW MINUTES BEHIND THE SCHEDULE. I THINK. UM, WE WILL INVITE OUR SECOND NATIVE PLANT SPEAKER, MS. WENDY REINER. MS. WENDY REINER IS, UM, AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, A RETIRED ENGLISH PROFESSOR, I SHOULD SAY, FROM DELGADO COLLEGE. BUT RIGHT AFTER THAT, SHE JUMPED INTO THE WILD, SHE TOLD ME, AND SHE INHERITS THAT FROM, UH, GROWING IN, UH, CLEVELAND, OHIO FROM HER MOTHER. I UNDERSTAND. YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE NURSED THAT INTO, UM, INTO HER. UH, AND SHE CURRENTLY SITS ON SEVERAL, UM, COMMITTEES. UH, ONE OF THEM WAS THE INITIATIVE PLANT, UH, THE NATIVE, UH, UM, PLANT INITIATIVE THAT IS OF, OF GREATER NEW ORIENTS. AND SHE WAS VERY KIND TO BRING US A BUNCH OF, UH, OF CARDINAL, CARDINAL FLOWERS OUT THERE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MAKE SURE TO, TO [01:35:01] TAKE ONE, MS. WENDY, IT'S ALL YOURS. I DON'T, I DON'T THINK I NEED A MICROPHONE. CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME? JUST USE, THEY'RE RECORDING. OH, SORRY. WELL, HELLO. CAN, IS THIS BETTER? OKAY. HELLO TO PEOPLE ONLINE. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. AFTER 30 YEARS OF TEACHING AT DELGADO, I, I'VE DEVELOPED A SPEAKING VOICE, OR AS WE CALL IT, A TEACHING VOICE. UM, YES, I AM, UH, FROM THE NATIVE PLANT INITIATIVE OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS. IT'S NPI. UM, I THINK I HAVE IT UP THERE, DON'T I? UH, MAYBE I DON'T. N P I HYPHEN, YOU KNOW, DOT ORG. UM, SO I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU CAN FIND THESE PLANTS. AND RICHARD IS CORRECT. UM, IF YOU DON'T GO TO A NURSERY AND SAY, HOW COME I CAN'T FIND NATIVE LOUISIANA IRISES? HOW COME I'M ONLY FINDING HYBRIDIZED OR WHAT WE CALL NATIVE RS? UM, A NATIVE R IS A, A NATIVE PLANT THAT'S BEEN BASICALLY TAMPERED WITH SO THAT IT BLOOMS LONGER. HOW COME I CAN'T FIND THESE THINGS? THEY WON'T KNOW. UM, SO LET'S GO. DO I HIT IT OR DO YOU OH, SORRY. I, YOU CAN TELL EVEN AFTER 30 YEARS OF TEACHING, I AM NOT TECHNO SAVVY. DO I JUST DO THIS? NO. HOW DO I DO THIS? SORRY. OKAY, THANK YOU. OKAY, SO I AM GONNA DO A SHAMELESS PLUG. I'M GONNA DO A FEW SHAMELESS PLUGS. BUT FOR THE NATIVE PLANT INITIATIVE OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS, WE ARE VISIBLE IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. UM, I SAY UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE NOT IN JP BECAUSE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A REQUEST FOR ANY NATIVE PLANTINGS IN JP. WE NEED TO END THAT FOLKS BECAUSE, UH, ST. TAMMANY PARISHES, ORLEANS PARISH, ST. TAMMANY PARISH AND ORLEANS PARISH DO HAVE VERY MANY PLACES WHERE WE CAN GO SEE NATIVE GARDENS. SO WE NEED TO GET THAT CHANGED FOR, UH, JEFFERSON PARISH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, SO WE ARE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, WHICH ADVOCATES FOR THE USE OF NATIVE PLANTS IN OUR GARDENS. UM, WE ARE AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION. WE HAVE MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS. OUR NEXT MEMBERSHIP MEETING IS GONNA BE MARCH 25TH ON THE CAMPUS OF U N O, BECAUSE WE HAVE PUT IN, UM, A, WE, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY, I'M AN ALUM OF U N O. IF YOU WENT TO U N O, YOU MAY REMEMBER THE WOOD LOT THAT IS ACROSS FROM THE LIBERAL ARTS BUILDING. WE ARE RESTORING THAT WOODLOT TO ALL NATIVES, NATIVE PLANTS, I'M SORRY, NATIVE TREES, NATIVE BUSHES, AND YEAH, EVEN SOME FLOWERING, UH, WILDFLOWERS. UM, BECAUSE U N O IS INSTALLING A BIRD WATCHING TRAIL, A BIRDING TRAIL ON CAMPUS. SO WE'RE, WE ARE INVOLVED IN THAT. WE'RE ALSO HAVE A GARDEN AT THE ROSA KELLER LIBRARY IN BROADMOOR, WHICH IS RIGHT ACROSS FROM EL PVO. IF YOU'VE BEEN TO EL PVO MEXICAN RESTAURANTS RIGHT ACROSS THERE, UH, RICHARD WAS TALKING ABOUT THE IRISES IN CITY PARK. WE HAD THE BIG LAKE GARDENS. UH, WE HAVE A PRAIRIE GARDEN. WE HAVE OUR RAIN GARDENS GOING ON OVER THERE. AND THEN WE ALSO OFFERED GIVEAWAYS. WE JUST WENT THROUGH A SERIES OF GIVING AWAY, GIVE GIVEAWAYS. UH, THIS TIME IT WAS CARDINAL FLOWERS, WHICH I HAVE BROUGHT SOME OF THE, AND THE CARDINAL FLOWERS, BY THE WAY, COME FROM NPI. OKAY. SO, UH, THE NATIVE PLANT INITIATIVE DONATED THESE PLANTS TO ME SO THAT THEN I CAN ALLOW YOU TO TAKE SOME. AND, UM, THEY ARE A GOOD WETLAND PLANT, SO PLEASE, PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING THEM HOME WITH YOU. UH, AS I SAID, OUR NEXT MEMBERSHIP MEETING IS ON THE 25TH OF MARCH. UH, OUR MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE PRETTY LOW. UM, SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, AND IF YOU WANT TO GET JP ON THE BANDWAGON IN TERMS OF PLANTING, UM, NATIVE GARDENS, PLEASE, PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING UP. SO, UH, PRAIRIE GARDEN AT BIG LAKE, THESE ARE SOME U N O STUDENTS. I, I, I, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW INSPIRING IT WAS TO SEE 21 YEAR OLDS AT EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON SATURDAY WHEN WE KNOW WHAT 21 YEAR OLDS DO ON FRIDAY NIGHTS, UM, COMING AND PLANTING TREES, IT WAS VERY INSPIRATIONAL. AND, UH, THEY DID A GREAT JOB. SO WHAT IS A NATIVE PLANT? A NATIVE PLANT IS A PLANT THAT HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME BEFORE HUMANS HA AND, AND HUMANS, UM, BEFORE THEY CAME ALONG. AND THEY'VE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NATIVE PLANT. IT GREW THERE. UM, NATIVE PLANTS HAVE EVOLVED WITH THE INSECTS. THEY'VE EVOLVED WITH THE ANIMALS. AND FOLKS, YOU KNOW, I HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY [01:40:01] WE WANT NATIVE PLANTS, BECAUSE OF INSECTS. IF WE LOSE INSECTS, WE LOSE OUR STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM, WE LOSE OUR CHOCOLATE BARS, WE LOSE OUR LETTUCE ON OUR PO BOYS, WE LOSE EVERYTHING WE NEED. THE INSECTS AND NATIVE PLANTS WILL BRING THOSE HERE. UM, NATIVES ARE NOT GONNA GIVE YOU THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL PHOTO SPREAD, OKAY? UM, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE GLORIOUS COLOR ALL YEAR ROUND BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE WAY MOTHER NATURE INTENDED AND NATIVES TO GO. UM, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT NATIVE PLANTS ARE, I WILL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH THAT. OKAY. SO WHERE CAN YOU BUY 'EM? BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG QUESTION AND RICHARD BROUGHT THAT UP AND IT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. WHERE CAN YOU GET THESE? WELL, I AM A VOLUNTEER AT THE PELICAN GREENHOUSE. I WORK THERE ON THURSDAY MORNINGS. WE HAVE REGULAR PLANT SALES. LAST WEEKEND WAS THE FIRST PLANT SALE OF THE YEAR. AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU, IT WAS SWAMPED. WE HAD, DID ANYBODY ATTEND? IT WAS INCREDIBLE. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAME. SO, UH, PELICAN GREENHOUSE IS ON CELEBRATION DRIVE. WE HAVE MONTHLY PLANT SALES. THEY GO FROM NINE TO NOON. THE NEXT PLANT SALE WILL BE AT THE GARDEN SHOW, AND THAT'S APRIL 1ST AND SECOND. AND THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF NATIVE PLANTS THERE. WE HAVE A GREAT SELECTION. SOME OF THEM. I HAVE GROWN MYSELF IN THE PELICAN PLANT, UH, GREENHOUSE. UM, ALL PLANTS ARE USUALLY SA OUR PLA I'M SORRY, ALL PLANT SALES ARE USUALLY THE FIRST OF THE MONTH, MARCH THROUGH NOVEMBER. NOVEMBER'S HISTORICALLY THE LAST SALE, UM, QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED. SO IF YOU, AND, AND I SHOULD TELL YOU IF YOU'RE ON FACEBOOK, UH, THERE IS A PLANT LIST PUT OUT USUALLY THE THURSDAY BEFORE EACH PLANT SALE. SO IF YOU'RE ON FACEBOOK, IF YOU GOOGLE, I'M GOOGLE, I'M SORRY. IF YOU FACE GET ON FACEBOOK AND YOU LOOK FOR, UH, THE PELICAN GREENHOUSE PLANT SALES, THEY WILL HAVE THE LIST POSTED THERE. BUT QU QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED. SO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BRING A WAGON AND GET THERE EARLY. UM, I, I HAVE, I'M GUILTY. MY HUSBAND THINKS I'M CRAZY AND I PROBABLY AM. BUT I HAVE GOTTEN THERE AT 7 45 FOR THE PLANT SALE. AND THERE'S ALREADY A LINE OF PEOPLE. UM, CHICKENY NATIVES IS A NEW, FAIRLY NEW NURSERY. UM, IT HAS RUN THE PROPRIETOR AS A FRIEND OF MINE. UH, WHAT SHE DOES IS SHE COLLECTS SEEDS MAINLY IN ST. TAMMANY PARISH. IN WASHINGTON PARISH, BUT ALSO IN THE BEITIT AREA, AREA OF JEFFERSON PARISH AND IN ORLEANS PARISH. AND SHE GROWS THESE NATIVES THAT ARE LOCALLY SOURCED. THAT MEANS THEY WEREN'T GROWN IN MINNESOTA AND BROUGHT DOWN HERE. THEY WEREN'T, WEREN'T GROWN IN, YOU KNOW, PENNSYLVANIA OR CALIFORNIA. THESE ARE LOUISIANA STRAIGHT NATIVES. UM, SHE DOES HAVE A WEBSITE AND IF YOU GOOGLE IT, I DON'T KNOW IF I, I DID PUT IT UP THERE. YES. UM, YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE AND SHE WILL DELIVER THEM TO YOU. NOW, THE ONE THING SHE DOES ASK IS THAT YOU, SHE DOES NOT TAKE PRE-ORDERS BECAUSE, UM, SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE, UH, STOCK TO DO THAT PRE-ORDER. BUT YOU'RE GETTING STRAIGHT LOUISIANA NATIVES, UH, LOUISIANA GENETICS, THE GARDEN SHOW. YES. AND SHE WILL BE AT THE GARDEN SHOW APRIL 1ST AND SECOND ALSO, HILLTOP ARBORETUM, WHICH IF YOU'VE BEEN THERE, YOU KNOW HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS. AND THEY HAVE, UM, A GREAT PLANT SELECTION TOO. THEY ALSO HAVE A GREAT PLANT SALE. AND IF YOU BECOME A MEMBER, WHICH I DID, JUST SO I CAN GET FIRST DIBS ON THEIR PLANTS, UM, YOU GET IN INVITED EARLY INTO THE SHOW BEFORE THE GENERAL PUBLIC, UH, CROSBY AR ARBORETUM, THOUGH IT'S NOT LOCAL SO TO SPEAK. IT'S A GREAT PLANT, UH, PLACE THEY HAD, THEIR RECENT SALE WAS ON FEBRUARY 11TH. THAT'S THEIR ARBOR DAY SALE, WHERE THEY SELL MOSTLY NATIVE TREES. UM, BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE A PLANT SALE COMING UP SOON. UM, OKAY, SO RICHARD HAD MENTIONED THAT JEFFERSON FEED AND SEED, OR JEFFERSON, WHATEVER IT IS, UH, HAS, UH, NATIVES. THAT'S BECAUSE RICK WEBB, WHO IS A FANTASTIC HUMAN BEING, RICK WEBB OF LOUISIANA GROWERS. HE IS THE ONLY LARGE SCALE NATIVE PLANT PROPRIETOR, UH, IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA. HE DROPS PLANTS OFF, HE SELLS PLANTS TO JEFFERSON FEED. HE SELLS PLANTS TO THE PLANT GALLERY. UM, I AM, THOSE ARE, AGAIN, THEY'RE ALL GROWN. ALL THE NATIVE PLANTS HE DROPS OFF ARE ARE ONES HE HAS GROWN. UM, THE PLANT GALLERY USUALLY HAS A PRETTY NICE SELECTION OF SOME OF, HE DROPS OFF, SOME [01:45:01] GRASSES, HE DROPS OFF, UH, IRISES. UM, ONE YEAR HE HAD DROPPED OFF, UH, COUPLE TRAYS OF, UH, BLACK-EYED SUSANS, UH, RU REBECCA ERTA. HE DROPPED OFF SOME OF THOSE. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE NURSERIES PERIODICALLY. AND IT'S PLANTING TIME NOW BECAUSE AS RICHARD SAID, I THINK IT WAS RICHARD, MAYBE THE ROOTS NATIVE PLANT ROOTS GO WAY DOWN. SO YOU WANT THO TO GET THOSE PLANTS IN THE GROUND NOW SO THEY CAN ESTABLISH THOSE ROOTS. UM, SO THERE ARE SOME UP, WELL OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST ONE'S PASSED. UH, THERE ARE SOME UPCOMING EVENTS YOU WANNA THINK ABOUT. UH, APRIL 1ST AND SECOND AS OUR LSU AG FOLKS CAN TELL YOU IS THE GARDEN SHOW. UM, GREAT NATIVE PLANT SELECTION THERE FROM CHICKY NATIVES AND ALSO FROM, UH, THE PELICAN GREENHOUSE. APRIL 21ST AND 22ND IS THE NORTHSHORE GARDEN AND PLANT SALE. IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN, YOU NEED TO GO. IT'S A FANTASTIC PLANT SALE GARDEN SHOW. I WILL BE SELLING NATIVES THERE. UM, I HAVE A SMALL GROWING BUSINESS. UM, I JUST SOLD A WHOLE SLEW OF PLANTS AT THE MADISONVILLE GARDEN SHOW THIS PAST WEEKEND. BUT I WILL BE SELLING SOME PLANTS THERE. I HAVE A STRAIGHT NATIVE FOR LOUISIANA, STRAIGHT LOUISIANA NATIVE FOR SALE CALLED, UH, DRUMMONDS SKULL CAP, PRETTY LITTLE THING. AND CHICKY NATIVES WILL BE THERE AS WELL ON THE 21ST AND THE 22ND. UM, SO YOU CAN GET THINGS THERE AS WELL. AND ALSO, I BELIEVE APRIL 29TH, UH, MANDEVILLE PARKS AND PARKWAYS WILL ALSO BE SELLING. THEY'RE HAVING A POLLINATOR CELEBRATION AND THEY, THERE WILL ALSO BE VENDORS SELLING NATIVE PLANTS THERE AS WELL. SO THERE ARE QUITE A FEW AVENUES YOU HAVE. UM, I DID, I DO THINK, OH, I LEFT THIS ONE OUT. I DIDN'T MEAN TO, UM, DELTA FLORA IS A, BASICALLY A, UM, SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO EMAIL THEM AND THEY WILL, AND THEY WILL SEND YOU THE, UH, PLANT LISTS THAT THEY HAVE. THEY HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF NATIVES, A LOT OF TREES AND SHRUBS, BUT YOU HAVE TO, THEY'RE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, SO YOU HAVE TO CONTACT THEM TO SUM UP. SO NATIVES INVITE WILDLIFE TO OUR GARDENS FOLKS. I HAVE A, I LIVE OFF BONIL AND I HAVE ABOUT 71 BIRD SPECIES ON MY YARD LIST. AND PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE WHAT I GROW IN MY YARD, I, UH, A FAMILY OF CHICKIES NEEDS 6,000 CATERPILLARS FOR ONE NEST CLUTCH OF EGGS. OUR LIVE OAKS HELP TREMENDOUSLY WITH THAT. PARENT BIRDS DON'T FEED BABY BIRDS SEEDS. IT'S ALL INSECTS. SO I'M ALWAYS GONNA SAY WE HAVE TO GET A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH INSECTS CUZ THEY ARE VITAL. UM, NATIVES REQUIRE A LOT LESS WORK. YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE OUT THERE WATERING. I I HAVE TO ASK MY HUSBAND SOMETIMES DON'T WATER SO MUCH. THESE ARE NATIVES. THEY DON'T LIKE TO BE WATER. UNLESS OF COURSE YOU'RE DEALING WITH A RAIN GARDEN, THEN YEAH, YOUR IRISES DO WANNA HAVE MORE WATER. UM, IT'S PATRIOTIC. WE'RE PUTTING AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS FIRST. OKAY. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, UM, NORTH AMERICA, LOUISIANA HAS SOME GORGEOUS WILDFLOWERS, UH, AND THEN THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL AND THEY'RE TOUGH. OKAY? WHILE, WHILE OUR PANZI OR NOT OUR PANES ARE PETUNIAS FREEZE, NOT OUR NATIVES LIKE BRING IT ON. SO THAT'S WHAT OOPS, I'M SORRY THAT, THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OH, I WANNA DO ONE SHAMELESS THING AND THEN SHAMELESS PLUG AND THEN THAT'S IT. UM, N P I IS PARTNERING WITH THE LOUISIANA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY FOR YOU TO GET A CERTIFICATE AND PUT A SIGN IN YOUR YARD THAT YOU HAVE PLANTED FOR HABITAT. SO THE LOUISIANA CERTIFICATION, LOUISIANA HABITAT CER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM IS ALIVE AND WELL. AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, IS THAT YOU APPLY FOR CERTIFICATION. IF YOU HAVE 25 SPECIES OF NATIVES, YOU GET A LITTLE STICKER TO PUT ON YOUR SIGN. IF YOU HAVE 50 SPECIES OF NATIVES IN YOUR YARD, YOU GET ANOTHER STICKER TO PUT ON YOUR SIDE. I HAVE 105 SPECIES OF NATIVES IN MEYER. I TOLD YOU MY HUSBAND THINKS I'M OBSESSED. UM, SO I, I HAVE A GOLD STICKER, BUT I I PUT IT ON MY, UH, SIGN. AND THIS DISPLAYS IN YOUR YARD THAT YOU CARE ABOUT LOUISIANA'S NATURAL LEGACY. [01:50:01] SO I HAVE SOME, UM, BROCHURES BACK THERE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS. I ALSO HAVE A QR CODE FOR NPI IF YOU WANNA TAKE THAT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PLANTS OUT THERE. THOSE ARE THE CARDINAL FLOWERS. UM, THEY CAN GET TO BE ABOUT, THEY CAN GET TO BE ABOUT YAY HIGH. UM, HUMMINGBIRD DO LOVE THEM. BUTTERFLIES LOVE THEM. BEES LOVE THEM. SO TAKE SOME, I'D LIKE TO TAKE MY TRAYS BACK HOME. SO I HOPE YOU TAKE SOME, UM, THEY'RE THERE. THEY NEED TO BE PLANTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THEY NEED, UM, SHADE. THEY, THEY LIKE SHADE. THEY LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF SUN, BUT THEY'RE NOT FULL SUN. PLEASE DON'T PUT THEM IN BLAZING SUN, UH, WATER THEM REGULARLY CUZ THEY DO LIKE SOIL TO BE MOIST. PLEASE TAKE SOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. WENDY. I THINK WE WILL TAKE A QUICK FIVE MINUTES BREAK, UH, AS WE ENDED OUR, UH, WATER MANAGEMENT AND URBAN GARDENING SESSION. WHEN WE COME BACK, WE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW OF A BENEFIT ALL THIS TO YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR COMMUNITY. SO UNTIL WE COME BACK. THANK YOU. HELLO. LET'S GET EVERYBODY BACK. OUR FINAL SECTION, CAN WE, UH, THINK OUR FINAL SECTION? UM, WE HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS. UH, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS, UM, MARIANNE KUAN. MARIANNE. UM, MARIANNE IS, UH, AN ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ATTORNEY WHO ADVOCATES FOR EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE LAW MAKING AND POLICY AND THROUGH COMMUNITY, UM, ACTIVISM AND LEGAL STRATEGY. UM, I MET MS. CHUAN YEARS AGO AT, AT THELE LOW SUMMIT WHERE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE SAME SUBJECT. AND I WAS, UM, VERY, VERY MESMERIZED BY WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY ABOUT, UM, ADVOCACY FOR, UM, URBAN GARDENING. AND I WAS INSPIRED ACTUALLY MYSELF AND MAYBE ONE OF THE REASONS I'M, I'M, I'M DOING THIS TODAY IS WHAT I HAD TO LISTEN FROM, FROM MARYANNE AND OTHERS, UM, IN, IN AT A SESSION IN TLE BACK WHEN, UM, SHE IS, UM, ASSOCIATED WITH RECIRCULATING FARMS NOW, WHICH IS A GREAT ORGANIZATION AND SHE WILL TELL US ALL ABOUT IT TODAY. SO, UM, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO AND WITHOUT WASTING MORE TIME, PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME MS. MARIANNE KUAN. THANK YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. THANKS SO MUCH. IT'S SO GOOD TO HEAR THAT PEOPLE LISTEN TO THOSE PRESENTATIONS WHEN WE DO THEM . UM, HEY EVERYBODY, I'M MARYANNE KAON. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF RECIRCULATING FARMS. UM, MY SIDE JOB IS, I'M ALSO, UH, I ALSO RUN THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAM AT LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL, . UM, AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT OVERLAP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND URBAN FARMING. AND PEOPLE TEASE ME ALL THE TIME AND SAY, WAIT, WAIT, YOU'RE A LAWYER BUT YOU'RE A FARMER. AND I SAY, YOU KNOW, THOSE TWO THINGS DON'T ACTUALLY, UM, ARE NOT ACTUALLY MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE BECAUSE THE KIND OF WORK I DO IN THE LAW IS, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL LAW. AND SO WE CARE A LOT ABOUT CLIMATE AND UM, COMMUNITY. AND SO THE URBAN FARMING WORK THAT THE ORGANIZATION I WORK WITH DOES IS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT. SO I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT TODAY ABOUT WHAT WE DO GENERALLY. AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY ASK ME TO FOCUS ON, UM, ENERGY AND WATER USE AT OUR FARM. UM, WE DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. WE DO A LOT OF AQUAPONICS, WHICH IS, UH, RAISING FISH AND PLANTS TOGETHER IN THE SAME SYSTEM. AND SO I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. BUT WE DO TRADITIONAL FARMING AS WELL. ALL RIGHT? SO, UM, WE ARE A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. UH, OUR HOME IS HERE IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. UM, BUT WE DO STUFF NATIONWIDE. UM, OUR PRIMARY MISSION IS TO USE RECIRCULATING FARMS. AND AS I MENTIONED, WHAT THOSE ARE FOR US IS AQUAPONIC BASED SYSTEMS. UM, WE USE THEM TO ADDRESS FOOD QUALITY ISSUES TO HELP SUPPORT AN EQUITABLE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM THAT HAS MINIMAL IMPACT TO OUR ENVIRONMENT. SO WE ARE ALL ABOUT CLIMATE SMART, LOW INPUT SYSTEMS AT OUR FARMS. UM, OUR ORGANIZATION STARTED BACK IN JANUARY, 2009. [01:55:03] UM, AND THEN WE GREW INTO A FULL FLEDGED PRIVATE ON OUR OWN ORGANIZATION IN 2011. AND SO WE'VE BEEN HERE IN, UH, LOUISIANA SINCE 2011. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FUN BIRTHDAYS, UH, HERE. AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THOUSANDS OF FARMERS, FISHING COMMUNITIES, EDUCATORS, CONSERVATIONISTS, FOODIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR A LOT OF YEARS. AND IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST STARTED WHEN YOU SAID TO PEOPLE, WHAT'S A RECIRCULATING FARM? UH, THEY SAID, OH, YOU GROW THAT WACKY WEED, RIGHT? AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH, I MEAN THEY DO. THAT'S AQUAPONICS AND HYDROPONICS, BUT WE GROW FOOD. UH, SO NOW THESE DAYS THOUGH, PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT A RECIRCULATING FARM IS AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN PRODUCE FISH AND PLANTS AND FRUIT AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS. AND SO IT'S BEEN A, A FUN EVOLUTION OVER THE LAST 10, 15 YEARS. SO WHAT DO WE DO? UM, WE TRY AND FOCUS ON HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AT OUR FARMS. AND SO WE OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. WE DO OUTDOOR EXERCISE, WE DO FOOD GROWING, WE DO GROWING THE GROWERS AS WE CALL IT, WHICH IS SORT OF TRAINING THE, THE NEXT FOLKS TO DO WHAT WE DO AND GROW FOOD AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN BEING FOOD SECURE. MOST OF WHAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE ABOUT IS CREATING HEALTH AND WELLNESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD AND FARMING. SO OUR COMMUNITY GARDEN WE HAVE IS IN CENTRAL CITY. UM, WE HOST A NUMBER OF RAISED GARDEN BEDS THERE, PEOPLE COME IN AND GROW WITH US. UM, WE DO A WIDE RANGE OF FREE CLASSES FROM KIDS' CLASSES AND COMMUNITY CLASSES ON SATURDAYS TO, UM, PROFESSIONAL GROWING CLASSES ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS. WE DO HEALTH SUPPORTIVE COOKING CLASSES. UM, WE HAVE A VETERAN'S PROGRAM THAT WE WORK WITH AT THE VA. SO IF YOU KNOW ANY VETERANS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FOOD PRODUCTION AND FARMING, SEND THEM OUR WAY. WE HAVE A FREE CLASS EVERY FRIDAY AND THEY HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VETERANS GARDEN ON CANAL STREET NEAR THE VA. UM, WE ALSO DO A WEEKLY COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE PROGRAM. WE HAVE 40 BAGS A WEEK THAT ARE ALL LOCAL, UM, THAT WE SOURCE FROM OUR OWN FARMS AND ALSO FROM OTHER LOCAL URBAN FARMS IN THE AREA. AND WE PROVIDE, UM, A DISCOUNT FOR SNAP AND E B T USERS THANKS TO THE MARKET MATCH PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH CRESCENT CITY FARMERS' MARKET. THEY WORK WITH US. UM, AND THAT MEANS THAT OUR BAGS ARE JUST $8 FOR PEOPLE WHO USE E B T AND SNAP. UH, AND THEY GET A BIG ABUNDANCE OF VEGETABLES AND FRUITS AND EGGS AND HERBS AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER STUFF. ALRIGHT, SO ENOUGH ABOUT US. UH, WHAT I CAME HERE TO TALK ABOUT IS THAT WATER AND ENERGY SAVING METHODS THAT WE USE AT OUR PROGRAMS, UM, WE ARE ALL ABOUT REDUCING, REUSING, AND RECYCLING AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. AND WE THINK THAT SOME OF THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT IS THROUGH BEING MINDFUL ABOUT OUR ENERGY AND WATER USE. UM, SO FOR WATER, WE ACTUALLY USE RAIN CATCHMENTS. DO Y'ALL REMEMBER WHEN YOU COULDN'T DO THAT AROUND HERE? UM, BOTH IN JEFFERSON AND ORLEANS PARISH, WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO USE RAIN CA RAIN CATCHMENTS, UM, AT THE FARMS BECAUSE OF A REMNANT OF LAW THAT WAS ABOUT YELLOW FEVER . SO, UM, IN RECENT YEARS WE'VE BEEN ALLOWED TO COLLECT WATER, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING. UM, SO WE USE RAIN BARRELS CURRENTLY AND UM, AND WE USE DIRECT IRRIGATION FROM THE RAIN BARRELS INTO OUR, UH, PLANT SYSTEMS, WHICH MEANS WE TRY AND MINIMIZE, UM, THE CITY WATER THAT WE USE FOR, FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. ONE FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE CITY WATER'S NOT THAT GREAT FOR PLANTS. UM, AND SO IT'S ACTUALLY BETTER TO, UH, TO USE THE RAINWATER. UM, WHAT DEER DIRECT IRRIGATION MEANS FOR US IS THAT WE RUN LINES FROM OUR RAIN BARRELS INTO OUR BEDS AND WE TURN THEM ON JUST LIKE YOU WOULD TURN ON A TAP AND THE WATER GOES INTO OUR, UH, OUR GROW BEDS. WE ALSO USE WHAT'S CALLED RECIRCULATING AQUAPONICS, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN I GET TO SOME OF THE PICTURES. BUT ESSENTIALLY THAT MEANS WE HAVE A, A NO OUTPUT IN OUR SYSTEM. SO WE REUSE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SYSTEMS, UH, INCLUDING WATER. SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE WE USE A LOT OF ENERGY, I'M SURE. BUT THE REALITY IS WE DON'T, UH, WE RELY ON GRAVITY FOR OUR RAIN BARREL USAGE AND OUR, OUR WATER USAGE. AND WE HAVE FOR MANY YEARS, UM, BEEN ATTEMPTING TO BE 100% INDEPENDENT OF THE GRID. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET. I'LL BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU. IT IS VERY HARD TO RUN AN ENTIRE PRODUCTION AND COMMUNITY GARDEN ON SOLAR PANELS, BUT WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST, WE ARE ACTUALLY JUST ABOUT TO PUT IN A NEW SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM, [02:00:01] UM, WITH BACKUP BATTERIES THAT CAN STORE THE ENERGY FOR WHEN WE HAVE THOSE WONDERFUL DAYS WHERE THERE'S NO SUN AT ALL OR WEEKS WHEN WE HAVE NO SUN AT ALL. UM, AND WE HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT IF WE USE TIMERS ON THE SYSTEMS, THAT WE CAN SAVE THE ENERGY AND THE WATER, UH, MORE EFFICIENTLY. BUT IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE, YOU KNOW, GETTING GOOD PANELS THAT CAN STAND UP TO THE ELEMENTS THAT WE HAVE HERE, HOT AND COLD. UM, GETTING PANELS THAT ARE SUSTAINABLY CREATED IS ALSO AN ISSUE. YOU KNOW, NOBODY REALLY THINKS ABOUT THE BACKGROUND TO SOLAR ENERGY. EVERYBODY'S JUST LIKE SOLAR ENERGY, GREAT. BUT SOMEBODY PRODUCES THOSE PANELS AND THEY USE ENERGY AND RESOURCES TO PRODUCE THOSE PANELS. AND SO WE TRY AND FIND SUSTAINABLY SOURCED PANELS. WE ALSO HAVE TAKEN TO USING INDEPENDENT, UM, SOLAR LIGHTING AND, UM, OFF, YOU KNOW, OFF THE MAIN SOLAR POWER GRID. WE HAVE INDEPENDENT LITTLE LIGHTS NOW THAT LIGHT THE PATHS YOU CAN GET LITTLE FERRY LIGHTS THAT ARE SOLAR POWERED THAT WE USE, UH, AS DECOR AND TO LIGHT OUR WAY WHEN WE HAVE EVENING CLASSES. WE'VE GOTTEN REALLY CREATIVE TO TRY AND REDUCE OUR, UM, OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND EVEN OUR RECIRCULATING, UM, AQUAPONICS. IN THE PAST WE HAVE HAD ON, UH, SOLAR POWER, WE'RE ABOUT TO DO THAT AGAIN. WE HAVE BEEN ON THE GRID RECENTLY. UM, JUST BECAUSE THINGS HAVE BEEN HIGH IN HIGH PRODUCTION, IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO BE 100% SOLAR, BUT WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE, UM, ENERGY EFFICIENT. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE PICTURES, UM, OF OUR DIFFERENT SOLAR SETUPS OVER THE YEARS. YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME ON, ON ROOFTOPS, THERE'S SOME ON, UH, FENCES. WE HAVE SOME ON TOP OF OUR SHED. WE HAVE SOME MOUNTED . UH, WE HAVE TRIED JUST ABOUT EVERY ORIENTATION YOU CAN IMAGINE TO, UH, TO BE ENERGY EFFICIENT. UM, AND IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE. YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT ENERGY USE IS THE KEY. AND, UM, EXPERIMENTING IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE ARE SLOWLY FIGURING OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR US. AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO TRY IT. IT IS NOT PERFECT, UM, BUT IT IS, BUT IT IS WORTHWHILE TRYING. SO WATER USE, THIS HAS BEEN WAY MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN OUR ENERGY REDUCTION STRATEGIES. I MENTIONED THAT WE USE RAIN BARRELS AND WE HAVE USED ALL DIFFERENT SORTS OF RAIN BARRELS OVER THE YEARS THAT WE HAVE MADE OURSELVES THAT WE HAVE SOURCED FROM GREEN LIGHT NOLA THAT WE HAVE CREATED FROM LEFTOVER, UM, SCRAPS FROM, UH, TRASH THAT WE'VE FOUND. UH, WE'VE DONE ALL SORTS OF THINGS IN MAKING USEFUL IRRIGATION, AND THESE PICTURES ARE JUST SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES OF THE RAIN BARRELS THAT WE'VE DONE. YOU CAN ALSO SEE BAMBOO IN THESE PICTURES. WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH USING BAMBOO, UM, AS A GARDEN MEDIUM, ESSENTIALLY GROWING PLANTS INSIDE THE BAMBOO, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY FUN AND PRETTY COOL. WE HAVE A LOT OF BAMBOO HERE IN LOUISIANA, AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T WANT IT IN THEIR YARDS. AND SO PEOPLE WILL CALL US TO COME AND HARVEST THE BAMBOO FROM THE YARD, AND WE USE IT IN OUR, UM, IN OUR PLANT GROWING. SO WE HAVE BUILT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PLANT SYSTEMS, UM, IN WHICH WE CAN GROW. AND YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THEM, UH, APPEAR ON THE SLIDE THAT IS AN ACTUAL AQUAPONIC SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE RUNNING. UM, WE BUILT BAMBOO MATS FOR THE BOTTOM OF THE SYSTEM. THERE'S WATER UNDER THEM AND PLANTS GROWING. AND THEN WE HAVE BAMBOO TOWERS THAT WE HOLLOWED OUT AND, UM, PUT CHEESE WAX INSIDE SO THE WATER WOULDN'T ABSORB INTO THE WOOD. AND SO IT RAN THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND WE SUCCESSFULLY GREW PLANTS FOR A WHILE, UM, UNTIL THEY, YOU KNOW, CRACKED. AND THEN WE JUST REPLACED THEM WITH MORE BAMBOO. SO THAT WAS A REALLY FUN, A FUN, UH, RE RECIRCULATING SYSTEM. SO THIS SLIDE, I THINK IS PROBABLY THE MOST INTERESTING. YOU CAN SEE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT RECIRCULATING SYSTEMS THAT, UM, THAT ARE OURS AND OUR COLLEAGUES FROM DIFFERENT PLACES. UH, WE HAVE TOWERS, WE HAVE MATS, WE HAVE BUCKETS. WE HAVE SMALL SCALE SYSTEMS THAT ARE AS TINY AS A DESKTOP TO LARGE SYSTEMS THAT ARE AS LARGE AS GIANT WAREHOUSES. UM, THEY ALL HAVE THEIR MERITS DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. OUR ORGANIZATION ADVOCATES FOR SMALLER SCALE SYSTEMS, NOT REALLY THE DESKTOP KIND, BUT THE KIND THAT CAN FEED A NEIGHBORHOOD OR A COMMUNITY. BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO BEING WATER EFFICIENT BY RECIRCULATING THE WATER, IT IS ALSO REALLY SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT IF YOU DO IT WELL. AND YOU CAN, UM, REDUCE REUSES AND RECYCLE IN THE BUILDING OF THE SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RUNNING OF THE SYSTEM. AND SO WE ARE ABLE TO OPERATE COMPLETELY OUTDOORS HERE BECAUSE OF OUR WEATHER. AND SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY LIGHTING OR CHILLERS [02:05:01] OR HEATERS. WE USE, UH, WHAT THE ELEMENTS GIVE US. AND SO OUR BEDS ARE OPEN AIR TO, TO THE WORLD JUST LIKE A NORMAL, UH, GARDEN WOULD BE, OR NORMAL FARM WOULD BE. UM, SOMETIMES WE PUT UP SHADE CLOTH. SOMETIMES WE, UM, YOU KNOW, TRY AND PROTECT THE FISH FROM THE HEAT BECAUSE THEY GET HOT OR COLD DEPENDING ON THE SEASON. BUT WE DO THINGS LIKE DIG DOWN INTO THE GROUND. SO WE GET THE BENEFIT OF A FEW DEGREES DIFFERENTIAL. IT GETS, YOU KNOW, COOLER IN THE SUMMER AND WARMER IN THE WINTER, AND IT'S REALLY ABOUT SMART DESIGN. SO IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND WATER USAGE, WE FIND THAT WE CAN BE SUPER EFFICIENT, UM, BASED ON BEING SMART IN OUR ACTUAL LAYOUT OF THE SYSTEMS. UM, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME TOWERS THAT WE'VE USED. UM, THERE'S SOME, YOU KNOW, LONG BEDS THAT WE'VE USED. UH, WE'VE EXPERIMENTED WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL. SO I'M GONNA STOP THERE BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND, UH, AND I THINK Y'ALL GOT THE GIST OF WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AFTER. AND, UH, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS, SO I'M HAPPY TO CHAT ABOUT ANY OF IT. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU MISS MARYANNE VERY MUCH. UM, AND HERE I WAS, I WAS LISTENING TO MARYANNE AND I WENT BACK AND, AND THOUGHT, AND, UM, I MUST THANK THE U N O RESTORATION PROGRAM FOR THEIR GENEROUS GRANT THAT ACTUALLY ENABLED US TO DO, UH, STUDIES AND, AND, UM, UH, SEMINARS LIKE THIS FOR OUR PUBLIC. SO, UH, IN, IN A SPECIFIC, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MS. BLAIR BOURGEOIS, WHO ALWAYS BEEN, UM, VERY HELPFUL IN, UM, IN MAKING THESE GRANTS, UH, AVAILABLE TO, TO US. UH, NEXT, SPEAKING ABOUT RECIRCULATING THINGS, I THINK WE WILL CONTINUE THAT SUBJECT WITH MICHAEL DESOTO OUR, UM, COMPOST SPECIALIST. AND, UH, THERE YOU ARE. I WAS LOOKING OVER THERE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD TO BE HERE. I'M GONNA GO OVER COMPOSTING BASICS AND HOW TO GET STARTED. IT'S ONE WAY WE CAN USE OUR FOOD SCRAPS AND YARD WASTE TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF OUR GARDEN AND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. SO WHAT IS COMPOST? COMPOST IS A NUTRIENT RICH DECAY ORGANIC MATTER THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE FERTILIZER FOR USE IN PLANT CULTIVATION. SO WE CAN USE GRASS CLIPPINGS, FOOD SCRAPS, LEAVES, AND JUST USE A NATURAL PROCESS, DECAY 'EM INTO ORGANIC MATTER THAT CAN BE REUSED. SO WHY SHOULD WE DO IT? SO IT HELPS ENERGIZE OUR SOIL. OUR SOILS CONTAIN FUNGI, MICROBES, MACROINVERTEBRATES AND COMPOST HELPS THEM GROW AND IT HELPS US RETAIN MOISTURE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS IT CAN DO IS KEEP 30% OF WASTE OUT OF OUR LANDFILLS. SO IF WE LOOK AT A NATURAL MODEL AND A FOREST LEAVES AND PLANTS FALL TO THE GROUND, THEY DECAY AND RETURN NUTRIENTS BACK INTO THE SOIL. OFTENTIMES DURING OUR, UH, YARD WORK, WE REMOVE THESE LEAVES AND GRASS AND ROB OUR SOILS, THESE NUTRIENTS. SO SOMETIMES THESE LEAVES AND GRASS END UP IN OUR CATCH BASINS CAUSING EXCESS FLOODING, BUT EVEN WHEN THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT, THEY MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN INTO OUR DRAINAGE DITCHES AND OUT TO OUR WATERWAYS, AND THEY CAN CARRY EXCESS NUTRIENTS AND PESTICIDES. AND THESE CAN LEAD TO SUCH THINGS AS ALGAE BLOOMS. AND THIS CAUSES HARM TO ALL OUR SWAMPS AND BAYOU, WHICH ARE A BUFFER FOR OUR HURRICANES. SO WE REALLY WANT TO IMPROVE OUR STORM WATER AND THE HEALTH OF OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ALL THESE AREAS. SO ONE OF THE SIMPLEST THINGS WE CAN DO IS GRASS CYCLING, JUST CUTTING YOUR GRASS AND LEAVING IT IN PLACE ON YOUR LAWN. WE'RE DEGRADE GRADE AND FERTILIZE IT IN PLACE SO IT KEEPS IT, UH, GRASS OUT OF THE LANDFILL. THERE'S NO BAGGING IT INTO PLASTIC BAGS AND HAULING IT OFF FOR THAT. AND IT STAYS OUT OF OUR WATERWAYS. AND IT CAN SAVE YOU SOME MONEY ON SOME FERTILIZER CUZ IT ADDS THAT NITROGEN BACK INTO THE SOIL. UH, HERE'S JUST SOME COMMON, UH, LEVELS YOU CAN CUT YOUR GRASS AT [02:10:01] TO IMPLEMENT THIS. ANOTHER THING WE CAN DO IS MULCHING. SO YOU CAN GATHER YOUR LEAVES AND PINE STRAW AND PUT IT BACK INTO YOUR FLOWERBEDS. AND IT HELPS RETAIN THE HEAT AND EVEN OUT, UH, WATER CONTROL AS WELL, AND CAN EVEN ACTUALLY REDUCE COMPACTION DURING OUR HEAVY RAINS. UH, AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE BAGGING IT UP OR MOVING IT INTO YOUR F OR BEDS, YOU CAN MULCH IT IN PLACE. UH, YOU CAN TAKE YOUR LAWN MOWER AND GO OVER IT OVER IT A FEW TIMES AND CHOP IT INTO SMALLER PIECES AND LEAVE IT ON THE GRASS AND WITH THE GRADE THERE. UH, AND WHENEVER YOU'RE PLACING IT IN YOUR FLOWER BED, YOU CAN PUT NEWSPAPER DOWN BEFORE YOU P APPLY YOUR MULCH TO HELP CUT DOWN ON WEEDS. ALL RIGHT, SO THE NEXT STEP FROM THERE WOULD BE ACTUAL FULL ON COMPOSTING. GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF BREAKING THESE THINGS DOWN IN A CLOSED SYSTEM. SO IT'S AN ENVIRONMENT RESPONSIBLE ACTION TO DO, UH, KEEP THIS WASTE OUTTA STORM WATER SYSTEMS OUT OF THE LANDFILLS AND KIND OF REDUCES OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. AND IT CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, EITHER REDUCE OR ELIMINATE CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, DEPENDING ON YOUR NEEDS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE START OFF WITH IS JUST A PLACE TO COLLECT COMPOST IN THE KITCHEN. USUALLY A ONE TO THREE GALLON CONTAINER. SO THIS ALLOWS YOU TO DO A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, YOU CAN EITHER BRING IT TO A COMMERCIAL COMPOSTING OPERATION IN YOUR AREA, IF THAT'S ALL YOU'RE READY TO DO AT THIS TIME, OR ALLOWS YOU TO COLLECT OVER A FEW DAYS TO BRING INTO YOUR OWN COMPOST BIN IN THE BACKYARD. SO A LOT OF 'EM COME WITH A CHARCOAL FILTER, WHICH HELPS CUT DOWN ON ODORS. AND THEN A LOT OF 'EM ARE EVEN CAN BE PUT IN A DISHWASHER TO BE CLEANED IF NEED BE. SO WHEN WE'RE GOING IN TO DO THE HOME COMPOSTING, I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH A FEW OPTIONS FOR YOU. ONE OF THE EASIEST ONES IS HEAT COMPOSTING. YOU DESIGNATE A SPOT IN YOUR YARD AND YOU DEPOSIT ALTERNATING LAYERS OF BROWN AND GREEN MATERIALS IN THERE. UH, GENERALLY WE GO FOR A THREE FOOT BY THREE FOOT BY THREE FOOT PILE, UP TO SIX FOOT BY SIX FOOT BY SIX FOOT. YOU JUST NEED TO BE AWARE, YOU DON'T WANT IT TOO LARGE OR IT'LL BE UNMANAGEABLE. YOU WANNA BE ABLE TO REACH PARTS OF IT SO YOU CAN TURN IT FREQUENTLY. UH, SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE HOOPS TO HELP CONTAIN IT A LITTLE BIT MORE RATHER THAN JUST HAVING THE PILE SPREAD OUT. SO THEY'RE PRETTY EASY TO MAKE. JUST GET YOU SOME DOG OR HOG WIRE AND LOOP THE IN START FILLING IT UP. UH, YOU CAN ALSO MAKE WOODEN COMPOST BINS. THEY HAVE COMMERCIALLY MADE ONES THAT YOU CAN BUY AND HAVE SHIPPED TO YOUR HOUSE AND PUT TOGETHER YOURSELF, OR YOU CAN MAKE 'EM YOUR ON YOUR OWN. UH, I WOULD CAUTION YOU TO USE AGAINST USING, UH, PRESSURE SHEET OF WOOD, ESPECIALLY FROM BEFORE 2004 AS IT WAS TREATED WITH CCCA, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO LEAK ARSENIC INTO THE SOIL. UH, AFTER 2004, THEY CHANGED THE FORMULATION AND TO A DIFFERENT, UH, TECHNOLOGY CALLED A C Q. AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT KNOWN TO HAVE TOXICITY ISSUES TO LEAD INTO THE SOIL AT THIS TIME. BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL CAUTIOUS ABOUT USING THEM AND GO WITH UNTREATED ONLY. AND AS WE'D LIKE TO REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE, SOME PEOPLE WANT TO USE PALLETS. AGAIN, I URGE YOU TO USE CAUTION ON THAT. UH, SOME ARE HEAT TREATED, BUT OTHERS USE METHYL BROMIDE A TOXIC PESTICIDE. YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO INTRODUCE THAT INTO YOUR COMPOST. UH, EVEN IF IT IS ONE THAT HAS BEEN TREATED WITH METHYL BROMIDE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S BEEN ON A LOT OF PALLETS, WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN SPILLED ON 'EM AND MAY BE CONTAMINATING THE WOOD. UH, EVEN PALLETS THAT ARE ONLY USED TO SHIP FOOD MAY CONTAIN FOOD-BORNE BACTERIA SUCH AS E COLI, LISTERIA. SO REALLY BE CAREFUL WHEN USING THAT. UH, ANOTHER OPTION YOU HAVE ARE THE PLASTIC COMPOST BINS. THEY'RE EASY TO COME BY, UH, EASY TO BUILD, AND IT HELPS REALLY SEAL THINGS UP AND MAINTAIN MOISTURE AND HEAT. ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS UP FROM THAT IS A TUMBLR. THIS HELPS KEEP THE COMPOST A LITTLE BIT HIGHER OFF THE GROUND, HELPS KEEP PEST OUT OF IT A LITTLE BIT MORE, AND IT MAKES IT EASY TO RETURN TO SPEED UP YOUR COMPOSTING. THEY HAVE COMMERCIAL, UH, ITEMS AVAILABLE. SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO BUILD THEIR OWN OUT OF ITEMS THEY HAVE LAYING AROUND. SOME PEOPLE EVEN JUST TAKE A TRASH CAN BUNGEE THE LID ON AND JUST ROLL IT ON THE GROUND AND GO THAT WAY. NOW IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS, UH, WORK THAT WAY, YOU CAN JUST TAKE A TRASH CAN, CUT THE BOTTOM OFF AND PUT IT ON BARE SOIL, DRILL SOME HOLES AROUND [02:15:01] IT AND FILL IT UP. AND WHAT THAT I'LL DO IS IT'LL ALLOW THE WORMS AND MICROBES TO COME UP FROM THE BOTTOM AND HELP MAKE COMPOST OUT OF THE ITEMS ON TOP. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A TOP ON IT TO KEEP THE PEST OUT. AND GENERALLY YOU WANT MORE HOLES TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE GARBAGE CAN TO HELP MORE AIRFLOW DOWN THERE TO KEEP IT FROM GOING ANAEROBIC. ALL RIGHT, SO NOW WE KNOW WHAT WE CAN PUT COMPOST IN. WHAT WE GONNA ACTUALLY PUT IN THE CONTAINERS. SO SOME OF THE MOST COMMON ITEMS WE WOULD HAVE AROUND SUBURBAN OR URBAN HOUSEHOLD ARE GRASS CLIPPINGS, LEAVES, SHRUB, PRUNINGS FLOWERS, SAWDUST, VEGETABLE AND FRUIT SCRAPS, COFFEE, TEA, THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, SO IN GENERAL, WE WANNA WATCH OUR RATIOS OF BROWN VERSUS IN GREEN INGREDIENTS. BROWNS ARE YOUR DRY PLANT PARTS. THAT'S YOUR SOURCE OF CARBON VERSUS YOUR GREENS. THESE ARE YOUR FRESH ITEMS, UH, SOURCES OF NITROGEN IN GENERAL. IF YOU'RE GOING BY VOLUME, YOU WANT TO GO TWO PARTS BROWN TO ONE PART GREEN. YOU CAN EVEN GO ONE TO ONE IF YOU WANT. AS YOU GET INTO MORE ADVANCED COMPOSTING, YOU MAY WANNA LOOK AT THE NITROGEN AND CARBON, UH, AMOUNTS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM AND GO BY WEIGHT INSTEAD. UH, SO OUR CARBON CONTAINING BROWN ITEMS ARE GONNA BE SHREDDED, NEWSPAPER, CARDBOARD, TWIGS STICKS, DRY LEAVES, WOOD CHIPS, SAWDUST, MOSS, AND OUR GREENS THAT CONTAIN THE NITROGEN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SCRAPS. UH, FRESH GRASS LEAVES, COFFEE GROUNDS, GARDEN WASTE, TEABAGS AND GRAINS. WHAT NOT TO COMPOST. YOU DON'T WANT MEAT, DAIRY, UH, GREASE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S GONNA INTRODUCE PEST INTO YOUR GARDEN. NO CITRUS FRUITS. THEY MAY KILL THE MICROS THROUGH THE ACIDITY. UH, I WANNA KEEP ALL TYPES OF PET FECES OUT OF THERE TO AVOID SPREADING PARASITES. AND OF COURSE, NO DISEASE OR INSECT RIDDEN PLANTS OR TROUBLESOME WEEDS. YOU DON'T WANNA SPREAD THAT AROUND IN YOUR GARDEN. SO, UM, AND JUST WATCH OUT. YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING THAT'S NOT GONNA BREAK DOWN NO METAL, GLASS, PLASTIC, STYROFOAM, NOTHING LIKE THAT. I EVEN REMOVED THE LABELS OFF OF ALL MY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES BEFORE I PUT IT IN THERE MYSELF. UH, BASIC COMPOST RECIPE. I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO CHOP YOUR MATERIALS INTO TWO INCHES OR LESS. THE SMALLER YOU CHOP THEM, THE QUICKER IT'S GONNA DECOMPOSE AND MAKE YOUR COMPOST. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, TWO PARTS BROWN TO ONE PART GREEN. UH, IDEALLY YOU WANT YOUR MOISTURE CONTENT AT 40 TO 60%. IT SHOULD FEEL LIKE A MOIST, UH, RUNG OUT SPONGE. SO, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANT YOU TO GET STARTED AT SOME LEVEL. IF ALL THAT SEEMS COMPLICATED, YOU CAN GO WITH A SLOW COMPOSTING METHOD. USE ONE OF THESE CONTAINERS THAT WE DESCRIBED EARLIER AND JUST ADD ALTERNATING LAYERS OF BROWN AND GREEN MATERIALS AS THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO YOU. UM, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EXACT, BUT YOU'LL STILL GET COMPOST IN SIX MONTHS TO TWO YEARS IF YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK IN. AFTER YOU GET THAT DOWN, YOU CAN GO INTO FAST COMPOSTING, ALSO KNOWN AS HOT COMPOSTING BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURES CAN GET UP TO 120 TO 150 DEGREES AS THESE ITEMS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND BREAK DOWN. UH, BUT IT DOES REQUIRE FREQUENT TURNING OF THE PILE TO HELP CIRCULATE THE OXYGEN. THEN YOU WANNA MORE CAREFULLY MONITOR THE RATIOS OF BROWNS TO GREENS AND CHECK YOUR MOISTURE LEVELS, BUT YOU'LL GET COMPOST OF ONE TO THREE MONTHS INSTEAD. SO, UH, BASIC DIRECTIONS LAYER AND MIX YOUR GREENS AND ALTERNATING ROUGHLY A THREE FOOT BY THREE BY THREE FOOT PILE. UH, GET MOIST, RUN OUT SPONGE, COVER THE PILE TOP BOTH TO KEEP YOUR MOISTURE IN AND KEEP, UH, PEST OUT. TURN THE PILE ONE TO THREE TIMES A WEEK TO HELP CIRCULATE THAT AIR. AND YOU'LL KNOW IT'S READY WHEN IT'S A DARK RICH HUMUS, WHICH IS USUALLY AROUND ONE TO THREE MONTHS. UH, LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, YOU MAY RUN INTO SOME PROBLEMS HERE AND THERE. YOU KNOW, YOU MAY GET BAD ODORS FROM ITS TOO WET. ADD SOME MORE BROWN INGREDIENTS, HELP DRY IT UP, OR NOT ENOUGH AIR. NEED TO TURN IT MORE OFTEN. IF IT'S TOO DRY, IT WON'T ACTIVATE AS QUICKLY AS YOU WOULD LIKE. ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE MOISTURE. IF IT'S NOT ENOUGH HEAT FOR HOT COMPOSTING, YOU MIGHT NEED TO GO A BIT LARGER PILE, OR YOU MAY NEED TO ADD SOME MORE NITROGEN SOURCES IN THERE. SOME MORE GREENS. SO WHEN YOUR COMPOST IS FINISHED, IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE ON THE LEFT, NICE AND DARK RICH. UH, THE COMPOST ON THE RIGHT STILL NEEDS TO GO A LITTLE BIT LONGER, SO SOME PEOPLE DON'T HAVE YARDS OR SPACE FOR A COMPOST, BUT IN THEIR BACKYARD. SO I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPLE OPTIONS [02:20:01] FOR A LITTLE BIT SMALLER AREAS. UH, SO WE'RE GONNA GO WITH BUCKET COMPOSTING AND WORM BOXES. BURNIE COMPOSTING. SO FOR BUCKET COMPOSTING, ALL YOU NEED IS A FIVE GALLON BUCKET. UH, YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS AND A FEW DRY MATERIALS. YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE SALT OIL, SAW DUST, PEAT MOSS AND STRAW. SO CHOP UP YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS AND MIX AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF DRY MATERIAL ONCE A WEEK. SO A ONE-TO-ONE RATIO. UM, AND THEN JUST KEEP MIXING UP WITH A TRO OR SMALL SPADE. AND THEN WHEN YOUR BUCKET IS THREE QUARTERS FULL, LET IT STAND ONE TO THREE MONTHS MIXING IT EVERY WEEK OR TWO. AND THEN YOU CAN ADD IT TO YOUR GARDEN AS COMPOST. ANOTHER OPTION IS WORM COMPOSTING. SO YOU LIKE ALL THESE OTHER OPTIONS, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE CONTAINER OR YOU CAN BUY A COMMERCIAL ONE. UH, WE'RE ONLY THING WE'RE GONNA BE PUTTING HERE IS VEGETABLE AND FRUIT WASTE FROM YOUR KITCHEN. IT CAN BE USED IN VERY SMALL SPACES. THERE'S VERY LITTLE ODOR. SO BASIC DIRECTIONS ON THAT IS SHRED AND MOIST AND OLD NEWSPAPER. AND PUT THEM IN A SIX INCH DEEP WELL-VENTILATED BOX. AND THEN START ADDING YOUR RED WIGGLER WORMS AND YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS. UH, THE SMALLER YOU CAN CHOP UP YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS FOR THEM, THE BETTER AS IT GIVES THEM MORE SURFACE AREA TO WORK WITH. UH, AND THEN YOU JUST KEEP ADDING FRESH FOOD AND THEY'LL KEEP MAKING YOU MORE COMPOST. UH, USUALLY IT'S READY ABOUT THREE TO SIX MONTHS. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU CAN DO IS MOVE THEM TO ONE SIDE, ADD MORE NEWSPAPER AND MORE FOOD SCRAPS TO THE OTHER, AND THE WORMS WILL NATURALLY MIGRATE TO THAT NEW FOOD. AND THEN YOU CAN TAKE YOUR COMPOST OUT THE OTHER SIDE. SO ONCE WE HAVE COMPOST, HOW ARE WE GONNA USE IT? WE GOT A FEW OPTIONS. SOIL AMENDING MULCHING OR POTTING MIX, SOIL AMENDING. JUST MIX IT INTO YOUR SOIL. UM, YEAH, 46 INCHES INTO NEWLY RECLAIMED OR POORER SOILS, OR ONE THREE INCHES INTO GARDEN BEDS OR SWELLING AROUND NEW TREES AND SHRUBS FOR PLANTING. OR YOU COULD USE AS MULCHING AND SPREAD IT ALONG TWO TO THREE INCHES OVER THE SOIL, AROUND PLANTS, TREES OR SHRUBS. YOU CAN USE OUR EXPOSED SLOPES TO SUPPRESS WEEDS, UH, MAINTAIN MOISTURE AND HELP PREVENT EROSION. AND YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE POTTY MIX. INSTEAD OF HAVING TO BUY IT, DO ONE THIRD COMPOST, ONE THIRD SAND, AND ONE THIRD PINE BAR. MIX IT ALL TOGETHER. SO CAN WE REPLACE FERTILIZERS USING THIS? IN SOME CASES, GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF RICH COMPOST CAN SUPPLY THE NEEDED NUTRIENTS FOR HEALTHY PLANT GROWTH. UH, SOMETIMES YOU MAY NEED TO ADD GREEN COVER CROPS SUCH AS CLOVER OR VETCH TO HELP BOOST THE NITROGEN LEVELS IN THE SOIL. UH, BUT THERE ARE SOME HEAVY FEEDING PLANTS THAT MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FERTILIZER, BUT THIS WILL HELP REDUCE THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE TO USE. SO IN CONCLUSION, WHY SHOULD YOU COMPOST? IT PREVENTS LEAVES FROM ENTERING STREETS AND STORM DRAINS. IT CUTS DOWN ON STORMWATER POLLUTION. UH, IT CUTS DOWN ON FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES, SAVES YOU TIME AND MONEY, AND TURNS OUR GARBAGE INTO GOLD INSTEAD OF A HINDRANCE OUT THERE IN THE LANDFILL. SO, UH, HERE'S SOME RESOURCES FOR YOU. LSU AG CENTER HAS A BUNCH OF GREAT RESOURCES ON COMPOSTING, INCLUDING A MASTER GARDENER, UH, HOME COMPOSTING CLASS, WHICH GOES INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL. UH, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT TAKE COMPOST AND WE'LL, UH, GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION. ONE OF 'EM IS COMPOST NOW. AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE, UH, COMMERCIAL, UH, COMPOSTING OUTFITS HERE IN TOWN, LIKE ELLIS AND COMPOSTING NETWORK THAT YOU CAN REACH OUT TO. UH, IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION FROM JEFFERSON PARISH GOVERNMENT, HERE ARE LENGTHS. UH, AND THIS IS MY CONTACT INFORMATION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AND MY DEPARTMENT'S INFO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPOSTING AND GARDENING AND EVERYTHING, AND EVERYBODY'S THINKING MAYBE WE'RE CREATING A MESS. WELL, OUR NEXT SPEAKER, DR. REGAL, DR. CLAUDIA REGAL WITH THE, UM, THE, UH, UH, NEW ORLEANS, UH, MOSQUITO TERMITE AND RODENTS ACADEMY, OR, OR BOARD RATHER, WILL SPEAK TO US HOW TO DO ALL THIS. YOU KNOW, , UH, LET ME TELL YOU, UH, DR. REGAL, UM, IS AN ASSET FOR THIS REGION AND NOT JUST FOR NEW ORLEANS. UH, SHE, UM, SHE'S A GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF B PURDUE, THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, AND FINALLY GOT HER PHD FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. SHE SPEAKS AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS ABOUT THIS VERY SUBJECT. SHE, SHE KNOWS HER STUFF AND, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE WORKED WITH HER FOR YEARS. [02:25:01] AND, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M VERY FORTUNATE AND, AND HONORED TO HAVE HER TODAY AS A PART OF THIS SEMINAR. SO, DR. RICO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SAMMY. THANK SO MUCH FOR INVITATION TO SPEAK TODAY. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED LISTENING TO EVERYBODY'S TALKS, RIGHT? AND SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, SPEAKERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT MULCHING AND WATER AND PLANTS. IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT, UM, THAT WE THINK ABOUT PEST CONTROL ON THE FRONT END SO THAT IT DOESN'T BECOME A PROBLEM ON THE BACK END. I'M GONNA TALK TODAY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT URBAN GARDENING AND REALLY THE PREVENTION OF RODENT AND MOSQUITO CONTROL. AND, UM, AND THEN I'M ALSO GONNA TOUCH ON PESTICIDE, PESTICIDE SAFETY, OUR HOMEOWNERS, OUR PROFESSIONALS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT, UM, SO THAT WE'RE USING THESE PRODUCTS IN THE SAME WAY, A SAFE WAY. UH, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T NOTICE, WE'RE, UH, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MOSQUITO AND TERMITE CONTROL BOARD. WE'RE LOCATED OUT ON, UH, 2100 LEON SIMON. SO THIS IS OUR FACILITY. WE CONDUCT THE ROAD AND ABATEMENT FOR ORLEANS PARISH MOSQUITO CONTROL, AS WELL AS PEST CONTROL. THIS IS A FOREMOST AND SUB TRAINING IN TERMITE, UH, FOR CITY FACILITIES. BUT WE ALSO DO A TON OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING. SO I DO APPRECIATE TODAY. SO LET'S, UH, YOU KNOW, WENT AROUND TOWN AND, AND LOOKED FOR SOME URBAN GARDENS. AND SO OF COURSE, THIS IS SORT OF THE WORST CASE SCENARIO OF WHAT IT COULD BE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, PART OF THIS TODAY, AND THIS IS SO GREAT TO BE HERE, IS LET'S THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS, RIGHT? OF HAVING A MESSY GARDEN OR LEAVING BUCKETS OR, UM, YOU KNOW, BIRD SEED OR WHATEVER IT IS. SO THIS IS, UH, SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE SEE HERE. THERE'S A BLUE POOL HOLDING WATER. I MEAN, YOU COULD JUST GO DOWN THROUGH, UM, LOTS OF VEGETATION THAT'S TIGHTLY, UH, PUT TOGETHER AND JUST GENERALLY NOT MAINTAINED VERY WELL. ACTUALLY, WOOD TO GROUND CONTACT THERE, WE CAN SEE THAT. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR TERMITES RIGHT NEXT TO THESE BUILDINGS. SO A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TODAY. ALL RIGHT, SO THE MOSQUITOES A CONCERN, AND THIS IS A REGIONAL THING. WE'VE GOT THE ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO, AND OF COURSE THE YELLOW FEVER, MOSQUITO, TWO VERY IMPORTANT MOSQUITOES IN OUR REGION. AND THEY LIKE CLEAN WATER AND THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, BREED INSIDE OF A TINY LITTLE CONTAINER, LIKE A BOTTLE CAP. I THINK YOU'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE. SO VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS HERE. IT'S VERY GOOD. AND RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE, WE DON'T HAVE DENGUE OR ZIKA VIRUS OR YELLOW FEVER, BUT THERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT HISTORY, UH, IN OUR REGION WITH YELLOW FEVER. SO, AND OF COURSE, ZIKA IN 2016, LOTS OF TRAVEL CASES CAME INTO OUR REGION. SO FORTUNATELY WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY LOCAL TRANSMISSION, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS. VERY IMPORTANT IS A SOUTHERN HOUSE MOSQUITO, AND THEY LIKE VERY NASTY, SMELLY ORGANIC WATER. SO IF YOU'RE WORKING IN THAT GARDEN OF YOURS, MAYBE IN YOUR BACKYARD OR A COMMUNITY GARDEN, I NEED EVERYBODY TO REALLY LOOK AT THOSE CONTAINERS, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVE AN ABANDONED TYPE THAT'S THERE, THAT NEEDS TO BE DISPOSED OF PROPERLY, PROPERLY, VERY IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSMISSION OF WEST NILE VIRUS. AND SOME ARE OTHER, UM, ARBOVIRUSES THAT ARE THERE, ENCEPHALITIC VIRUSES, EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS, UM, AND ALSO VERY IMPORTANT FOR CANINE HEARTWORM, RIGHT? SO, UH, WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT AS WELL. SO HERE'S JUST SOME MOSQUITOES IF YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO ID THEM. THESE ARE JUST SOME PICTURES HERE, UH, THAT YOU CAN, UH, LOOK AT. BUT ALSO WE ARE A RESOURCE, UH, FOR ORLEANS PARISH AND ALSO FOR THE REGION HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TEAM WITH MOSQUITO CONTROL, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS COLLECT THAT MOSQUITO, MAYBE POP IT IN THE FREEZER IN A TUPPERWARE, AND COME AND SEE US, RIGHT? OR SEND US AN EMAIL AND WE'LL HELP YOU IDENTIFY. BUT AGAIN, VERY IMPORTANT, NOT SO HARD TO DO, YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUST USE A LITTLE HAND LENS, UH, FOR SOME OF THESE MOSQUITOES AND IDENTIFY, NOW HERE'S SOME OF THE HABITAT THAT WE SEE, RIGHT? SO I'M SHOWING YOU SOME EXAMPLES BECAUSE THIS IS A COMMON THING. SO WE WORK REALLY HARD TO EDUCATE OUR FOLKS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS AND COMMERCIAL OPERATORS, EVERYBODY. BUT LOOK AT SOME OF THE STANDING WATER FLOWER POTS IN SAUCERS, PROBABLY, I WOULD SAY NUMBER ONE, RIGHT? ANOTHER BIG ONE IN OUR REGION COOLERS. EVERYONE HAS A COOLER IN THEIR BACKYARD. , YOU KNOW, IT'S MARDI GRAS TIME, WHATEVER IT IS, FESTIVAL SEASON. SO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE AREN'T HOLDING WATER, UM, AQUATIC VEGETATION, RIGHT? SO MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE A POND OR SOMETHING THAT HAS A AQUATIC VEGETATION, MAKE SURE THAT'S BEING, UM, PROPERLY MAINTAINED. AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE A BATHTUB, RAIN BARREL, UM, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TALK, UH, HEARD TODAY THE PRESENTATION ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS. I THINK THAT IS WONDERFUL. UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF PLANTS THAT ARE NOT NATIVE THAT HOLD WATER, [02:30:01] OKAY? SO, UH, WE'VE SEEN MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE BROMELIADS OUTSIDE, PERHAPS IN THEIR GARDEN, THAT IS A PLANT THAT HOLDS WATER CONSISTENTLY. SO VERY IMPORTANT. AND ALSO YOUR BIRD BATH, RIGHT? I HAVE A BIRD BATH, IT'S ALL GREAT. BUT MAKE SURE THAT THOSE GET TURNED OVER AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. YOU'RE ACTUALLY SCRUBBING, UH, THAT CONCRETE OR THAT METAL, BECAUSE THE MOSQUITOES WILL OFTEN LAY THEIR EGGS JUST ABOVE THE WATER LINE. SO WHAT HAPPENS IS, IF YOU JUST DUMP OUT THE WATER, FILL IT UP, GUESS WHAT? MOSQUITOES ARE GONNA HATCH IMMEDIATELY. SO, VERY IMPORTANT. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE TALKED ABOUT, OR SOME FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT RAIN BARRELS, AND I'LL TOUCH ON THAT. BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOUR RAIN BARRELS ARE PROPERLY CLEANED. THERE IS A DEBRIS SITTING ON TOP. WE OFTEN SEE BREEDING OF MOSQUITOES ON THAT, UH, SURFACE, LIKE ON THE LID, BECAUSE IT'S NOT DRAINING PROPERLY. IF YOU'RE AN ORLEANS PARISH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE COPA PODS RIGHT THERE, BIOLOGICAL CONTROL. AND IF YOU'RE USING THAT WATER FROM RAINWATER, GIVE US A CALL AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. AND ALSO, IF YOU WANT US TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND JUST INSPECT FOR FREE, JUST GIVE US A CALL. I'M GONNA HAVE MY, OUR EMAIL AT THE END, UM, OUR CONTACT INFORMATION AT THE END, AND WE'LL GO OUT THERE AND TAKE A LOOK FOR YOU. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH THE RAIN BARRELS, RIGHT? WE'RE ALL, WE'RE HAVE A HUGE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLDING THAT WATER, BUT WE NEED EVERYBODY WHO'S GOT A RAIN BARREL TO DO THEIR PART SO THAT YOU'RE NOT EXPOSING YOURSELF AND YOUR NEIGHBORS TO MOSQUITOES. ALL RIGHT? SO LET'S LOOK AT THAT PICTURE, RIGHT? WHOA, HOW MANY THINGS HERE DO WE NEED TO FIX, RIGHT? CAN'T BE LAZY ABOUT THIS. YOU'VE GOT SAUCERS, AND PLEASE DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS THAT ARE AROUND THERE. YOU'RE FEEDING THE W RATS, OKAY? YOU'RE FEEDING THE RACCOONS AND THE POSSUMS. SO SUPER IMPORTANT. LOOK, YOU'VE GOT A WATERING CAN THAT NEEDS TO BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, NOT HOLDING WATER. SO THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT EXAMPLES, AND OFTEN THESE GARDENS ARE SHARED, OKAY? SO IT'S ALL VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU TALK TO EVERYBODY, GET TO KNOW WHO'S THERE SO THAT YOU KNOW THEIR STUFF IS BEING STORED PROPERLY. ALL RIGHT? SO WE HAVE LOTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA. WE'RE AT NOLA MOSQUITO. MANY OF THESE, UH, LITTLE IMAGES THAT YOU SEE ARE POSTED THERE, SO YOU CAN GO TAKE A LOOK. UH, WE'VE GOT A BIG TIP AND TOSS CAMPAIGN. WE'RE ALWAYS POSTING ABOUT THIS, BUT IT'S REALLY, WE, AGAIN, I, I'VE SAID IT SO MANY TIMES, BUT WE NEED EVERYBODY TO TURN OVER THEIR CONTAINERS. I'M SURE IN JEFFERSON PARISH HERE AS WELL. TAKE 10 MINUTES, RIGHT? IT'S NOT A LOT OF TIME. WE OFTEN WILL PICK IT, LET'S SAY ON YOUR GARBAGE DAY. THAT'S WHAT I DO ON MY GARBAGE DAY. I TAKE A WALK AROUND. AND, UM, THIS WEEK ACTUALLY HAD SOME TARPS, UM, THAT I USED TO COVER MY CITRUS TREE. SO I ACTUALLY REMOVED THAT. IT WAS A NICE WEEKEND. I DRIED EVERYTHING, PACKED IT AWAY, AND IT'S IN MY GARAGE, RIGHT? SO IT JUST TAKES 10 MINUTES, UM, TO DO SOMETHING. UH, WE ALSO HERE IN ORLEANS, UH, HAVE, UM, MOSQUITO FISH. WE'VE GOT COA PODS THAT WE CAN USE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL AGENTS THAT CAN BE USED, VERY FRIENDLY, AND KEEP YOUR YARD FREE OF CLUTTER, OKAY? AND, AND REALLY CHECK YOUR VEGETATION, RIGHT? VERY IMPORTANT. YOUR PONDS, YOUR FOUNTAINS, RIGHT? WE NEED TO KEEP THOSE THINGS ON CIRCULATING, UH, OR HAVE SOME FISH IN THERE. MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT, UH, PROVIDING HABITAT. LOOK, WE CAN'T KILL EVERY MOSQUITO. WE'RE NOT GOING TO KILL EVERY MOSQUITO, NOR DO WE NEED TO KILL EVERY MOSQUITO, OKAY? BUT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW IT'S VERY WARM SEASON. WE'RE EARLY SEASON, AND ACTUALLY, I WAS OUT AT DUSK. SOME OF THESE FLOODWATER MOSQUITOES ARE COMING OUT, RIGHT? NOT SO IMPORTANT FOR DISEASE TRANSMISSION, BUT BOY, DO THOSE BITES HURT. AND SO YOU'RE OUT THERE, YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO AVOID THAT TIME, RIGHT? IF THE MOSQUITO, WHERE THE MOSQUITOES BITE, IF YOU CAN, UH, YOU SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER THE USE OF A CS, RIGHT? CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION APPROVED AND EPA ONLY APPROVED, UH, REPELLENT THAT YOU SHOULD USE. THERE'S DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT ARE THERE. OFTEN THOSE HOME REMEDIES ARE NOT REALLY THAT EFFECTIVE, OKAY? SO WE REALLY NEED YOU TO GO VISIT THE CDC WEBSITE AND USE WHAT THEY, THEY, UH, OFFER LITTLE THINGS LIKE USING LONG SLEEVES. I KNOW IT'S HOT, RIGHT? BUT YOU CAN WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT COTTON CLOTHES, A LONG PANTS, POSSIBLY EVEN CLOSED TOWED SHOES TO AVOID THOSE MOSQUITO BITES TO BEGIN WITH. AND AGAIN, ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO AT OUR HOUSE IS IF WE'RE OUTSIDE AND IT'S MOSQUITO SEASON, I TURN A FAN ON AND I SIT IN THE AIRSTREAM, RIGHT? SO MOSQUITOES ARE, IF IT'S A BIG, UH, UH, WIND THAT'S AROUND THEM, THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA AVOID YOU TO BEGIN WITH. ALL RIGHT? SO THAT'S, MOSQUITOES GONNA TIE IN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RODENTS. AND SO OUR REGION HAS THREE [02:35:01] COMMEN RODENTS. AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT'S THE MICE AND THE RATS THAT SHARE OUR TABLE. WE ARE VERY GOOD, OKAY? AT PROVIDING EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED TO SURVIVE. SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THE PICTURES ABOUT THE, THE GARDENS. AND I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES HERE. SO WE HAVE THE HOUSE MOUSE, THE NORWAY RAT IN THE ROOF RAT IN OUR REGION, ALL RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. HERE'S THE HOUSE MOUSE. THEY'RE PRETTY TINY. THERE'S A BANANA. JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF, YOU KNOW, REFERENCE ON SIZE. THEY OFTEN LOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE PUFFY THAN THEY ARE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE SCARED OR, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL HAIR, THEY'RE FUR. WE'LL SORT OF STAND ON END. UH, BUT THEY'RE VERY TINY. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD ISSUES. I THINK MOST EVERYONE'S HAD SOME SORT OF RUN IN WITH THE MOUSE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES, RIGHT? BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING ALL THE PRECAUTIONS SO THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE NOT INTERACTING, UH, WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY CAN CAUSE DISEASE. HERE'S A NORWAY RAT. UM, AND THEY'RE OFTEN FOUND IN COMMERCIAL AREAS. THEY'RE, AGAIN, VERY IMPORTANT IN YOUR GARDENS AND YOUR HOUSE, WHERE YOUR KEEP BEING YOUR TRASH COVERED. YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY FEEDING THE BIRDS, CUZ IT'S A HIGH QUALITY FOOD SOURCE FOR THEM. SO VERY IMPORTANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY'RE FEEDING. IF YOU'RE FEEDING YOUR DOGS OUTSIDE OR YOUR CATS FEED THEM, TAKE THE FOOD UP. AND BY THE WAY, YOU NEED TO CLEAN UP THE DOG POOP. ALL RIGHT? BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? THAT IS RAT FOOD. OKAY? AND THEY, IT IS VERY NUTRITIOUS RAT FOOD. UM, HERE'S A ROOF RAT, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. VERY LONG TAIL AS COMPARED TO THE BODY, RIGHT? SO, UM, THESE ARE VERY ARAL AND WHEN IT COMES TO GARDENS AND NUTS AND TREES AND ALL THAT BUSINESS, THIS IS WHERE THEY'RE OFTEN FEEDING. SO WE ARE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. LOOK, THE NUMBER ONE THING FOR RODENT CONTROL IS SANITATION. PERIOD. YOU DEAL WITH THE SANITATION ISSUE, YOU'RE GOING TO LIKELY DEAL WITH THE RODENT ISSUE. SO THIS IS THE FIRST THING THAT, UM, WHEN PEOPLE CALL, SO WE SERVICE ALL THE CITY BUILDINGS AND PROPERTIES, AND SO MAYBE THERE'S A MOUSE OR THERE'S A ROAD ISSUE SOMEWHERE. AND I ALREADY DEAL WITH THE, UM, EMPLOYEES AT THE CITY FACILITY TO SAY, HEY, WHERE'S THE SANITATION ISSUE? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH TRASH? IS THERE FOOD IN SOMEONE'S DESK? SO WE REALLY USE THAT INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT, WHICH I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT HERE IN A MINUTE, TO REALLY FIND THE SOLUTIONS TO DEAL WITH THOSE ANIMALS, RIGHT? RODENTS ARE OMNIVORES. THEY EAT SLUGS, WORMS, FRUIT SEEDS, DOG FOOD, YOU NAME IT. SO WE, THEY'RE MAMMALS. SO YOU REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THEY FEEDING ON. VERY IMPRO IMPORTANT. THERE ARE NO SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN, UH, REPELLANTS THAT ARE OUT THERE. ALL RIGHT? SO I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT CUZ OFTEN PEOPLE WILL USE THE PLUG-INS AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S NO DATA TO SUPPORT THAT. SO WORK ON SANITATION, VERY IMPORTANT. AND SOME OF THESE NORWAY RATS AND ROOF RATS, THEY HAVE TERRITORIES THAT CAN ACTUALLY SPAN MULTIPLE BLOCKS, RIGHT? WE KNOW UP TO 1.2 MILES, UH, IN SOMETI IN SOME PLACES WITH NORWAY. RATS, SAME FAMILY, ALL RIGHT? THEY'RE RELATED. SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR YARD, GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS, GET TO KNOW WHO'S WORKING IN THE, IN THAT AREA, BECAUSE SOMEBODY MAY BE FEEDING BIRDS, SOMEBODY MAY BE FEEDING THEIR DOG OUTSIDE. YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE AREA IS. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW TO DO TRAPPING ON YOUR OWN, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL, UM, AND I'LL GIVE IT TO SAMMY. YOU CAN, UH, POST IT OUT THERE. BUT WE HAVE WEBINARS THAT OUR RESIDENTS IN THE REGION CAN WATCH. AND WE TALK ABOUT BIOLOGY AND CONTROL AND ALL KINDS OF GOOD STUFF THAT YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN. ALL RIGHT? AND WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT WATER, RIGHT? RATS NEED TO DRINK WATER EVERY DAY. SO FIX THOSE. LEAKY FAUCETS, THOSE CONTAINERS, RIGHT? THE, THE, IF YOU HAVE CHICKENS IN YOUR YARD OR IN THE GARDEN, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WATER, UM, IS AWAY FROM THOSE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE FRUIT THAT IS RIPE, UH, VEGETABLES PICKET, DO NOT LET IT JUST SIT ON THE, THE PLANT BECAUSE THAT TURNS INTO FOOD AS WELL. LANDSCAPING, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT LANDSCAPING IS. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF DENSE VEGETATION, UH, GROUND COVER. THOSE ARE PLACES THAT ARE GONNA PROVIDE THE HARBORAGE, UH, FOR THESE ANIMALS. SO HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, HAVE THE VEGETATION, BUT AT LEAST HAVE SOME AIRFLOW AND BE ABLE TO LOOK UNDER. SO WE LIKE THOSE V-SHAPED PLANTS, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO PROPER INSPECTIONS. AND ALSO FOR MOSQUITOES, WHEN YOU HAVE VERY DENSE VEGETATION, THOSE ARE PLACES WHERE THEY'RE HIDING OUT, UH, HARBORING, KEEP THOSE DUMPSTERS CLOSED, KEEP IT AWAY FROM THOSE STRUCTURES, RIGHT? AND ALSO THINK ABOUT THE TREES AND WHERE THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY OVERHANG, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE WANNA LIMIT THE POINTS THAT THEY'RE COMING IN. [02:40:01] THESE ARE JUST SOME, AGAIN, PICTURES THAT WE'VE SEEN. YOU KNOW, I COULD SHOW YOU BEAUTIFUL PICTURES, BUT I THINK REALLY TO SHOW YOU THOSE EXAMPLES, TO SORT OF BRING IT HOME. UH, THE ARROW IS SHOWING SOME, UH, UH, CITRUS THAT'S ON THE GROUND. YOU GOTTA PICK THAT STUFF UP. YOU CAN SEE ACTUALLY THE SWIMMING POOL IN THE BACK. AND THE NEXT SLIDE, AGAIN, HEAVY VEGETATION AREAS WHERE YOU JUST CANNOT SEE BANANA TREES, RIGHT? BANANA FOLIAGE, WOW, THAT IS THE WOO. RATS LIKE THAT. , OKAY? SO NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE THE FRUIT, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THAT DENSE VEGETATION THAT THEY CAN BE HANGING OUT. COYOTES, BY THE WAY, THEY LIKE THAT AS WELL. MULBERRY TREES, THEY LIKE THAT TOO. SO, LOTS OF THINGS, RIGHT? THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU'RE PUTTING IT OUT THERE. THERE'S A BIRD FEEDER IF YOU CAN REALLY NEED TO AVOID IT, RIGHT? UH, IF YOU ABSOLUTELY ARE GOING TO FEED THE BIRDS, YOU JUST REALLY NEED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. IF YOU DO FIND ROAN ACTIVITY, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PULL THAT BIRD FOOD FOR A WHILE, GET THE SITUATION UNDER CONTROL AND THEN GO BACK. OKAY? VERY IMPORTANT. WOO, RIGHT? COMPOSTING, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS. COMPOSTING IS SO IMPORTANT, RIGHT? AND WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY. WE'VE SEEN TOO MANY EXAMPLES THAT PEOPLE WILL JUST THROW THE FOOD ON TOP AND THAT YOU JUST TURN THAT INTO WILDLIFE AND RODENT FOOD. SO PRETTY IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT? WE TALKED ABOUT RATS AND BIRD FEEDERS A COUPLE OF TIMES, RIGHT? BUT IF YOU ARE GONNA HAVE, UH, MAKE SURE YOU SWEEP UP, TRY TO CONTAIN THAT, THOSE SEEDS, THAT'S A VERY NUTRITIOUS FOOD SOURCE. AND THAT'S FOR RATS THERE AS WELL. BUT YOU CAN ALSO HAVE SQUIRREL INFESTATIONS IN YOUR HOME. THEY CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE WHEN IT COMES TO CHICKENS. I'M GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU. I DON'T KNOW TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHICKENS WHO DON'T HAVE ROAD ISSUES, RIGHT? IT'S JUST A LITTLE THING THAT YOU CAN DO. THEY ALL HAVE THE CHICKEN WIRE. MAYBE USE A HARDWARE CLOTH THAT'S A QUARTER INCH INSTEAD OF JUST THE LARGER GAPS, CUZ IT'S GONNA KEEP THOSE RATS, UH, IN MICE FROM ENTERING. VERY IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO BACK TO COMPOSTING A LITTLE BIT. THERE'S A GOOD EXAMPLE, RIGHT? PLEASE FOLLOW GREAT PROCEDURES. THIS IS SO AWESOME THAT THAT TOPIC WAS COVERED BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT CORRECTLY. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S PROVIDING THOSE FOOD SOURCES FOR THESE ANIMALS. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT RODENTS, BUT RACCOONS, POSSUMS, THERE ARE OTHER, YOU KNOW, WILDLIFE OUT THERE THAT COULD BE AN ISSUE. AGAIN, LOOK AT YOUR WATER HOLDING CONTAINERS. WE'RE IN A DRY PERIOD RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE GOING TO SUMMER'S COMING AND IT SEEMS TO RAIN AT EVERY AFTERNOON, SOMEWHERE IN THE SUMMERTIME. EGG TO ADULT LESS THAN A WEEK. SO IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE THAT ONE WEEK OR LESS, RIGHT? THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH AND TURNING OVER THOSE CONTAINERS, THAT VEGETATION, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THESE URBAN GARDENS ARE AROUND, UM, HOMES. SO JUST BE REAL MINDFUL OF VEGETATION TOUCHING BUILDINGS. UH, AGAIN, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER PICTURE OF A BIRD, UH, FEEDER CITRUS TREES LOVE CITRUS, RIGHT? I HAVE MY CITRUS TREES, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO STAY ON TOP OF IT. AND WHEN THAT FRUIT IS RIGHT, YOU NEED TO TAKE IT. AND THEN ALSO JUST MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF THAT FRUIT IS FALLING ON THE GROUND. AGAIN, I THINK I'M NOT, JUST ONE MORE POINT HERE IS JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOUR COMPOSTING IS DONE CORRECTLY FOLLOWING THE METHODS. BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY GOING TO BE ATTRACTING ALL THESE ANIMALS, UH, TO YOUR PROPERTY. AGAIN, VERY NICE. THINK ABOUT WOOD TO GROUND CONTACT. A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T, BUT HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN TERMITE THOUGH, ALL IN THIS REGION. THE TERMITE PRESSURE IS VERY, VERY HIGH. SO YOU CAN SEE SOME LATTICE ON THE GROUND THAT WON'T TAKE LONG TO DECOMPOSE CUZ THE TERMITES ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE GETTING ENDED. OKAY, THERE IT IS. ALL RIGHT. SO WE TALKED ABOUT BANANAS, WE TALKED ABOUT CITRUS, ALL THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? UH, ROOF RATS ARE JUST NOTORIOUS FOR GETTING, EVEN EATING THE RIND OF THAT FRUIT. SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT, WE SAW THAT ALREADY. AND DON'T FORGET YOUR PALM TREES. THINK ABOUT THOSE NUTS. THAT PICTURE OF, UM, OUR EMPLOYEE HERE HOLDING THAT NUT. THAT'S A, THAT'S A ROHO AS WE'RE CHEWING ON THAT, THAT IS A FOOD SOURCE. SO YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE FOOD SOURCES THAT ARE AROUND THAT PROPERTY. AND THE OTHER THING IS, THOSE PALM TREES, THEY PROVIDE GREAT NESTING AREAS AND NESTING MATERIALS FOR ESPECIALLY, UH, ROOF RATS. SO AGAIN, KEEP YOUR PLANTS TRIM. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE PLANTING TO BEGIN WITH. MANY OF THESE THINGS THAT WE TOUCH ON ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WERE AT NOLA MOSQUITO, PLEASE FOLLOW US. UH, THAT WE ALWAYS DO BUG OF THE WEEK, BUT WE REALLY TRY TO USE EXAMPLES THAT WE SEE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS SO THAT WE COULD TRY TO EDUCATE OUR FOLKS, OUR RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS, UM, OUR PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS. ALL RIGHT? SO I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PESTICIDES, RIGHT? SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND IT'S ALSO THINKING ABOUT HOW WE [02:45:01] DO CONTROL. AND SO OUR CONTROL NEEDS TO BE IN AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT APPROACH. WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, RIGHT? THERE'S SO MANY DEFINITIONS OF WHAT M IS INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT. YOU CAN BE IN AGRICULTURE, YOU CAN BE IN PEST CONTROL, YOU CAN BE IN MOSQUITO CONTROL. EVERYBODY'S GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT, UM, SORT OF DEFINITION. SO, BUT THERE ARE SOME BASIC STEPS, RIGHT? SO IT'S TALKING ABOUT INSPECTION, IT'S TALKING ABOUT IDENTIFICATION. UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME CASES, ESTABLISHMENT OF A THRESHOLD OF LIKE WHEN YOU WOULD ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING. YOU'RE GONNA USE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT METHODS OUT THERE FOR CONTROL, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA DETERMINE HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS. SO THIS IS REALLY THE EPAS, UM, SORT OF DEFINITION. BUT YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT CONE EDUCATION IS THE PILLAR OF ALL OF IT. SO WE APPRECIATE BEING INVITED HERE TODAY AND ALL OF YOU AND EVERYONE WHO'S ONLINE TO REALLY LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BASIC PROCEDURES COMMUNICATION, RIGHT? PEST PROOFING, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUAL PEST CONTROL, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA MODIFY THAT A A LITTLE BIT ON THE DEFINITION, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF INSPECTIONS, LOTS OF IDENTIFICATION OF WHAT INSECT RODENT YOU HAVE SO THAT YOU CAN PRESCRIBE THE RIGHT TREATMENT. AND THEN ALSO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE EFFECTIVE. YOU ACTUALLY DEALT WITH THE ISSUE. SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT I P M WHATEVER DEFINITION YOU USE IN WHATEVER REALM, IF IT'S AGRICULTURE, MOSQUITOES, PEST CONTROL, WHATEVER IS A PROCESS, RIGHT? SO IT IS A PROCESS. YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T WORK IN A VACUUM. SO YOU HAVE A GARDEN, IT MAY BE WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD, THINGS ARE GOING TO COME IN, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHY IT'S A PROCESS TO ESTABLISH THAT EDUCATION. UM, HOW YOU'RE GOING TO INSPECT. SO INSPECTING YOUR, YOUR YARD ONCE A WEEK, 10 MINUTES A DAY, UH, 10 MINUTES A WEEK FROM MOSQUITOES, THAT'S PART OF YOUR INSPECTION, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU WOULDN'T USE A PESTICIDE, YOU'RE JUST GONNA TURN OVER THAT CONTAINER. THAT'S YOUR CONTROL. SO I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MR. JOE ANDREO. SO MR. JOE ANDREO IS THE L D A LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF BAG IN FORESTRY. HE'S A, UM, CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING COORDINATOR. HE'S A GREAT GUY. TAKE HIS EMAIL BECAUSE HE'S THE ONE THAT YOU WANNA CONTACT. UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. BUT FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW AT THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, MOSQUITO TURN RIGHT CONTROL BOARD, WE ARE ALL PESTICIDE, UH, APPLICATORS. WE'RE, UM, LICENSED, TRAINED, VERY PROFESSIONAL, UH, WITH THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, BUT IT IS THE EPA WHO REGULATES, RIGHT? THE USE OF PESTICIDES. AND THEN THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IS, WORKS WITH THE EPA TO DO THE TRAINING, THE LOCAL LICENSING OF PESTICIDES, OF WHATEVER IT MAY BE. SO FIFRA IS THE, THE LAW, RIGHT? THE FEDERAL LAW THAT REGULATES, UM, ALL OF THE PESTICIDE, THE USE, THE TRAINING, AND ALL OF THAT'S BASED THROUGH THE EPA. AND SO I THINK FOR ALL OF US, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT IS A PESTICIDE. SO AGAIN, THEY'RE VERY CLEAR. IT'S A, AND I'M GONNA READ IT SO WE GET IT STRAIGHT ON. BUT ANY SUBSTANCE OR MIXTURE OF SUBSTANCES INTENDED TO PREVENT, DESTROY, REPEL, OR MITIGATE ANY PEST. UM, AND ANY SUBSTANCE OR MIXTURES INTENDED TO USE AS A PLANT REGULATOR, A DEFOLIANT OR A DESICAN. SO UNLESS YOU WORK IN AGRICULTURE, A LOT OF FOLKS FORGET THAT. SO WHAT'S A PEST, RIGHT? IT CAN BE AN INSECT, IT CAN BE A BACTERIA, IT COULD BE A FUNGUS, A NEMATODE, RIGHT? WEED VIRUS, RODENTS. ALL OF THOSE THAT ARE GONNA BE, UH, CAUSING INJURY TO HUMANS OR SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURE PRODUCTS OR NATURAL PRODUCT. SO HERE'S JUST SOME EXAMPLES. CHIDE AND RODENT, GENOCIDE AND HERBICIDE, RIGHT? ALL OF THOSE ARE, ARE THAT, DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS, UH, DESICAN IF YOU WORK WITH COTTON, THAT'S A BIG ONE. SO PRETTY IMPORTANT. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS I'M COMMUNICATING FROM HIM. HIM IS THAT EVERY PESTICIDE SOLD IN LOUISIANA HAS TO BE REGISTERED, RIGHT? SO THERE IS A, A RESOURCE THERE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT. AND SO IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT YOU BUY YOUR PESTICIDES IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE THAT ONE THROUGH A LICENSED ORGANIZATION, RIGHT? YOU JUST DON'T WANNA BUY OFF THE INTERNET. AND THEN WHO KNOWS WHERE IT COMES IN? IS IT REGISTERED IN THE STATE? IS IT REGISTERED IN THE US? WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS USING PRODUCTS REGISTERED. SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO ONLINE AS WELL AND SEE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, THERE'S THE WEBSITE FOR IT. NOW, LET'S JUST SAY, UM, YOU ARE GOING TO USE A PESTICIDE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I SORT OF CHALLENGE EVERYBODY TO LOOK IN THEIR GARAGES, IN THEIR SHEDS. WHAT DO YOU HAVE, RIGHT? BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE USE PESTICIDES. NOW WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT. YOU SAW [02:50:01] THOSE PILLARS, BUT IT COULD BE MECHANICAL CONTROL OF TURNING OVER THAT WATER. IT CAN BE CLOSING A HOLE THAT A MOUSE OR A RAT IS ENTERING. YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS THAT DO FOR CONTROL THAT DO NOT REQUIRE PESTICIDES. WE ARE NOT ANTI PESTICIDES. PESTICIDES ARE IMPORTANT PART OF CONTROL, BUT REALLY IT SHOULD BE YOUR LAST RESORT OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO. OKAY? SO WE STRESS EVERYBODY IN THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET AND HOMEOWNER THAT YOU NEED TO READ THE LABEL BEFORE YOU BUY THE PRODUCT, OKAY? SO VERY IMPORTANT, THE LABEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, IS THE MAIN WAY THAT THAT MANUFACTURER IS GONNA COMMUNICATE WITH THE USER, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA TELL YOU WHAT IT IS ALL THERE. THE LAW, IT'S A LAW, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA TELL YOU HOW YOU CAN USE THAT PRODUCT. SO VERY IMPORTANT, YOU JUST DON'T TAKE SOMETHING AND SAY, AH, I'M JUST GONNA USE IT ON THIS. YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE LABEL BEFORE YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT TO SEE IF IT'S EVEN SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN USE. SO THERE'S TWO THINGS. I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS CUZ THIS IS ONE OF MY PET PEEVES, RIGHT? THERE'S THE LABEL WHO'S ACTUALLY ON THE PRODUCT, AND THEN THERE'S THE LABELING. SO SOMETHING, LET'S SAY YOU GO ONLINE AND YOU SAY, AH, I'M GONNA LOOK AT, UM, I THINK YOU USE IT A, A HERBICIDE FOR EXAMPLE. SO I'M GONNA GO READ ALL ABOUT THAT HERBICIDE, BUT YOU REALLY DO NEED TO LOOK AT THAT LABEL THAT'S ON THAT PRODUCT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S GONNA DICTATE THE USE. OKAY? SO, AND SOMETIMES IT CAN CHANGE BY ONE OR TWO WORDS AND IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. SO YEAH, DO YOUR HOMEWORK WITH THE LABELING, BUT THEN GO LOOK AT THE LABEL AND SEE. SO WHY ARE PESTICIDE LABELS IMPORTANT? YOU CAN SEE I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PROPER PESTICIDE USED, RIGHT? UM, IT'S THE LEGAL DOCUMENT THAT'S GONNA PROVIDE THE DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MIX IT, HOW TO STORE IT, HOW TO DISPOSE OF THE PRODUCT, VERY IMPORTANT, RIGHT? AND IT'S THE LAW PERIOD. THE LAW, OKAY? SO YOU HAVE TO USE THESE PESTICIDES PROPERLY. VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. AND ALL THESE LABELS ARE GOING TO HAVE CERTAIN COMPONENTS. IT'S LIKE IT IS GONNA BE ALL ON THERE, OKAY? THE ONLY THING YOU MAY NOT SEE IS A WARRANTY, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, INFORMATION IF IT'S A RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE. THE TYPE OF PESTICIDE, THE NAME, LIKE THE TRADE NAME. BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO GONNA BE A DESCRIPTION AND WHAT'S THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT AND HOW MUCH IS THERE. SO WE DON'T HAVE TIME TODAY TO GO ALL THROUGH THIS. HOWEVER, I REALLY STRESS THAT YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT CAREFULLY. BUT I AM GONNA TOUCH ON THE USED CLASSIFICATION. THERE ARE RESTRICTED USED PESTICIDES THAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND AT YOUR BIG BOX STORES, RIGHT? YOU NEED TO HAVE A LICENSE WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF A AND FORESTRY. SOME OF OUR, UH, PRODUCTS THAT WE USE ARE RESTRICTED USE. SO EVERY TIME WE BUY IT, THEY'RE, THEY ASK CLAUDIA, HEY, CAN I SEE YOUR CARD? RIGHT? AND SO VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE FOLLOW THOSE RULES, MANY OF THE PRODUCTS ABOUT IT TODAY. SO, UM, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO AND WITHOUT WASTING MORE TIME, PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME MISS MARIANNE KUAN. THANK YOU. VERY WELCOME. THANKS SO MUCH. IT'S SO GOOD TO HEAR THAT PEOPLE LISTEN TO THOSE PRESENTATIONS WHEN WE DO THEM . UM, HEY EVERYBODY, I'M MARYANNE KAON. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF RECIRCULATING FARMS. UM, MY SIDE JOB IS, I'M ALSO, UH, I ALSO RUN THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAM AT LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL, . UM, AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT OVERLAP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND URBAN FARMING. AND PEOPLE TEASE ME ALL THE TIME AND SAY, WAIT, WAIT, YOU'RE A LAWYER BUT YOU'RE A FARMER. AND I SAY, YOU KNOW, THOSE TWO THINGS DON'T ACTUALLY, UM, ARE NOT ACTUALLY MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE BECAUSE THE KIND OF WORK I DO IN THE LAW IS, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL LAW. AND SO WE CARE A LOT ABOUT CLIMATE AND, UM, COMMUNITY. AND SO THE URBAN FARMING WORK THAT THE ORGANIZATION I WORK WITH DOES IS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT. SO I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT TODAY ABOUT WHAT WE DO GENERALLY. AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY ASK ME TO FOCUS ON, UM, ENERGY AND WATER USE AT OUR FARM. UM, WE DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. WE DO A LOT OF AQUAPONICS, WHICH IS, UH, RAISING FISH AND PLANTS TOGETHER IN THE SAME SYSTEM. AND SO I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. BUT WE DO TRADITIONAL FARMING AS WELL. ALL RIGHT? SO, UM, WE ARE A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. UH, OUR HOME IS HERE IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. UM, BUT WE DO STUFF NATIONWIDE. UM, OUR PRIMARY MISSION IS TO USE RECIRCULATING FARMS. AND AS I MENTIONED, WHAT THOSE ARE FOR US IS AQUAPONIC BASED SYSTEMS. UM, WE USE THEM TO ADDRESS FOOD QUALITY ISSUES TO HELP SUPPORT AN EQUITABLE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM THAT HAS MINIMAL IMPACT TO OUR ENVIRONMENT. SO WE ARE ALL ABOUT CLIMATE SMART, LOW INPUT SYSTEMS [02:55:01] AT OUR FARMS. UM, OUR ORGANIZATION STARTED BACK IN JANUARY, 2009. UM, AND THEN WE GREW INTO A FULL-FLEDGED PRIVATE ON OUR OWN ORGANIZATION IN 2011. AND SO WE'VE BEEN HERE IN, UH, LOUISIANA SINCE 2011. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FUN BIRTHDAYS, UH, HERE, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THOUSANDS OF FARMERS, FISHING COMMUNITIES, EDUCATORS, CONSERVATIONISTS, FOODIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FOR A LOT OF YEARS. AND IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST STARTED, WHEN YOU SAID TO PEOPLE, WHAT'S A RECIRCULATING FARM? UH, THEY SAID, OH, YOU GROW THAT WACKY WEED, RIGHT? AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH, I MEAN, THEY DO. THAT'S AQUAPONICS AND HYDROPONICS, BUT WE GROW FOOD. UH, SO NOW THESE DAYS THOUGH, PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT A RECIRCULATING FARM IS AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN PRODUCE FISH AND PLANTS AND FRUIT AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS. AND SO IT'S BEEN A, A FUN EVOLUTION OVER THE LAST 10, 15 YEARS. SO WHAT DO WE DO? UM, WE TRY AND FOCUS ON HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AT OUR FARMS. AND SO WE OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. WE DO OUTDOOR EXERCISE, WE DO FOOD GROWING, WE DO GROWING THE GROWERS AS WE CALL IT, WHICH IS SORT OF TRAINING THE, THE NEXT FOLKS TO DO WHAT WE DO AND GROW FOOD AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN BEING FOOD SECURE. MOST OF WHAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE ABOUT IS CREATING HEALTH AND WELLNESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD AND FARMING. SO OUR COMMUNITY GARDEN WE HAVE IS IN CENTRAL CITY. UM, WE HOST A NUMBER OF RAISED GARDEN BEDS THERE, PEOPLE COME IN AND GROW WITH US. UM, WE DO A WIDE RANGE OF FREE CLASSES FROM KIDS' CLASSES AND COMMUNITY CLASSES ON SATURDAYS TO, UM, PROFESSIONAL GROWING CLASSES ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS. WE DO HEALTH SUPPORTIVE COOKING CLASSES. UM, WE HAVE A VETERANS PROGRAM THAT WE WORK WITH AT THE VA. SO IF YOU KNOW ANY VETERANS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FOOD PRODUCTION AND FARMING, SEND THEM OUR WAY. WE HAVE A FREE CLASS EVERY FRIDAY, AND THEY HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VETERAN'S GARDEN ON CANAL STREET NEAR THE VA. UM, WE ALSO DO A WEEKLY COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE PROGRAM. WE HAVE 40 BAGS A WEEK THAT ARE ALL LOCAL, UH, THAT WE SOURCE FROM OUR OWN FARMS AND ALSO FROM OTHER LOCAL URBAN FARMS IN THE AREA. AND WE PROVIDE, UM, A DISCOUNT FOR SNAP AND E B T USERS THANKS TO THE MARKET MATCH PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH CRESCENT CITY FARMERS' MARKET. THEY WORK WITH US. UM, AND THAT MEANS THAT OUR BAGS ARE JUST $8 FOR PEOPLE WHO USE E B T AND SNAP. UH, AND THEY GET A BIG ABUNDANCE OF VEGETABLES AND FRUITS AND EGGS AND HERBS AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER STUFF. ALL RIGHT? SO ENOUGH ABOUT US. UH, WHAT I CAME HERE TO TALK ABOUT IS THE WATER AND ENERGY SAVING METHODS THAT WE USE AT OUR PROGRAMS. UM, WE ARE ALL ABOUT REDUCING, REUSING, AND RECYCLING IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, AND WE THINK THAT SOME OF THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT IS THROUGH BEING MINDFUL ABOUT OUR ENERGY AND WATER USE. UM, SO FOR WATER, WE ACTUALLY USE RAIN CATCHMENTS. DO Y'ALL REMEMBER WHEN YOU COULDN'T DO THAT AROUND HERE? UM, BOTH IN JEFFERSON AND ORLEANS PARISH, WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO USE RANGE CA RAIN CATCHMENTS, UM, AT THE FARMS BECAUSE OF A REMNANT OF LAW THAT WAS ABOUT YELLOW FEVER . SO, UM, IN RECENT YEARS, WE'VE BEEN ALLOWED TO COLLECT WATER, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING. UM, SO WE USE RAIN BARRELS CURRENTLY, AND, UM, AND WE USE DIRECT IRRIGATION FROM THE RAIN BARRELS INTO OUR, UH, PLANT SYSTEMS, WHICH MEANS WE TRY AND MINIMIZE, UM, THE CITY WATER THAT WE USE FOR, FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. ONE FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE CITY WATER'S NOT THAT GREAT FOR PLANTS. UM, AND SO IT'S ACTUALLY BETTER TO, UH, TO USE THE RAINWATER. UM, WHAT D DIRECT IRRIGATION MEANS FOR US IS THAT WE RUN LINES FROM OUR RAIN BARRELS INTO OUR BEDS AND WE TURN THEM ON JUST LIKE YOU WOULD TURN ON A TAP AND THE WATER GOES INTO OUR, UH, OUR GROW BEDS. WE ALSO USE WHAT'S CALLED RECIRCULATING AQUAPONICS, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN I GET TO SOME OF THE PICTURES. BUT ESSENTIALLY THAT MEANS WE HAVE A, A NO OUTPUT IN OUR SYSTEM. SO WE REUSE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SYSTEMS, UH, INCLUDING WATER. SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE WE USE A LOT OF ENERGY, I'M SURE. BUT THE REALITY IS WE DON'T, UH, WE RELY ON GRAVITY FOR OUR RAIN BARREL USAGE AND OUR, OUR WATER USAGE. AND WE HAVE FOR MANY YEARS, UM, BEEN ATTEMPTING TO BE 100% INDEPENDENT OF THE GRID. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET. I'LL BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU. IT IS VERY HARD TO RUN AN ENTIRE PRODUCTION AND COMMUNITY GARDEN ON SOLAR PANELS. BUT WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST. WE [03:00:01] ARE ACTUALLY JUST ABOUT TO PUT IN A NEW SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM, UM, WITH BACKUP BATTERIES THAT CAN STORE THE ENERGY FOR WHEN WE HAVE THOSE WONDERFUL DAYS WHERE THERE'S NO SUN AT ALL, OR WEEKS WHEN WE HAVE NO SUN AT ALL. UM, AND WE HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT IF WE USE TIMERS ON THE SYSTEMS, THAT WE CAN SAVE THE ENERGY AND THE WATER, UH, MORE EFFICIENTLY. BUT IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE, YOU KNOW, GETTING GOOD PANELS THAT CAN STAND UP TO THE ELEMENTS THAT WE HAVE HERE, HOT AND COLD. UM, GETTING PANELS THAT ARE SUSTAINABLY CREATED IS ALSO AN ISSUE. YOU KNOW, NOBODY REALLY THINKS ABOUT THE BACKGROUND TO SOLAR ENERGY. EVERYBODY'S JUST LIKE, OH, SOLAR ENERGY, GREAT. BUT SOMEBODY PRODUCES THOSE PANELS AND THEY USE ENERGY AND RESOURCES TO PRODUCE THOSE PANELS. AND SO WE TRY AND FIND SUSTAINABLY SOURCED PANELS. WE ALSO HAVE TAKEN TO USING INDEPENDENT, UM, SOLAR LIGHTING AND, UM, OFF, YOU KNOW, OFF THE MAIN SOLAR POWER GRID. WE HAVE INDEPENDENT LITTLE LIGHTS NOW THAT LIGHT THE PATHS. YOU CAN GET LITTLE FAIRY LIGHTS THAT ARE SOLAR POWERED THAT WE USE, UH, AS DECOR AND TO LIGHT OUR WAY WHEN WE HAVE EVENING CLASSES. WE'VE GOTTEN REALLY CREATIVE TO TRY AND REDUCE OUR, UM, OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND EVEN OUR RECIRCULATING, UM, AQUAPONICS. IN THE PAST WE HAVE HAD ON, UH, SOLAR POWER, WE'RE ABOUT TO DO THAT AGAIN. WE HAVE BEEN ON THE GRID RECENTLY, UM, JUST BECAUSE THINGS HAVE BEEN HI IN HIGH PRODUCTION AND IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO BE 100% SOLAR. BUT WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE, UM, ENERGY EFFICIENT. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE PICTURES, UM, OF OUR DIFFERENT SOLAR SETUPS OVER THE YEARS. YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME ON ROOFTOPS, THERE'S SOME ON, UH, FENCES. WE HAVE SOME ON TOP OF OUR SHED. WE HAVE SOME MOUNTED . UH, WE HAVE TRIED JUST ABOUT EVERY ORIENTATION YOU CAN IMAGINE TO, UH, TO BE ENERGY EFFICIENT. UM, AND IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE. YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT ENERGY USE IS THE KEY. AND, UM, EXPERIMENTING IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE ARE SLOWLY FIGURING OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR US. AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO TRY IT. IT IS NOT PERFECT, UM, BUT IT IS, BUT IT IS WORTHWHILE TRYING. SO WATER USE, THIS HAS BEEN WAY MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN OUR ENERGY REDUCTION STRATEGIES. I MENTIONED THAT WE USE RAIN BARRELS AND WE HAVE USED ALL DIFFERENT SORTS OF RAIN BARRELS OVER THE YEARS THAT WE HAVE MADE OURSELVES THAT WE HAVE SOURCED FROM GREEN LIGHT NOLA THAT WE HAVE CREATED FROM LEFTOVER, UM, SCRAPS FROM, UH, TRASH THAT WE'VE FOUND. UH, WE'VE DONE ALL SORTS OF THINGS IN MAKING USEFUL IRRIGATION, AND THESE PICTURES ARE JUST SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES OF THE RAIN BARRELS THAT WE'VE DONE. YOU CAN ALSO SEE BAMBOO IN THESE PICTURES. WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH USING BAMBOO, UM, AS A GARDEN MEDIUM, ESSENTIALLY GROWING PLANTS INSIDE THE BAMBOO, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY FUN AND PRETTY COOL. WE HAVE A LOT OF BAMBOO HERE IN LOUISIANA, AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T WANT IT IN THEIR YARDS. AND SO PEOPLE WILL CALL US TO COME AND HARVEST THE BAMBOO FROM THE YARD, AND WE USE IT IN OUR, UM, IN OUR PLANT GROWING. SO WE HAVE BUILT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PLANT SYSTEMS, UM, IN WHICH WE CAN GROW. AND YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THEM, UH, APPEAR ON THE SLIDE THAT IS AN ACTUAL AQUAPONIC SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE RUNNING. UM, WE BUILT BAMBOO MATS FOR THE BOTTOM OF THE SYSTEM. THERE'S WATER UNDER THEM AND PLANTS GROWING. AND THEN WE HAVE BAMBOO TOWERS THAT WE HOLLOWED OUT AND, UM, PUT CHEESE WAX INSIDE SO THE WATER WOULDN'T ABSORB INTO THE WOOD. AND SO IT RAN THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND WE SUCCESSFULLY GREW PLANTS FOR A WHILE, UM, UNTIL THEY, YOU KNOW, CRACKED. AND THEN WE JUST REPLACED THEM WITH MORE BAMBOO. SO THAT WAS A REALLY FUN, A FUN, UH, RE RECIRCULATING SYSTEM. SO THIS SLIDE, I THINK IS PROBABLY THE MOST INTERESTING. YOU CAN SEE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT RECIRCULATING SYSTEMS THAT, UM, THAT ARE OURS AND OUR COLLEAGUES FROM DIFFERENT PLACES. UH, WE HAVE TOWERS, WE HAVE MATS, WE HAVE BUCKETS. WE HAVE SMALL SCALE SYSTEMS THAT ARE AS TINY AS A DESKTOP TO LARGE SYSTEMS THAT ARE AS LARGE AS GIANT WAREHOUSES. UM, THEY ALL HAVE THEIR MERITS DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. OUR ORGANIZATION ADVOCATES FOR SMALLER SCALE SYSTEMS, NOT REALLY THE DESKTOP KIND, BUT THE KIND THAT CAN FEED A NEIGHBORHOOD OR A COMMUNITY. BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO BEING WATER EFFICIENT BY RECIRCULATING THE WATER, IT IS ALSO REALLY SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT IF YOU DO IT WELL. AND YOU CAN, UM, REDUCE REUSES AND RECYCLE IN THE BUILDING OF THE SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RUNNING OF THE SYSTEM. AND SO WE ARE ABLE TO OPERATE COMPLETELY OUTDOORS HERE BECAUSE OF OUR WEATHER. [03:05:01] AND SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY LIGHTING OR CHILLERS OR HEATERS. WE USE, UH, WHAT THE ELEMENTS GIVE US. AND SO OUR BEDS ARE OPEN AIR TO, TO THE WORLD JUST LIKE A NORMAL, UH, GARDEN WOULD BE, OR NORMAL FARM WOULD BE. UM, SOMETIMES WE PUT UP SHADE CLOTH. SOMETIMES WE, UM, YOU KNOW, TRY AND PROTECT THE FISH FROM THE HEAT BECAUSE THEY GET HOT OR COLD DEPENDING ON THE SEASON. BUT WE DO THINGS LIKE DIG DOWN INTO THE GROUND. SO WE GET THE BENEFIT OF A FEW DEGREES DIFFERENTIAL. IT GETS, YOU KNOW, COOLER IN THE SUMMER AND WARMER IN THE WINTER, AND IT'S REALLY ABOUT SMART DESIGN. SO IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND WATER USAGE, WE FIND THAT WE CAN BE SUPER EFFICIENT, UM, BASED ON BEING SMART IN OUR ACTUAL LAYOUT OF THE SYSTEMS. UM, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME TOWERS THAT WE'VE USED. UM, THERE'S SOME, YOU KNOW, LONG BEDS THAT WE'VE USED. UH, WE'VE EXPERIMENTED WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL. SO I'M GONNA STOP THERE BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND, UH, AND I THINK Y'ALL GOT THE GIST OF WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AFTER. AND, UH, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS, SO I'M HAPPY TO CHAT ABOUT ANY OF IT. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU MISS MARYANNE VERY MUCH. UM, AND HERE I WAS, I WAS LISTENING TO MARYANNE AND I WENT BACK AND, AND THOUGHT, AND, UM, I MUST THANK THE U N O RESTORATION PROGRAM FOR THEIR GENEROUS GRANT THAT ACTUALLY ENABLED US TO DO, UH, STUDIES AND, AND, UM, UH, SEMINARS LIKE THIS FOR OUR PUBLIC. SO, UH, IN, IN A SPECIFIC, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MS. BLAIR BOURGEOIS, WHO ALWAYS BEEN, UM, VERY HELPFUL IN, UM, IN MAKING THESE GRANTS A AVAILABLE TO, TO US. UH, NEXT, SPEAKING ABOUT RECIRCULATING THINGS, I THINK WE WILL CONTINUE THAT SUBJECT WITH MICHAEL DESOTO OUR, UM, COMPOST SPECIALIST. AND, UH, THERE YOU ARE. I WAS LOOKING OVER THERE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD TO BE HERE. I'M GONNA GO OVER COMPOSTING BASICS AND HOW TO GET STARTED. IT'S ONE WAY WE CAN USE OUR FOOD SCRAPS AND YARD WASTE TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF OUR GARDEN AND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. SO WHAT IS COMPOST? COMPOST IS A NUTRIENT RICH DECAY ORGANIC MATTER THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE FERTILIZER FOR USE IN PLANT CULTIVATION PATIENT. SO WE CAN USE GRASS CLIPPINGS, FOOD SCRAPS, LEAVES, AND JUST USE A NATURAL PROCESS TO DECAY 'EM INTO ORGANIC MATTER THAT CAN BE REUSED. SO WHY SHOULD WE DO IT? SO IT HELPS ENERGIZE OUR SOIL. OUR SOILS CONTAIN FUNGI, MICROBES, MACROINVERTEBRATES, IT'S, AND COMPOST HELPS THEM GROW, AND IT HELPS US RETAIN MOISTURE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS IT CAN DO IS KEEP 30% OF WASTE OUT OF OUR LANDFILLS. SO IF WE LOOK AT A NATURAL MODEL AND A FOREST LEAVES AND PLANTS FALL TO THE GROUND, THEY DECAY AND RETURN NUTRIENTS BACK INTO THE SOIL. OFTENTIMES DURING OUR, UH, YARD WORK, WE REMOVE THESE LEAVES AND GRASS AND ROB OUR SOILS, THESE NUTRIENTS. SO SOMETIMES THESE LEAVES AND GRASS END UP IN OUR CATCH BASINS CAUSING EXCESS FLOODING. BUT EVEN WHEN THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT, THEY MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN INTO OUR DRAINAGE DITCHES AND NOW TO OUR WATERWAYS, AND THEY CAN CARRY EXCESS NUTRIENTS AND PESTICIDES. AND THESE CAN LEAD TO SUCH THINGS AS ALGAE BLOOMS. AND THIS CAUSES HARM TO ALL OUR SWAMPS AND BAYOU, WHICH ARE A BUFFER FOR OUR HURRICANES. SO WE REALLY WANT TO IMPROVE OUR STORM WATER AND THE HEALTH OF OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ALL THESE AREAS. SO ONE OF THE SIMPLEST THINGS WE CAN DO IS GRASS CYCLING, JUST CUTTING YOUR GRASS AND LEAVING IT IN PLACE ON YOUR LAWN ROAD DEGRADE AND FERTILIZE IT IN PLACE. SO IT KEEPS IT, UH, GRASS OUT OF THE LANDFILL. THERE'S NO BAGGING IT INTO PLASTIC BAGS AND HAULING IT OFF FOR THAT. AND IT STAYS OUT OF OUR WATERWAYS. AND IT CAN SAVE YOU SOME MONEY ON SOME FERTILIZER CUZ IT ADDS THAT NITROGEN BACK INTO THE SOIL. UH, HERE'S JUST [03:10:01] SOME COMMON, UH, LEVELS YOU CAN CUT YOUR GRASS AT TO IMPLEMENT THIS. ANOTHER THING WE CAN DO IS MULCHING. SO YOU CAN GATHER YOUR LEAVES AND PINE STRAW AND PUT IT BACK INTO YOUR FLOWER BEDS, AND IT HELPS RETAIN THE HEAT AND EVEN OUT, UH, WATER CONTROL AS WELL, AND CAN EVEN ACTUALLY REDUCE COMPACTION DURING OUR HEAVY RAINS. UH, AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE BAGGING UP OR MOVING IT INTO YOUR FO BEDS, YOU CAN MULCH IT IN PLACE. UH, YOU CAN TAKE YOUR LAWN MOWER, GO OVER IT A FEW TIMES AND CHOP IT INTO SMALLER PIECES AND LEAVE IT ON THE GRASS AND ON THE GRADE THERE. UH, AND WHENEVER YOU'RE PLACING IT IN YOUR FLOWER BEDS, YOU CAN PUT NEWSPAPER DOWN BEFORE YOU PLY YOUR MULCH TO HELP CUT DOWN ON WEEDS. ALL RIGHT, SO THE NEXT STEP FROM THERE WOULD BE ACTUAL FULL ON COMPOSTING, GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF BREAKING THESE THINGS DOWN IN A CLOSED SYSTEM. SO IT'S AN ENVIRONMENT RESPONSIBLE ACTION TO DO, UH, KEEP THIS WASTE OUTTA STORM WATER SYSTEMS OUT OF THE LANDFILLS AND KIND OF REDUCES OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. AND IT CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, EITHER REDUCE OR ELIMINATE CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, DEPENDING ON YOUR NEEDS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE START OFF WITH IS JUST A PLACE TO COLLECT COMPOST IN THE KITCHEN. USUALLY A ONE TO THREE GALLON CONTAINER. SO THIS ALLOWS YOU TO DO A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, YOU CAN EITHER BRING IT TO A COMMERCIAL COMPOSTING OPERATION IN YOUR AREA, IF THAT'S ALL YOU'RE READY TO DO AT THIS TIME, OR ALLOWS YOU TO COLLECT OVER A FEW DAYS TO BRING INTO YOUR OWN COMPOST BIN IN THE BACKYARD. SO A LOT OF 'EM COME WITH A CHARCOAL FILTER, WHICH HELPS CUT DOWN ON ODORS. AND THEN A LOT OF 'EM ARE EVEN CAN BE PUT IN A DISHWASHER TO BE CLEANED IF NEED BE. SO WHEN WE'RE GOING IN TO DO THE HOME COMPOSTING, I'M JUST GONNA GO THROUGH A FEW OPTIONS FOR YOU. ONE OF THE EASIEST ONES IS HEAP COMPOSTING. YOU DESIGNATE A SPOT IN YOUR YARD AND YOU DEPOSIT ALTERNATING LAYERS OF BROWN AND GREEN MATERIALS IN THERE. UH, GENERALLY WE GO FOR A THREE FOOT BY THREE FOOT BY THREE FOOT PILE, UP TO SIX FOOT BY SIX FOOT BY SIX FOOT. YOU JUST NEED TO BE AWARE YOU DON'T WANT A TWO LARGE OR WILL BE UNMANAGEABLE. YOU WANNA BE ABLE TO REACH PARTS OF IT SO YOU CAN TURN IT FREQUENTLY. UH, SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE HOOPS TO HELP CONTAIN IT A LITTLE BIT MORE RATHER THAN JUST HAVING THE PILE SPREAD OUT. SO THEY'RE PRETTY EASY TO MAKE. JUST GET YOU SOME DOG OR HOG WIRE AND LOOP THE IN START FILLING IT UP. UH, YOU CAN ALSO MAKE WOODEN COMPOST BINS. THEY HAVE COMMERCIALLY MADE ONES THAT YOU CAN BUY AND HAVE SHIPPED TO YOUR HOUSE AND PUT TOGETHER YOURSELF, OR YOU CAN MAKE 'EM ON YOUR OWN. UH, I WOULD CAUTION YOU TO USE AGAINST USING, UH, PRESSURE SHEET OF WOOD, ESPECIALLY FROM BEFORE 2004 AS IT WAS TREATED WITH C A, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO LEACH ARSENIC INTO THE SOIL. UH, AFTER 2004, THEY CHANGED THE FORMULATION AND TO A DIFFERENT, UH, TECHNOLOGY CALLED A C Q. AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT KNOWN TO HAVE TOXICITY ISSUES TO LEGION, TO THE SOIL AT THIS TIME. BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL CAUTIOUS ABOUT USING THEM AND GO WITH UNTREATED ONLY. AND AS WE'D LIKE TO REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE, SOME PEOPLE WANT TO USE PALLETS AGAIN, I URGE YOU TO USE CAUTION ON THAT. UH, SOME ARE HEAT TREATED, BUT OTHERS USE METHYL BROMIDE A TOXIC PESTICIDE. YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT INTRODUCE THAT INTO YOUR COMPOST. UH, EVEN IF IT IS ONE THAT HAS BEEN TREATED WITH METHYL BROMIDE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S BEEN ON A LOT OF PALLETS, WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN SPILLED ON 'EM AND MAY BE CONTAMINATING THE WOOD. UH, EVEN PALLETS THAT ARE ONLY USED AT SHIP FOOD MAY CONTAIN FOOD-BORNE BACTERIA SUCH AS E COLI, LISTERIA. SO REALLY BE CAREFUL WHEN USING THAT. UH, ANOTHER OPTION YOU HAVE ARE THE PLASTIC COMPOST BINS. THEY'RE EASY TO COME BY, UH, EASY TO BUILD, AND IT HELPS REALLY SEAL THINGS UP AND MAINTAIN MOISTURE AND HEAT. ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS UP FROM THAT IS A TUMBLR. THIS HELPS KEEP THE COMPOST A LITTLE BIT HIGHER OFF THE GROUND, HELPS KEEP PEST OUT OF IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. IT MAKES IT EASY TO RETURN TO SPEED UP YOUR COMPOSTING. THEY HAVE COMMERCIAL, UH, ITEMS AVAILABLE. SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO BUILD THEIR OWN OUT OF ITEMS THEY HAVE LAYING AROUND. SOME PEOPLE EVEN JUST TAKE A TRASH CAN BUNCHE YOU THE LID ON AND JUST ROLL IT ON THE GROUND AND GO THAT WAY. NOW IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS, UH, WORK THAT WAY, YOU CAN JUST TAKE A TRASH CAN, CUT [03:15:01] THE BOTTOM OFF AND PUT IT ON BARE SOIL, DRILL SOME HOLES AROUND IT AND FILL IT UP. AND WHAT THAT'LL DO IS IT'LL ALLOW THE WORMS AND MICROBES TO COME UP FROM THE BOTTOM AND HELP MAKE COMPOST OUT OF THE ITEMS ON TOP. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A TOP ON IT TO KEEP THE PEST OUT. AND GENERALLY YOU WANT MORE HOLES TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE GARBAGE CAN TO HELP MORE AIRFLOW DOWN THERE TO KEEP IT FROM GOING ANAEROBIC. ALL RIGHT, SO NOW WE KNOW WHAT WE CAN PUT COMPOST IN. WHAT WE GONNA ACTUALLY PUT IN THE CONTAINERS. SO SOMETHING LIKE MOST COMMON ITEMS WE WOULD HAVE AROUND SUBURBAN OR URBAN HOUSEHOLD. OUR GRASS CLIPPINGS, LEAVES, SHRUB, PRUNINGS FLOWERS, SAWDUST, VEGETABLE AND FRUIT SCRAPS, COFFEE, TEA, THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, SO IN GENERAL, WE WANNA WATCH OUR RATIOS OF BROWN VERSUS GREEN INGREDIENTS. BROWNS ARE YOUR DRY PLANT PARTS. THAT'S YOUR SOURCE OF CARBON VERSUS YOUR GREENS. THESE ARE YOUR FRESH ITEMS, UH, SOURCES OF NITROGEN IN GENERAL. IF YOU'RE GOING BY VOLUME, YOU WANT TO GO TWO PARTS BROWN, THE ONE PART GREEN. YOU CAN EVEN GO ONE TO ONE IF YOU WANT. AS YOU GET INTO MORE ADVANCED COMPOSTING, YOU MAY WANNA LOOK AT THE NITROGEN AND CARBON, UH, AMOUNTS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM AND GO BY WEIGHT INSTEAD. UH, SO OUR CARBON CONTAINING BROWN ITEMS ARE GONNA BE SHREDDED. NEWSPAPER, CARDBOARD, TWIG STICKS, DRY LEAVES, WOOD CHIPS, SAWDUST, MOSS, AND OUR GREENS THAT CONTAIN THE NITROGEN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SCRAPS. UH, FRESH GRASS LEAVES, COFFEE GROUNDS, GARDEN WASTE, TEABAGS AND GRAINS. WHAT KNOT TO COMPOST? YOU DON'T WANT MEAT, DAIRY, UH, GREASE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S GONNA INTRODUCE PEST INTO YOUR GARDEN. NO CITRUS FRUITS. THEY MAY KILL THE MICROS THROUGH THE ACIDITY. UH, I WANNA KEEP ALL TYPES OF PET FECES OUT OF THERE TO AVOID SPREADING PARASITES. AND OF COURSE, NO DISEASE OR INSECT RIDDEN PLANTS OR TROUBLESOME WEEDS. YOU DON'T WANNA SPREAD THAT AROUND IN YOUR GARDEN. SO, UM, AND JUST WATCH OUT. YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING THAT'S NOT GONNA BREAK DOWN NO METAL, GLASS, PLASTIC, STYROFOAM, NOTHING LIKE THAT. I EVEN REMOVE THE LABELS OFF OF ALL MY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES BEFORE I PUT IT IN THERE MYSELF. UH, BASIC COMPOST RECIPE. I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO CHOP YOUR MATERIALS INTO TWO INCHES OR LESS. THE SMALLER YOU CHOP THEM, THE QUICKER IT'S GONNA DECOMPOSE AND MAKE YOUR COMPOST. AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, TWO PARTS BROWN, THE ONE PART GREEN. UH, IDEALLY YOU WANT YOUR MOISTURE CONTENT AT 40 TO 60%, YOU SHOULD FEEL LIKE A MOIST, UH, RUNG OUT SPONGE. SO, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANT YOU TO GET STARTED AT SOME LEVEL. IF ALL THAT SEEMS COMPLICATED, YOU CAN GO WITH A SLOW COMPOSTING METHOD. USE ONE OF THESE CONTAINERS THAT WE DESCRIBED EARLIER AND JUST ADD ALTERNATING LAYERS OF BROWN AND GREEN MATERIALS AS THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO YOU. UM, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EXACT, BUT YOU'LL STILL GET COMPOST IN SIX MONTHS TO TWO YEARS IF YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK IN. AFTER YOU GET THAT DOWN, YOU CAN GO INTO FAST COMPOSTING, ALSO KNOWN AS HOT COMPOSTING BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURES CAN GET UP TO 120 TO 150 DEGREES AS THESE ITEMS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND BREAK BREAKDOWN. UH, BUT IT DOES REQUIRE FREQUENT TURNING OF THE PILE TO HELP CIRCULATE THE OXYGEN. THEN YOU WANNA MORE CAREFULLY MONITOR THE RATIOS OF BROWNS TO GREENS AND CHECK YOUR MOISTURE LEVELS, BUT YOU'LL GET COMPOST OF ONE TO THREE MONTHS INSTEAD. SO, UH, BASIC DIRECTIONS LAYER AND MIX YOUR GREENS AND BROWNS ALTERNATING ROUGHLY A THREE FOOT BY THREE FOOT BY THREE FOOT PILE. UH, GET MOIST, RUN OUT SPONGE. COVER THE PILE TOP BOTH TO KEEP YOUR MOISTURE IN AND KEEP, UH, PEST OUT. TURN THE PILE ONE TO THREE TIMES A WEEK TO HELP CIRCULATE THAT AIR. AND YOU'LL KNOW IT'S READY WHEN IT'S A DARK RICH HUMUS, WHICH IS USUALLY AROUND ONE TO THREE MONTHS. UH, LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, YOU MAY RUN INTO SOME PROBLEMS HERE AND THERE. YOU KNOW, YOU MAY GET BAD ODORS FROM ITS TOO WET. ADD SOME MORE BROWN INGREDIENTS, HELP DRY IT UP, OR NOT ENOUGH AIR. NEED TO TURN IT MORE OFTEN. IF IT'S TOO DRY, IT WON'T ACTIVATE AS QUICKLY AS YOU WOULD LIKE. ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE MOISTURE. IF IT'S NOT ENOUGH HEAT FOR HOT COMPOSTING, YOU MIGHT NEED TO GO A LITTLE BIT LARGER PILE. OR YOU MAY NEED TO ADD SOME MORE NITROGEN SOURCES IN THERE. SOME MORE GREENS. SO WHEN YOUR COMPOST IS FINISHED, IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE ON THE LEFT, NICE AND DARK RICH. UH, THE COMPOST ON THE RIGHT STILL NEEDS TO GO A LITTLE BIT LONGER, SO SOME PEOPLE DON'T [03:20:01] HAVE YARDS OR SPACE FOR COMPOST, BUT IN THEIR BACKYARD. SO I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPLE OPTIONS FOR A LITTLE BIT SMALLER AREAS. UH, SO WE'RE GONNA GO WITH BUCKET COMPOSTING AND WORM BOXES. BURNIE COMPOSTING. SO FOR BUCKET COMPOSTING, ALL YOU NEED IS A FIVE GALLON BUCKET. UH, YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS AND A FEW DRY MATERIALS. YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE SALT OIL, SAW DUST, PEAT MOSS AND STRAW. SO CHOP UP YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS AND MIX AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF DRY MATERIAL ONCE A WEEK. SO A ONE TO ONE RATIO. UM, AND THEN JUST KEEP MIXING UP WITH A TRO OR SMALL SPADE. AND THEN WHEN YOUR BUCKET IS THREE QUARTERS FULL, LET IT STAND, ONE TO THREE MONTHS MIXING IT EVERY WEEK OR TWO. AND THEN YOU CAN ADD IT TO YOUR GARDEN. THAT'S COMPOST. ANOTHER OPTION IS WORM COMPOSTING. SO YOU LIKE ALL THESE OTHER OPTIONS, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE CONTAINER OR YOU CAN BUY A COMMERCIAL ONE. UH, WE'RE ONLY THING WE'LL BE PUTTING HERE IS VEGETABLE AND FRUIT WASTE FROM YOUR KITCHEN. IT CAN BE USED IN VERY SMALL SPACES. THERE'S VERY LITTLE ODOR. SO BASIC DIRECTIONS ON THAT IS SHRED MOIST AND OLD NEWSPAPER. AND PUT THEM IN A SIX INCH DEEP WELL-VENTILATED BOX. AND THEN START ADDING YOUR RED WIGGLER WORMS AND YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS. UH, THE SMALLER YOU CAN CHOP UP YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS FOR THEM, THE BETTER AS IT GIVES THEM MORE SURFACE AREA TO WORK WITH. UM, AND THEN YOU JUST KEEP ADDING FRESH FOOD AND THEY'LL KEEP MAKING YOU MORE COMPOST. UH, USUALLY IT'S READY ABOUT THREE TO SIX MONTHS. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU CAN DO IS MOVE THEM TO ONE SIDE, ADD MORE NEWSPAPER AND MORE FOOD SCRAPS TO THE OTHER, AND THE WORMS WILL NATURALLY MIGRATE TO THAT NEW FOOD. AND THEN YOU CAN TAKE YOUR COMPOST OUT THE OTHER SIDE. SO ONCE WE HAVE COMPOST, HOW ARE WE GONNA USE IT? WE GOT A FEW OPTIONS. SOIL AMENDING MULCHING OR POTTING MIX SOIL AMENDING. JUST MIX IT INTO YOUR SOIL. UM, YOU KNOW, 46 INCHES INTO NEWLY RECLAIMED OR POORER SOILS, OR ONE THREE INCHES INTO GARDEN BEDS OR SOILING AROUND NEW TREES AND SHRUBS FOR PLANTING. OR YOU COULD USE AS MULCHING AND SPREAD IT ALONG TWO TO THREE INCHES OVER THE SOIL AROUND PLANTS. TREES ARE SHRUBS YOU CAN USE ON OUR EXPOSED SLOPES TO SUPPRESS WEEDS, UH, MAINTAIN MOISTURE AND HELP PREVENT EROSION. AND YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE POTTY MIX. INSTEAD OF HAVING TO BUY IT, DO ONE THIRD COMPOST, ONE THIRD SAND, AND ONE THIRD PINE BAR. MIX IT ALL TOGETHER. SO CAN WE REPLACE FERTILIZERS USING THIS? IN SOME CASES, GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF RICH COMPOST CAN SUPPLY THE NEEDED NUTRIENTS FOR HEALTHY PLANT GROWTH. UH, SOMETIMES YOU MAY NEED TO ADD GREEN COVER CROPS SUCH AS CLOVER OR VETS TO HELP BOOST THE NITROGEN LEVELS IN THE SOIL. UH, BUT THERE ARE SOME HEAVY FEEDING PLANTS THAT MAY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FERTILIZER, BUT THIS WILL HELP REDUCE THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE TO USE. SO IN CONCLUSION, WHY SHOULD YOU COMPOST? IT PREVENTS LEAVES FROM ENTERING STREETS AND STORM DRAINS AND CUTS DOWN ON STORMWATER POLLUTION. UH, IT CUTS DOWN ON FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES, SAVES YOU TIME AND MONEY, AND TURNS OUR GARBAGE INTO GOLD INSTEAD OF A HINDRANCE OUT THERE IN THE LANDFILL. SO, UH, HERE'S SOME RESOURCES FOR YOU. LSU AG CENTER HAS A BUNCH OF GREAT RESOURCES ON COMPOSTING, INCLUDING A MASTER GARDENER, UH, HOME COMPOSTING CLASS, WHICH GOES INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL. UH, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT TAKE COMPOST AND WE'LL, UH, GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION. ONE OF 'EM IS COMPOST NOW. AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE, UH, COMMERCIAL, UH, COMPOSTING OUTFITS HERE IN TOWN, LIKE ELLIS AND COMPOSTING NETWORK THAT YOU CAN REACH OUT TO. UH, IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION FROM JEFFERSON PARISH GOVERNMENT, HERE ARE LENGTHS. UH, AND THIS IS MY CONTACT INFORMATION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AND MY DEPARTMENT'S INFO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPOSTING AND GARDENING AND EVERYTHING, AND EVERYBODY'S THINKING MAYBE WE'RE CREATING A MESS. WELL, OUR NEXT SPEAKER, DR. REGAL, DR. CLAUDIA REGAL WITH THE, UM, THE, UH, UH, NEW ORLEANS, UH, MOSQUITO TERMITE AND RODENTS ACADEMY, OR, OR BOARD RATHER, WILL SPEAK TO US HOW TO DO ALL THIS. YOU KNOW, , UH, LET ME TELL YOU, UH, DR. REGAL, UM, IS AN ASSET FOR THIS REGION AND NOT JUST FOR A NEW AUDIENCE. UH, SHE, UM, SHE'S A GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF B PURDUE, THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, AND FINALLY GOT HER PHD FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. SHE SPEAKS AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS ABOUT THIS VERY SUBJECT. SHE, [03:25:01] SHE KNOWS HER STUFF AND, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE WORKED WITH HER FOR YEARS. AND, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M VERY FORTUNATE AND AN HONOR TO HAVE HER TODAY AS A PART OF THIS SEMINAR. SO, DR. RICO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SAMMY. THANK SO MUCH FOR INVITATION TO SPEAK TODAY. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED LISTENING TO EVERYBODY'S TALKS, RIGHT? AND SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, SPEAKERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT MULCHING AND WATER AND PLANTS. IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT, UM, THAT WE THINK ABOUT PEST CONTROL ON THE FRONT END SO THAT IT DOESN'T BECOME A PROBLEM ON THE BACK END. I'M GONNA TALK TODAY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT URBAN GARDENING AND REALLY THE PREVENTION OF RODENT AND MOSQUITO CONTROL. AND, UM, AND THEN I'M ALSO GONNA TOUCH ON PESTICIDE, PESTICIDE SAFETY, OUR HOMEOWNERS, OUR PROFESSIONALS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT, UM, SO THAT WE'RE USING THESE PRODUCTS IN THE SAME WAY, A SAFE WAY. UH, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T NOTICE, WE'RE, UH, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MOSQUITO AND TERMITE CONTROL BOARD. WE'RE LOCATED OUT ON, UH, 2100 LEON SIMON. SO THIS IS OUR FACILITY. WE CONDUCT THE ROAD AND ABATEMENT FOR ORLEANS PARISH MOSQUITO CONTROL, AS WELL AS PEST CONTROL. THIS IS A FOREMOST AND SUB TRAINING AND TERMITE, UH, FOR CITY FACILITIES. BUT WE ALSO DO A TON OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING. SO I DO APPRECIATE TODAY. SO LET'S, UH, YOU KNOW, WENT AROUND TOWN AND, AND LOOKED FOR SOME URBAN GARDENS. AND SO OF COURSE, THIS IS SORT OF THE WORST CASE SCENARIO OF WHAT IT COULD BE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, PART OF THIS TODAY, AND THIS IS SO GREAT TO BE HERE, IS LET'S THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS, RIGHT? OF HAVING A MESSY GARDEN OR LEAVING BUCKETS OR, UM, YOU KNOW, BIRD SEED OR WHATEVER IT IS. SO THIS IS, UH, SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE SEE HERE. THERE'S A BLUE POOL HOLDING WATER. I MEAN, YOU COULD JUST GO DOWN THROUGH, UM, LOTS OF VEGETATION THAT'S TIGHTLY, UH, PUT TOGETHER AND JUST GENERALLY NOT MAINTAINED VERY WELL. ACTUALLY, WOOD TO GROUND CONTACT THERE, WE CAN SEE THAT. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR TERMITES RIGHT NEXT TO THESE BUILDINGS. SO A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TODAY. ALL RIGHT, SO THE MOSQUITOES A CONCERN, AND THIS IS A REGIONAL THING. WE'VE GOT THE ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO, AND OF COURSE THE YELLOW FEVER, MOSQUITO, TWO VERY IMPORTANT MOSQUITOES IN OUR REGION. AND THEY LIKE CLEAN WATER AND THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, BREED INSIDE OF A TINY LITTLE CONTAINER, LIKE A BOTTLE CAP. I THINK YOU'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE. SO VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS HERE. IT'S VERY GOOD. AND RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE, WE DON'T HAVE DENGUE OR ZIKA VIRUS OR YELLOW FEVER, BUT THERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT HISTORY, UH, IN OUR REGION WITH YELLOW FEVER. SO, AND OF, OF COURSE, ZIKA IN 2016, LOTS OF TRAVEL CASES CAME INTO OUR REGION. SO FORTUNATELY WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY LOCAL TRANSMISSION, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS. VERY IMPORTANT IS A SOUTHERN HOUSE MOSQUITO, AND THEY LIKE VERY NASTY, SMELLY ORGANIC WATER. SO IF YOU'RE WORKING IN THAT GARDEN OF YOURS, MAYBE IN YOUR BACKYARD OR A COMMUNITY GARDEN, I NEED EVERYBODY TO REALLY LOOK AT THOSE CONTAINERS, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVE AN ABANDONED THAT'S THERE, THAT NEEDS TO BE DISPOSED OF PROPERLY, PROPERLY, VERY IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSMISSION OF WEST NILE VIRUS. AND SOME ARE OTHER, UM, ARBA ARBOVIRUSES THAT ARE THERE, ENCEPHALITIC VIRUSES, EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS, UM, AND ALSO VERY IMPORTANT FOR CANINE HEARTWORM, RIGHT? SO, UH, WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT AS WELL. SO HERE'S JUST SOME MOSQUITOES IF YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO ID THEM. THESE ARE JUST SOME PICTURES HERE, UH, THAT YOU CAN, UH, LOOK AT. BUT ALSO, WE ARE A RESOURCE, UH, FOR ORLEANS PARISH AND ALSO FOR THE REGION HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TEAM WITH MOSQUITO CONTROL, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS COLLECT THAT MOSQUITO, MAYBE POP IT IN THE FREEZER IN A TUPPERWARE, AND COME AND SEE US, RIGHT? OR SEND US AN EMAIL AND WE'LL HELP YOU IDENTIFY. BUT AGAIN, VERY IMPORTANT, NOT SO HARD TO DO, YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUST USE A LITTLE HAND LENS, UH, FOR SOME OF THESE MOSQUITOES AND IDENTIFY, NOW HERE'S SOME OF THE HABITAT THAT WE SEE, RIGHT? SO I'M SHOWING YOU SOME EXAMPLES BECAUSE THIS IS A COMMON THING. SO WE WORK REALLY HARD TO EDUCATE OUR FOLKS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS AND COMMERCIAL OPERATORS, EVERYBODY. BUT LOOK AT SOME OF THE STANDING WATER, FLOWER POTS AND SAUCERS, PROBABLY, I WOULD SAY NUMBER ONE, RIGHT? ANOTHER BIG ONE IN OUR REGION COOLERS. EVERYONE HAS A COOLER IN THEIR BACKYARD. , YOU KNOW, IT'S MARDI GRAS TIME, WHATEVER IT IS, FESTIVAL SEASON. SO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE AREN'T HOLDING WATER, UM, AQUATIC VEGETATION, RIGHT? SO MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE A POND OR SOMETHING THAT HAS SOME AQUATIC VEGETATION, MAKE SURE THAT'S BEING, UM, PROPERLY MAINTAINED. AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE A BATHTUB, RAIN BARREL, UM, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TALK, UH, HEARD TODAY THAT PRESENTATION ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS. I THINK THAT IS WONDERFUL. [03:30:01] UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF PLANS THAT ARE NOT NATIVE THAT HOLD WATER, OKAY? SO, UH, WE'VE SEEN MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE BROMELIADS OUTSIDE, PERHAPS IN THEIR GARDEN, THAT IS A PLANT THAT HOLDS WATER CONSISTENTLY. SO VERY IMPORTANT. AND ALSO YOUR BIRD BATHS, RIGHT? I HAVE A BIRD BATH, IT'S ALL GREAT, BUT MAKE SURE THAT THOSE GET TURNED OVER AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. YOU'RE ACTUALLY SCRUBBING, UH, THAT CONCRETE OR THAT METAL, BECAUSE THE MOSQUITOES WILL OFTEN LAY THEIR EGGS JUST ABOVE THE WATER LINE. SO WHAT HAPPENS IS, IF YOU JUST DUMP OUT THE WATER, FILL IT UP, GUESS WHAT? MOSQUITOES ARE GONNA HATCH IMMEDIATELY. SO, VERY IMPORTANT. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE TALKED ABOUT, OR SOME FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT RAIN BARRELS, AND I'LL TOUCH ON THAT. BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOUR RAIN BARRELS ARE PROPERLY CLEANED. THERE ISN'T DEBRIS SITTING ON TOP. WE OFTEN SEE BREEDING OF MOSQUITOES ON THAT, UH, SURFACE, LIKE ON THE LID, BECAUSE IT'S NOT DRAINING PROPERLY. IF YOU'RE IN ORLEANS PARISH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE COPA PODS, RIGHT? THEY'RE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL. AND IF YOU'RE USING THAT WATER FROM RAINWATER, GIVE US A CALL AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. AND ALSO, IF YOU WANT US TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND JUST INSPECT FOR FREE, JUST GIVE US A CALL. I'M GONNA HAVE MY, OUR EMAIL AT THE END, UM, OUR CONTACT INFORMATION AT THE END, AND WE'LL GO OUT THERE AND TAKE A LOOK FOR YOU. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH THE RAIN BARRELS, RIGHT? WE'RE ALL, WE ARE HAVE A HUGE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLDING THAT WATER, BUT WE NEED EVERYBODY WHO'S GOT A RAIN BARREL TO DO THEIR PART SO THAT YOU'RE NOT EXPOSING YOURSELF AND YOUR NEIGHBORS TO MOSQUITOES. ALL RIGHT? SO LET'S LOOK AT THAT PICTURE, RIGHT? WHOA, HOW MANY THINGS HERE DO WE NEED TO FIX, RIGHT? CAN'T BE LAZY ABOUT THIS. YOU'VE GOT SAUCERS EMPLOYEES DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS THAT ARE AROUND THERE. YOU'RE FEEDING THE WRATHS, OKAY? YOU'RE FEEDING THE RACCOONS AND THE POSSUMS. SO SUPER IMPORTANT. LOOK, YOU'VE GOT A WATERING CAN THAT NEEDS TO BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, NOT HOLDING WATER. SO THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT EXAMPLES, AND OFTEN THESE GARDENS ARE SHARED, OKAY? SO IT'S ALL VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU TALK TO EVERYBODY, GET TO KNOW WHO'S THERE SO THAT YOU KNOW THEIR STUFF IS BEING STORED PROPERLY. ALL RIGHT? SO WE HAVE LOTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA. WE'RE AT NOLA MOSQUITO. MANY OF THESE, UH, LITTLE IMAGES THAT YOU SEE ARE POSTED THERE, SO YOU CAN GO TAKE A LOOK. UH, WE'VE GOT A BIG TIP AND TOSS CAMPAIGN. WE'RE ALWAYS POSTING ABOUT THIS, BUT IT'S REALLY, WE, AGAIN, I'VE SAID IT SO MANY TIMES, BUT WE NEED EVERYBODY TO TURN OVER THEIR CONTAINERS. I'M SHARON JEFFERSON PARISH HERE AS WELL. TAKE 10 MINUTES, RIGHT? IT'S NOT A LOT OF TIME. WE OFTEN WILL PICK IT, LET'S SAY ON YOUR GARBAGE DAY. THAT'S WHAT I DO ON MY GARBAGE DAY. I TAKE A WALK AROUND. AND, UM, THIS WEEK ACTUALLY HAD SOME TARPS, UM, THAT I USED TO COVER MY CITRUS TREE. SO I ACTUALLY REMOVED THAT. IT WAS A NICE WEEKEND. I DRIED EVERYTHING, PACKED IT AWAY, AND IT'S IN MY GARAGE, RIGHT? SO IT JUST TAKES 10 MINUTES, UM, TO DO SOMETHING. UH, WE ALSO HERE IN ORLEANS, UH, HAVE, UM, MOSQUITO FISH. WE'VE GOT COPA PODS THAT WE CAN USE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL AGENTS THAT CAN BE USED VERY FREE AND KEEP YOUR YARD FREE OF CLUTTER, OKAY? AND, AND REALLY CHECK YOUR VEGETATION, RIGHT? VERY IMPORTANT. YOUR PONDS, YOUR FOUNTAINS, RIGHT? WE NEED TO KEEP THOSE THINGS ON CIRCULATING, UH, OR HAVE SOME FISH IN THERE. MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT, UH, PROVIDING HABITAT. LOOK, WE CAN'T KILL EVERY MOSQUITO. WE'RE NOT GOING TO KILL EVERY MOSQUITO, NOR DO WE NEED TO KILL EVERY MOSQUITO, OKAY? BUT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW IT'S VERY WARM SEASON. WE'RE EARLY SEASON, AND ACTUALLY, I WAS OUT AT DUSK. SOME OF THESE FLOOD WATER MOSQUITOES ARE COMING OUT, RIGHT? NOT SO IMPORTANT FOR DISEASE TRANSMISSION, BUT BOY, DO THOSE BITES HURT. AND SO WHEN YOU'RE OUT THERE, YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO AVOID THAT TIME, RIGHT? IF THE MOSQUITO, WHERE THE MOSQUITOES BITE, IF YOU CAN, UH, YOU SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER THE USE OF A CDS, RIGHT? CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION APPROVED AN EPA ONLY APPROVED, UH, REPELLENT THAT YOU SHOULD USE. THERE'S DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT ARE THERE. OFTEN THOSE HOME REMEDIES ARE NOT REALLY THAT EFFECTIVE, OKAY? SO WE REALLY NEED YOU TO GO VISIT THE CDC WEBSITE AND USE WHAT THEY, THEY, UH, OFFER LITTLE THINGS LIKE USING LONG SLEEVES. I KNOW IT'S HOT, RIGHT? BUT YOU CAN WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT COTTON CLOTHES, A LONG PANTS, POSSIBLY EVEN CLOSED TOWED SHOES TO AVOID THOSE MOSQUITO BITES TO BEGIN WITH. AND AGAIN, ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO AT OUR HOUSE IS IF WE'RE OUTSIDE AND IT'S MOSQUITO SEASON, I TURN A FAN ON AND I SIT IN THE AIRSTREAM, RIGHT? SO MOSQUITOES ARE, IF IT'S A BIG, UH, UH, WIND THAT'S AROUND THEM, THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA AVOID YOU TO BEGIN WITH. ALL RIGHT? SO THAT'S MOSQUITO IS GONNA TIE [03:35:01] IN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RODENTS. AND SO OUR REGION HAS THREE COMMEN RODENTS. AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT'S THE MICE AND THE RATS THAT SHARE OUR TABLE. WE ARE VERY GOOD, OKAY? AT PROVIDING EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED TO SURVIVE. SO, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THE PICTURES ABOUT THE, THE GARDENS. AND I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES HERE. SO WE HAVE THE HOUSE MOUSE, THE NORWAY RAT IN THE ROOF RAT IN OUR REGION, ALL RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. HERE'S THE HOUSE MOUSE. THEY'RE PRETTY TINY. THERE'S A BANANA. JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF, YOU KNOW, REFERENCE ON SIZE. THEY OFTEN LOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE PUFFY THAN THEY ARE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE SCARED OR, UM, YOU KNOW, THEIR HAIR, THEIR FUR WILL SORT OF STAND ON END. UH, BUT THEY'RE VERY TINY. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD ISSUES. I THINK MOST EVERYONE'S HAD SOME SORT OF RUN IN WITH THE MOUSE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES, RIGHT? BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING ALL THE PRECAUTIONS SO THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE NOT INTERACTING, UH, WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY CAN CAUSE DISEASE. HERE'S A NORWAY RAT. UM, AND THEY'RE OFTEN FOUND IN COMMERCIAL AREAS. THEY'RE, AGAIN, VERY IMPORTANT IN YOUR GARDENS, IN YOUR HOUSE WHERE YOUR KI BEING YOUR TRASH COVERED, YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY FEEDING THE BIRDS, CUZ IT'S A HIGH QUALITY FOOD SOURCE FOR THEM. SO, VERY IMPORTANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY'RE FEEDING. IF YOU'RE FEEDING YOUR DOGS OUTSIDE OR YOUR CATS FEED THEM, TAKE THE FOOD UP. AND BY THE WAY, YOU NEED TO CLEAN UP THE DOG POOP. ALL RIGHT? BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? THAT IS RAT FOOD. OKAY? AND THEY, IT IS VERY NUTRITIOUS RAT FOOD. UM, HERE'S A ROOF RAT, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHAT, WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. VERY LONG TAIL AS COMPARED TO THE BODY, RIGHT? SO, UM, THESE ARE VERY ARAL AND WHEN IT COMES TO GARDENS AND NUTS AND TREES AND ALL THAT BUSINESS, THIS IS WHERE THEY'RE OFTEN FEEDING. SO WE ARE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. LOOK, THE NUMBER ONE THING FOR ROAD AND CONTROL IS SANITATION. PERIOD. YOU DEAL WITH THE SANITATION ISSUE, YOU'RE GOING TO LIKELY DEAL WITH THE RODENT ISSUE. SO THIS IS THE FIRST THING THAT, UM, WHEN PEOPLE CALL, SO WE SERVICE ALL THE CITY BUILDINGS AND PROPERTIES, AND SO MAYBE THERE'S A MOUSE OR THERE'S A ROAD ISSUE SOMEWHERE. AND I ALREADY DEAL WITH THE, UM, EMPLOYEES AT THE CITY FACILITY TO SAY, HEY, WHERE'S THE SANITATION ISSUE? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH TRASH? IS THERE FOOD IN SOMEONE'S DESK? SO WE REALLY USE THAT INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT, WHICH I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT HERE IN A MINUTE, TO REALLY FIND THE SOLUTIONS TO DEAL WITH THOSE ANIMALS, RIGHT? RODENTS ARE OMNIVORES. THEY EAT SLUGS, WORMS, FRUIT SEEDS, DOG FOOD, YOU NAME IT. SO WE, THEY'RE MAMMALS. SO YOU REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THEY FEEDING ON. VERY IMPRO IMPORTANT. THERE ARE NO SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN, UH, REPELLANTS THAT ARE OUT THERE. ALL RIGHT? SO I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT. CUZ OFTEN PEOPLE WILL USE THE PLUGINS AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S NO DATA TO SUPPORT THAT. SO WORK ON SANITATION, VERY IMPORTANT. AND SOME OF THESE NORWAY RATS AND ROOF RATS, THEY HAVE TERRITORIES THAT CAN ACTUALLY SPAN MULTIPLE BLOCKS, RIGHT? WE KNOW UP TO 1.2 MILES, UH, IN SOMETI IN SOME PLACES WITH NORWAY. RATS, SAME FAMILY, ALL RIGHT? THEY'RE RELATED. SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR YARD, GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS, GET TO KNOW WHO'S WORKING IN THE, IN THAT AREA, BECAUSE SOMEBODY MAY BE FEEDING BIRDS, SOMEBODY MAY BE FEEDING THEIR DOG OUTSIDE. YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE AREA IS. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW TO DO TRAPPING ON YOUR OWN, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL, UM, AND I'LL GIVE IT TO SAMMY, YOU CAN POST IT OUT THERE. BUT WE HAVE WEBINARS THAT OUR RESIDENTS IN THE REGION CAN WATCH. AND WE TALK ABOUT BIOLOGY AND CONTROL AND ALL KINDS OF GOOD STUFF THAT YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN. ALL RIGHT? WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT WATER, RIGHT? RATS NEED TO DRINK WATER EVERY DAY. SO FIX THOSE. LEAKY FAUCETS, THOSE CONTAINERS, RIGHT? THE, THE, IF YOU HAVE CHICKENS IN YOUR YARD OR IN THE GARDEN, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WATER, UM, IS AWAY FROM THOSE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE FRUIT THAT IS RIPE, UH, VEGETABLES, PICK IT. DO NOT LET IT JUST SIT ON THE, THE PLANT BECAUSE THAT TURNS INTO FOOD AS WELL. LANDSCAPING, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT LANDSCAPING IS. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF DENSE VEGETATION, UH, GROUND COVER. THOSE ARE PLACES THAT ARE GONNA PROVIDE THE HARBORAGE, UH, FOR THESE ANIMALS. SO HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, HAVE THE VEGETATION, BUT AT LEAST HAVE SOME AIRFLOW AND BE ABLE TO LOOK UNDER. SO WE LIKE THOSE V-SHAPED PLANTS, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO PROPER INSPECTIONS. AND ALSO FOR MOSQUITOES, WHEN YOU HAVE VERY DENSE VEGETATION, THOSE ARE PLACES WHERE THEY'RE HIDING OUT, UH, HARBORING, KEEP THOSE DUMPSTERS CLOSED. KEEP IT AWAY FROM THOSE STRUCTURES, RIGHT? AND ALSO THINK ABOUT THE TREES AND WHERE THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY OVERHANG, [03:40:01] BECAUSE AGAIN, WE WANNA LIMIT THE POINTS THAT THEY'RE COMING IN. THESE ARE JUST SOME, AGAIN, PICTURES THAT WE'VE SEEN. YOU KNOW, I COULD SHOW YOU BEAUTIFUL PICTURES, BUT I THINK REALLY TO SHOW YOU THOSE EXAMPLES, TO SORT OF BRING IT HOME. UH, THE ARROW IS SHOWING SOME, UH, UH, CITRUS THAT'S ON THE GROUND. YOU GOTTA PICK THAT STUFF UP. YOU CAN SEE ACTUALLY THE SWIMMING POOL IN THE BACK. AND THE NEXT SLIDE, AGAIN, HEAVY VEGETATION AREAS WHERE YOU JUST CANNOT SEE BANANA TREES, RIGHT? BANANA FOLIAGE, WOW, THAT IS THE WOO. RATS LIKE THAT. , OKAY? SO NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE THE FRUIT, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THAT DENSE VEGETATION THAT THEY CAN BE HANGING OUT. COYOTES, BY THE WAY, THEY LIKE THAT AS WELL. MULBERRY TREES, THEY LIKE THAT TOO. SO, LOTS OF THINGS, RIGHT? THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU'RE PUTTING IT OUT THERE. THERE'S A BIRD FEEDER IF YOU CAN REALLY NEED TO AVOID IT, RIGHT? UH, IF YOU ABSOLUTELY ARE GOING TO FEED THE BIRDS, YOU JUST REALLY NEED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. IF YOU DO FIND RO ACTIVITY, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PULL THAT BIRD FOOD FOR A WHILE, GET THE SITUATION UNDER CONTROL AND THEN GO BACK. OKAY? VERY IMPORTANT. WOO, RIGHT? COMPOSTING, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS. COMPOSTING IS SO IMPORTANT, RIGHT? AND WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY. WE'VE SEEN TOO MANY EXAMPLES THAT PEOPLE WILL JUST THROW THE FOOD ON TOP AND THAT YOU JUST TURN THAT INTO WILDLIFE AND RODENT FOOD. SO PRETTY IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT? WE TALKED ABOUT RATS AND BIRD FEEDERS A COUPLE OF TIMES, RIGHT? BUT IF YOU ARE GONNA HAVE A, MAKE SURE YOU SWEEP UP, TRY TO CONTAIN THAT, THOSE SEEDS, THAT'S A VERY NUTRITIOUS FOOD SOURCE. AND THAT'S FOR RATS THERE AS WELL. BUT YOU CAN ALSO HAVE SQUIRREL INFESTATIONS IN YOUR HOME. THEY CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE WHEN IT COMES TO CHICKENS. I'M GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU. I DON'T KNOW TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHICKENS WHO DON'T HAVE ROAN ISSUES, RIGHT? JUST A LITTLE THING THAT YOU CAN DO. THEY ALL HAVE THE CHICKEN WIRE. MAYBE USE A HARDWARE CLOTH THAT'S A QUARTER INCH INSTEAD OF JUST THE LARGER GAPS, CUZ IT'S GONNA KEEP THOSE RATS, UH, IN MICE FROM ENTERING. VERY IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO BACK TO COMPOSTING A LITTLE BIT. THERE'S A GOOD EXAMPLE, RIGHT? PLEASE FOLLOW GREAT PROCEDURES. THIS IS SO AWESOME THAT THAT TOPIC WAS COVERED BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT CORRECTLY. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S PROVIDING THOSE FOOD SOURCES FOR THESE ANIMALS. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT RODENTS, BUT RACCOONS, POSSUMS, THERE ARE OTHER, I, YOU KNOW, WILDLIFE OUT THERE THAT COULD BE AN ISSUE. AGAIN, LOOK AT YOUR WATER HOLDING CONTAINERS. WE'RE IN A DRY PERIOD RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE GOING TO SUMMER'S COMING AND IT SEEMS TO RAIN OUT EVERY AFTERNOON SOMEWHERE IN THE SUMMERTIME. EGG TO ADULT LESS THAN A WEEK. SO IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE THAT ONE WEEK OR LESS, RIGHT? THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH AND TURNING OVER THOSE CONTAINERS, THAT VEGETATION, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THESE URBAN GARDENS ARE AROUND, UM, HOMES. SO JUST BE REAL MINDFUL OF VEGETATION TOUCHING BUILDINGS. UH, AGAIN, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER PICTURE OF A BIRD, UH, FEEDER CITRUS TREES LOVE CITRUS, RIGHT? I HAVE MY CITRUS TREES, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO STAY ON TOP OF IT. AND WHEN THAT FRUIT IS RIGHT, YOU NEED TO TAKE IT. AND THEN ALSO JUST MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF THAT FRUIT IS FALLING ON THE GROUND. AGAIN, I THINK I'M NOT, JUST ONE MORE POINT HERE IS JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOUR COMPOSTING IS DONE CORRECTLY FOLLOWING THE METHODS. BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY GOING TO BE ATTRACTING ALL THESE ANIMALS, UH, TO YOUR PROPERTY. AGAIN, VERY NICE. THINK ABOUT WOOD TO GROUND CONTACT. A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T, BUT HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN TERMITE THOUGH, ALL IN THIS REGION. THE TERMITE PRESSURE IS VERY, VERY HIGH. SO YOU CAN SEE SOME LATTICE ON THE GROUND THAT WON'T TAKE LONG TO DECOMPOSE CUZ THE TERMITES ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE GETTING ENDED. OKAY, THERE IT IS. ALL RIGHT. SO WE TALKED ABOUT BANANAS, WE TALKED ABOUT CITRUS, ALL THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? UH, ROOF RATS ARE JUST NOTORIOUS. WE'RE GETTING EVEN EATING THE RIND OF THAT FRUIT. SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT, WE SAW THAT ALREADY. AND DON'T FORGET YOUR PALM TREES. THINK ABOUT THOSE NUTS. THAT PICTURE OF, UM, OUR EMPLOYEE HERE HOLDING THAT NUT. THAT'S A, THAT'S A ROHO AS WE'RE CHEWING ON THAT, THAT IS A FOOD SOURCE. SO YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE FOOD SOURCES THAT ARE AROUND THAT PROPERTY. AND THE OTHER THING IS, THOSE PALM TREES, THEY PROVIDE GREAT NESTING AREAS AND NESTING MATERIALS FOR ESPECIALLY, UH, ROOF RATS. SO AGAIN, KEEP YOUR PLANTS TRIM. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE PLANTING TO BEGIN WITH. MANY OF THESE THINGS THAT WE TOUCH ON ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WERE AT NOLA MOSQUITO, PLEASE FOLLOW US. UH, THAT WE ALWAYS DO BUG OF THE WEEK, BUT WE REALLY TRY TO USE EXAMPLES THAT WE SEE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS SO THAT WE COULD TRY TO EDUCATE OUR FOLKS, OUR RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS, UM, OUR PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS. ALL RIGHT? SO I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PESTICIDES, RIGHT? SO [03:45:01] IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND IT'S ALSO THINKING ABOUT HOW WE DO CONTROL. AND SO OUR CONTROL NEEDS TO BE IN AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT APPROACH. WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, RIGHT? THERE'S SO MANY DEFINITIONS OF WHAT IPM IS. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT. YOU CAN BE IN AGRICULTURE, YOU CAN BE IN PEST CONTROL, YOU CAN BE IN MOSQUITO CONTROL. EVERYBODY'S GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT, UM, SORT OF DEFINITION. SO, BUT THERE ARE SOME BASIC STEPS, RIGHT? SO IT'S TALKING ABOUT INSPECTION, IT'S TALKING ABOUT IDENTIFICATION. UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME CASES, ESTABLISHMENT OF A THRESHOLD OF LIKE WHEN YOU WOULD ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING. YOU'RE GONNA USE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT METHODS OUT THERE FOR CONTROL, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA DETERMINE HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS. SO THIS IS REALLY THE EPAS, UM, SORT OF DEFINITION. BUT YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT CONE EDUCATION IS THE PILLAR OF ALL OF IT. SO WE APPRECIATE BEING INVITED HERE TODAY, AND ALL OF YOU AND EVERYONE WHO'S ONLINE TO REALLY LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BASIC PROCEDURES COMMUNICATION, RIGHT? PEST PROOFING, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUAL PEST CONTROL, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA MODIFY THAT A LITTLE BIT ON THE DEFINITION, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF INSPECTIONS, LOTS OF IDENTIFICATION OF WHAT INSECT RODENT YOU HAVE SO THAT YOU CAN PRESCRIBE THE RIGHT TREATMENT. AND THEN ALSO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE EFFECTIVE. YOU ACTUALLY DEALT WITH THE ISSUE. SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT I P M WHATEVER DEFINITION YOU USE IN WHATEVER REALM, IF IT'S AGRICULTURE, MOSQUITOES, PEST CONTROL, WHATEVER IS A PROCESS, RIGHT? SO IT IS A PROCESS. YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T WORK IN A VACUUM. SO YOU HAVE A GARDEN, IT MAY BE WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD, THINGS ARE GOING TO COME IN, RIGHT? SO THAT'S WHY IT'S A PROCESS TO ESTABLISH THAT EDUCATION. UM, HOW YOU'RE GOING TO INSPECT. SO INSPECTING YOUR, YOUR YARD ONCE A WEEK, 10 MINUTES A DAY, UH, 10 MINUTES A WEEK FROM MOSQUITOES, THAT'S PART OF YOUR INSPECTION, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU WOULDN'T USE A PESTICIDE, YOU'RE JUST GONNA TURN OVER THAT CONTAINER. THAT'S YOUR CONTROL. SO I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MR. JOE ANDREO. SO MR. JOE ANDREO IS THE L D A F, LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF BAG IN FORESTRY. HE'S A, UM, CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING COORDINATOR. HE'S A GREAT GUY. TAKE HIS EMAIL BECAUSE HE'S THE ONE THAT YOU WANNA CONTACT. UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. BUT FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW AT THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, MOSQUITO TERMITE CONTROL BOARD, WE ARE ALL PESTICIDE, UH, APPLICATORS. WE'RE, UM, LICENSED, TRAINED, VERY PROFESSIONAL, UH, WITH THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, BUT IT IS THE EPA WHO REGULATES, RIGHT? THE USE OF PESTICIDES. AND THEN THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IS, WORKS WITH THE EPA TO DO THE TRAINING, THE LOCAL LICENSING OF PESTICIDES, OF WHATEVER IT MAY BE. SO FIFRA IS THE, THE LAW, RIGHT? THE FEDERAL LAW THAT REGULATES, UM, ALL OF THE PESTICIDE, THE USE, THE TRAINING AND ALL OF THAT. IT'S BASED THROUGH THE EPA. AND SO I THINK FOR ALL OF US, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT IS A PESTICIDE. SO AGAIN, THEY'RE VERY CLEAR. IT'S A, AND I'M GONNA READ IT, SO WE'LL GET IT STRAIGHT ON. BUT IF ANY SUBSTANCE OR MIXTURE OF SUBSTANCES INTENDED TO PREVENT, DESTROY, REPEL, OR MITIGATE ANY PEST, UM, AND ANY SUBSTANCE OR MIXTURE INTENDED TO USE AS A PLANT REGULATOR, A DEFOLIANT, OR A DESICAN. SO UNLESS YOU WORK IN AGRICULTURE, A LOT OF FOLKS FORGET THAT. SO WHAT'S A PEST, RIGHT? IT CAN BE AN INSECT, IT CAN BE A BACTERIA, IT CAN BE A FUNGUS, A NEMATODE, RIGHT? WEED VIRUS, RODENTS. ALL OF THOSE THAT ARE GONNA BE, UH, CAUSING INJURY TO HUMANS OR SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURE PRODUCTS OR NATURAL PRODUCT. SO HERE'S JUST SOME EXAMPLES. TERMITICIDE AND RODENT AND HERBICIDE, RIGHT? ALL OF THOSE ARE, ARE THAT, DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS, UH, DESICAN, IF YOU WORK WITH COTTON, THAT'S A BIG ONE. SO PRETTY IMPORTANT. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS I'M COMMUNICATING FROM HIM, IS THAT EVERY PESTICIDE SOLD IN LOUISIANA HAS TO BE REGISTERED, RIGHT? SO THERE IS A, A RESOURCE THERE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT. AND SO IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT YOU BUY YOUR PESTICIDES IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE THAT ONE THROUGH A LICENSED ORGANIZATION, RIGHT? YOU JUST DON'T WANNA BUY OFF THE INTERNET. AND THEN WHO KNOWS WHERE IT COMES IN? IS IT REGISTERED IN THE STATE? IS IT REGISTERED IN THE US? WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS USING PRODUCTS REGISTERED. SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO ONLINE AS WELL AND SEE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, THERE'S THE WEBSITE FOR IT. NOW, LET'S JUST SAY, UM, YOU ARE GOING TO USE A PESTICIDE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I SORT OF CHALLENGE EVERYBODY TO LOOK IN THEIR GARAGES, IN THEIR SHEDS. WHAT DO YOU HAVE, RIGHT? BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE USE PESTICIDES. [03:50:01] NOW WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INTEGRATED PES MANAGEMENT. YOU SAW THOSE PILLARS, BUT IT COULD BE MECHANICAL CONTROL OF TURNING OVER THAT WATER. IT CAN BE CLOSING A HOLE THAT A MOUSE OR A RAT IS ENTERING. YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS THAT DO FOR CONTROL THAT DO NOT REQUIRE PESTICIDES. WE ARE NOT ANTI PESTICIDES. PESTICIDES ARE IMPORTANT PART OF CONTROL, BUT REALLY IT SHOULD BE YOUR LAST RESORT OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO. OKAY? SO WE STRESS EVERYBODY IN THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET AND HOMEOWNER THAT YOU NEED TO READ THE LABEL BEFORE YOU BUY THE PRODUCT, OKAY? SO, VERY IMPORTANT. THE LABEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, IS THE MAIN WAY THAT THAT MANUFACTURER IS GONNA COMMUNICATE WITH THE USER, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA TELL YOU WHAT IT IS ALL THERE. THE LAW, IT'S A LAW, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA TELL YOU HOW YOU CAN USE THAT PRODUCT. SO VERY IMPORTANT, YOU JUST DON'T TAKE SOMETHING AND SAY, AH, I'M JUST GONNA USE IT ON THIS. YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE LABEL BEFORE YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT TO SEE IF IT'S EVEN SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN USE. SO THERE'S TWO THINGS. I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS CUZ THIS IS ONE OF MY PET PEEVES, RIGHT? THERE'S THE LABEL WHO'S ACTUALLY ON THE PRODUCT, AND THEN THERE'S THE LABELING. SO SOMETHING, LET'S SAY, UH, YOU GO ONLINE AND YOU SAY, AH, I'M GONNA LOOK AT, UM, I THINK YOU USE IT, UH, A HERBICIDE FOR EXAMPLE. SO I'M GONNA GO READ ALL ABOUT THAT HERBICIDE, BUT YOU REALLY DO NEED TO LOOK AT THAT LATE BOWL THAT'S ON THAT PRODUCT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S GONNA DICTATE THE USE. OKAY? SO, AND SOMETIMES IT CAN CHANGE BY ONE OR TWO WORDS AND IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. SO YEAH, DO YOUR HOMEWORK WITH THE LABELING, BUT THEN GO LOOK AT THE LABEL AND SEE. SO WHY ARE PESTICIDE LABELS IMPORTANT? YOU CAN SEE I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PROPER PESTICIDE USED, RIGHT? UM, IT'S THE LEGAL DOCUMENT THAT'S GONNA PROVIDE THE DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MIX IT, HOW TO STORE IT, HOW TO DISPOSE OF THE PRODUCT, VERY IMPORTANT, RIGHT? AND IT'S THE LAW PERIOD. THE LAW, OKAY? SO YOU HAVE TO USE THESE PESTICIDES PROPERLY. VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. AND ALL THESE LABELS ARE GOING TO HAVE CERTAIN COMPONENTS. IT'S LIKE IT IS GONNA BE ALL ON THERE, OKAY? THE ONLY THING YOU MAY NOT SEE IS A WARRANTY, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, INFORMATION IF IT'S A RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE. THE TYPE OF PESTICIDE, THE NAME, LIKE THE TRADE NAME. BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO GONNA BE A DESCRIPTION AND WHAT'S THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT AND HOW MUCH IS THERE. SO WE DON'T HAVE TIME TODAY TO GO ALL THROUGH THIS. HOWEVER, I REALLY STRESS THAT YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT CAREFULLY. BUT I AM GONNA TOUCH ON THE USED CLASSIFICATION. THERE ARE RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDES THAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND AT YOUR BIG BOX STORES, RIGHT? YOU NEED TO HAVE A LICENSE WITH THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF AG AND FORESTRY. SOME OF OUR, UH, PRODUCTS THAT WE USE ARE RESTRICTED USE. SO EVERY TIME WE BUY IT, THEY'RE, THEY ASK CLAUDIA, HEY, CAN I SEE YOUR CARD? RIGHT? AND SO, VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE FOLLOW THOSE RULES. MANY OF THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE GONNA BE AT THE BIG BOX STORES ARE GONNA BE NOT RESTRICTED, RIGHT? SO THEY'RE GENERAL USE OR UNCLASSIFIED. SO THESE ARE TYPICALLY LOWER TOXICITY, LOWER RISK TO THE ENVIRONMENT, AS LONG AS YOU ARE USING IT ACCORDING TO THE LABEL AT THE RIGHT RATES. VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, RIGHT? SUPER. AGAIN, I'M STRESSING THIS A LOT, RIGHT? BUT YOU CAN SEE THIS ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA HERE. WE, WE REALLY TRY TO GET THE CONCEPT HERE THAT YOU NEED TO BE USING THESE PRODUCTS NO MATTER WHICH ONE YOU SELECT PROPERLY IS THE LAW. THESE PRODUCTS WILL ALSO HAVE A SAFETY DATA SHEET, OKAY? AND SO AGAIN, IT PROVIDES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THOSE OF YOU TYPICALLY CAN FIND ONLINE. A LOT OF GOOD STUFF THERE. HOW TO STORE, JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT BASIC, UH, INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY POTENTIALLY FIND. THEY HAVE ACTUALLY REVAMPED THIS PROGRAM IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WHICH IS GREAT. SO IT HAS TO BE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH AND IT HAS TO CONTAIN CERTAIN BITS OF INFORMATION THAT ARE THERE. NOW AGAIN, YOU'VE LOOKED AT THE LABEL, RIGHT? OF ANY PRODUCT THAT YOU'RE POTENTIALLY USING, AND YOU'RE GONNA LOOK TO SEE WHAT KIND OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IT REQUIRES. SO IT MAY BE AS LITTLE AS A PAIR OF GLOVES, UM, IT MAY BE A FACE SHIELD, IT MAY, I DON'T KNOW, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU'RE USING. CLOSED TOWED SHOES, MAYBE LONG SLEEVES, BUT PAY ATTENTION TO ALL OF THAT, RIGHT? PESTICIDES ARE SAFE AS LONG AS THEY'RE USED PROPERLY. AND WE DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY GETS INJURED. AND WHEN IT COMES TO WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR P E, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA HELP YOU PREVENT INJURIES TO YOUR FACE, TO YOUR HEAD, YOUR LUNGS, YOU KNOW, VITAL ORGANS, ALL OF THIS. SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S USED WHENEVER THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT, UH, LABELS. UM, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAWS, YOU KNOW, THAT OBVIOUSLY ARE SPECIFYING GLOVE USE. THAT'S A BIG ONE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AND THAT ALL GLOVES ARE NOT MADE EQUAL. SO IF YOU'RE USING A PESTICIDE, [03:55:01] UH, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO USE LEATHER GLOVES, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? SO YOU WOULD WANT TO USE SOMETHING EITHER LATEX, BUT SOME FOLKS ARE ALLERGIC TO LATEX, SOMETIMES NITROL, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT GLOVES OUT THERE, RIGHT? IF WE'RE WORKING WITH ANIMALS, SOMETIMES WE NEED TO HAVE GLOVES THAT ARE SORT OF BITE RESISTANT, RIGHT? SO ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT, UH, TYPES OF GLOVES ARE OUT THERE. VERY IMPORTANT. I DID WANNA COMMUNICATE FROM JOE. UM, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY UTILIZED THIS PROGRAM. IT IS A PHENOMENAL PROGRAM THAT THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF AG, UH, CULTURE PUTS TOGETHER AND THEY OFFER A PESTICIDE PICKUP. SO AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO LOOK IN THEIR GARAGE, RIGHT? SEE WHAT YOU HAVE. IF YOU'RE NOT USING THAT PESTICIDE, IT NEEDS TO BE DISPOSED OF PROPERLY. AND SO ON MARCH 23RD, AND IT'S GONNA BE IN NAPOLEONVILLE, UM, YOU CAN ACTUALLY, UM, PULL UP THE INFORMATION, BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR HOMEOWNERS, UH, TO DISPOSE OF THESE PESTICIDES PROPERLY. OKAY? VERY, VERY IMP. AND WITH THAT, I THINK EVERYBODY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE, IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST, WE'RE AT EDUCATION NOLA.GOV. SO THAT'S A GREAT WAY OF CON CONTACTING US. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, IF YOU NEED AN INSECT IDENTIFIED, I THINK IT'S GREAT. I DO WANNA MAKE THE POINT HERE IS ON OCTOBER 14TH, I KNOW IT'S FAR AWAY, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR BUG FEST. THIS IS A BIG, UH, FESTIVAL THAT WE HAVE OUT AT OUR FACILITY, AND MANY OF THE FOLKS THAT YOU'VE SEE IN HERE TODAY, HOPEFULLY WILL BE THERE. UH, BUT IT'S A LOT OF FUN. SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE INVITATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH DR. RIGA, FOR THIS EXCITING TALK. UM, ONE, SHE SAID MANY, MANY, UH, IMPORTANT, UM, THINGS. ONE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS IS, IS ABOUT PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT IN OUR HOMES AND OUR SHEDS. NOW WE HAVE THE ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENTS PICK UP, UH, WHICH WE JUST HAD, UM, ON THE WEST BANK AT THE LARRY CENTER, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE. BUT, UM, OVER THE YEARS WE'VE SEEN PEOPLE WHO HAD, UM, D D T FROM THE SEVENTIES, UM, STILL IN THEIR SHEDS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SOME OTHER PRODUCTS, UM, OLD PAINT, UM, AND, AND SO ON. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THAT, THAT STUFF, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO, UM, CHECK THE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF AG, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF AG, UH, WEBSITE AND, AND LOOK INTO, UH, DISPOSING OF, UH, OF, OF THIS MATERIAL, UM, AND HAZARDOUS MATERIAL REALLY IN, IN OUR HOUSES AND OUR HOUSEHOLDS. OKAY, I THINK WE HAVE FEW MINUTES FOR Q AND A. UH, IF ANYBODY IN HOUSE HAVE, UM, A QUESTION, I'M NOT SURE IF WE HAVE ANY ONLINE, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE ONLINE SO THEY CAN ENTER ON THE FACEBOOK CHAT. YES, IF YOU ARE ONLINE, AND IF YOU ARE REVIEWING US VIRTUALLY RIGHT NOW, YOU COULD SEND YOUR QUESTIONS. UH, WE WILL HAVE LIKE 10 MINUTES FOR THAT. UM, FOR ANY OF, ACTUALLY ANY OF THE SPEAKERS REALLY, OR YOU CAN ALWAYS SEND THEM TO THE CORRESPONDING, UH, SPEAKER. YOU CAN SEND 'EM TO ME AND I'LL RELAY THE, THE QUESTIONS TO, UM, OR, OR CONCERNS OR COMMENTS TO WHOMEVER, UH, YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR SPEAKERS TODAY. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR, UH, PIO FOR HELPING US TO, UH, MAKE THIS, UM, UH, LIVE FOR EVERYBODY OUT THERE WHO COULDN'T BE HERE IN PERSON TODAY. AND, UM, THANK OUR STAFF. THANK, UH, DIGITAL ENGINEERING, THANK OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT, DR. REGAL AND HER BOARD, UH, MS. KUFA AND HER BEAUTIFUL ORGANIZATION, UH, MICHAEL, DR. WENDY AND HER, UH, BEAUTIFUL AND, AND POSITIVE VIBES THAT SHE, UH, SHE SPREAD ALL MORNING LONG AND PLEASE BY ALL MEANS, UH, TAKE, UH, A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER AND, AND PLANT IT. AND, UH, YES, I'LL KEEP WATCHING THE FACEBOOK CHAT, BUT I ACTUALLY HAD A QUESTION FOR RICHARD. UM, SO RICHARD, YOU HAD MENTIONED, I THINK IN YOUR PLANT LIST, YOU TALKED ABOUT MILKWEED, UM, AND I GUESS HAD, YOU KNOW, HOME DEPOT IN THE BIG BOX STORES, THERE'S THE TROPICAL MILKWEED AVAILABLE, AND I THINK YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, THE SWAMP MILKWEED. AND I THOUGHT I HAD READ ABOUT SOME ISSUES WITH THE TROPICAL. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT AT ALL? I CAN. THE, THE TROPICAL MILKWEED IS PROMOTING A DISEASE, I'M GONNA USE THAT WORD, UH, AMONG MONARCHS. UH, MONARCHS ARE INGESTING THIS SPORE, AND THE SPORE IS COMING OUT IN THE FORM OF CHRYSALIS'S THAT DON'T COMPLETELY FORM OR THEY BECOME, [04:00:01] UH, BLACK GOOPY STUFF. OR IF THE BUTTERFLY DOES MAKE IT, ITS WINGS ARE TOO SMALL FOR MIGRATION. WHAT IT'S CREATING IS A RESIDENT POPULATION OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES IN NEW ORLEANS. AND THAT SHOULDN'T BE MONARCH SHOULD BE MIGRATORY. AND SO THESE BUTTERFLIES THAT ARE STICKING AROUND YEAR ROUND, THESE MONARCHS THAT ARE STICKING AROUND NEW ORLEANS, UH, IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA, YEAR ROUND ARE DISEASED. UM, SO THEY HAVE, IT'S, I'M NOT GONNA USE A SCIENTIFIC TERM, IT'S CALLED OE. UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL WOMEN IN THIS AREA WHO ARE MONARCH EXPERTS. UM, JENNA HOFF, UM, LINDA ALT, WHO YOU MAY KNOW, HAD THE BEST PLACE PESTICIDE SHOP ON JEFFERSON HIGHWAY. UM, BUT I WOULD AVOID THE TROPICAL MILKWEED AT ALL COSTS AND JUST GO STRICTLY NATIVE. I ALSO LEARNED THE HARD WAY. I DID BUY WEED ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO FROM HOME DEPOT, AND IT WAS WHEN I BROUGHT IT HOME AND PLANTED IN THE GARDEN CUZ I HAD SUCH RAVENOUS CATERPILLARS THAT I NEEDED MORE, THEY ALL DIED. AND I FOUND OUT THAT WHAT HAPPENED WAS THEY WERE TREATED WITH A CHEMICAL TO KILL THE AFIS, WHICH KILLED THE, THE, UH, CATERPILLARS. SO IF YOU DO BUY 'EM, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE SOME APHIDS ON THEM. , THAT'S A GOOD THING CUZ THAT MEANS THEY WEREN'T TREATED. OKAY, THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, I GUESS WITH THAT, THANK YOU EVERYBODY AND, UH, TILL NEXT TIME, I APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION AND, AND, UM, AND PRESENCE AND HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEK. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.