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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Las Vegas Seeks to Ban Nonfunctional Grass

Famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign

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With Assembly Bill 356, Las Vegas-area water officials hope to impose the first policy in the U.S. banning grass on “nonfunctional turf” that no one walks on in such places as highway medians, housing developments and office parks. This ornamental grass, which occupies about eight square miles in Las Vegas, requires four times as much water as drought-tolerant landscaping like cactus and other succulents. Removal by 2026 could reduce annual water consumption by roughly 15 percent. Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones says, “To be clear, we are not coming after your average homeowner’s backyard.”

California imposed a temporary ban on watering ornamental grass during a recent drought, but no state or major city has eliminated specific categories of grass permanently. The water authority banned developers from planting green front yards in new subdivisions in 2003 and offers owners of older properties up to $3 per square foot to tear out sod and put in desert-type landscaping. Still, water consumption in southern Nevada has increased 9 percent since 2019. The Colorado River, which accounts for 90 percent of southern Nevada’s water, is under intense pressure. Last year was among the driest in the region’s history, when Las Vegas went a record 240 days without measurable rainfall. If the initiative is successful, it may be duplicated in other areas that face their own water crises.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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