Parade of Homes

98 Parade of Homes Spring 2014 204-989-5000 www.natashakouk.com NATASHA KOUK Dynamic Real Estate 204-989-5000 www.natashakouk.com NATASHA KOUK Dynamic Real Estate >> native grasses and plants aren't just an attractive landscaping feature — they can be part of a natural flood control and water-purifying system. Ducks Unlimited Canada's expertise was crucial to wetland revival efforts that began at Oak Ham- mock Marsh in the 1970s. Now a Ducks Unlimited offshoot, Native Plant Solutions, is helping to establish and restore wetlands across the coun- try, including planned wetlands in communities such as Sage Creek, Bridgwater Lakes, and South Pointe. In Sage Creek, homeowners are even pitching in to maintain native grasses on private property, NPS senior wetlands specialist Lisette Ross says. And, she adds, the eco-friendly projects are unique in that they're driven by builders. "If you get innovative people, you get innovative solu- tions," she says. Wetlands work as a water-storage system for melting snow and heavy rainfalls. And they trap fertilizer and other harm- ful nutrients that would otherwise seep into the watershed. Bullrushes and cattails are the first line of defence, ab- sorbing water and filtering nutrients on the shoreline, and underwater vegetation finishes the job so water that eventually flows into the Seine, Assiniboine and Red rivers and on to Lake Winnipeg is naturally purified. Native grasses are another important part of the sys- tem. They don't need regular watering, so there's less water to drain into the watershed. And they don't need fertilizer, so water that does drain into the sys- tem is cleaner. Water runoff from streets and fields carries silt and phosphorus, which have been flagged as culprits that can cause algae blooms like the ones that have plagued Lake Winnipeg in recent years. Native grasses have another advantage: They don't need to be mowed on a regular basis, and tall-grass landscapes don't attract large numbers of geese — according to Ducks Unlimited, geese like to be able to see predators coming, and that makes shorter grass a more attraction option. For more information on NPS, visit www.ducks.ca. Green and CLean Native plants are Mother Nature's water purifiers By Pat St. Germain – Photo by Marianne Helm 'If you get innovative people, you get innovative solutions'

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