LEAVE a no-mow buffer around waterways

Leave a “buffer zone” (a strip of native grasses or natural vegetation) around the shoreline. Avoid fertilizing or mowing adjacent to waterways by leaving a “ring of responsibility” of at least ten feet. This vegetation helps prevent soil erosion. It will also remove and retain some pollutants that would otherwise enter the waterway.

Too many nutrients in our ponds, lakes, and bays can cause algae blooms. Not only are they unpleasant to look at and smell, but they can kill fish because the algae consumes all the dissolved oxygen necessary for the fish to live. Algae blooms can negatively affect recreation, the economy, and human health.