Paying for the Parks & Water Conservation

Paying for the Parks & Water Conservation. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The 4th holiday is a great time to head to one of the northwests state parks. Plenty of hiking and camping. But starting today the state parks in Washington are no longer free to get in. Donations used to be accepted but no longer. Visitors must now have a Discovery Pass clearly displayed in their window or be fined. The Discovery passes are $10 a day or pay $30 and it’s good for a year. The fine on the other hand is $99. That makes the math pretty simple. For more info on Washington parks and to buy a pass go to discoverpass.wa.gov.

Water conservation is always a crucial issue, especially at this time of year and backyard gardeners can save water by using compost in their garden soil according to Bob Westerfield of University of Georgia.

WESTERFIELD: And one of the reasons it actually conserves water is in the raw state as it’s beginning to break down, actually conserves soil on the top of the surface, it acts like a mulch. When you add that into the soil it really improves the structure, it improves the tillability, the aeration in the soil all in turn which is going to produce a healthier plant. A plant that needs less water, also a plant that allows the available water to infiltrate into the soil much easier.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.

(Grange)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.