MAEscapes (Mid-Atlantic Ecological Landscapes Partnership) started as a conservation landscaping project of the employees of the York County Extension office and the local Conservation District. The project has evolved into a program run mainly by Master Gardeners, local horticulture professionals, as well as like-minded community members and is now called the Native Plant Habitat Team.
Allium cernuum - Nodding Onion
Mission Statement
Promote and teach environmentally sustainable practices using native plants.
Guiding Principles
Reduce the Use: Native plants, located in their proper conditions, require less fertilizer, pesticide and labor to maintain. Fewer chemicals create a safer ecosystem for all, with the benefit of lower maintenance costs.
Use of Mid-Atlantic Native Plants: The use of native plants protects, restores and sustains the biodiversity of plants that wildlife needs to survive.
Conserve Water: Proper site preparation and careful plant selection will take advantage of natural conditions and control man-made sources of storm water runoff. This reduces the need for watering and slows sedimentation and pollution in the watershed.
Create Wildlife Habitat: The natural communities created by implementing conservation landscaping techniques will help replace our shrinking native habitats. Wildlife attracted to these communities will give your site unique beneficial beauty.
Values
Ecological Values:
There is a vital link between native plant species and native wildlife. Native insects cannot eat the non-native plants so commonly used in our yards. As development threatens natural areas and the native plants that grow there, native insects disappear. Since insects are the main food supply for nesting birds as well as many other animals, when native plants disappear, so does much of our wildlife.
Economic Values:
Plants are sources of genetic and raw materials that are used to expand or diversify agricultural and industrial products, including foods and medicine. Native plants provide a storehouse of genetic diversity for future exploration, discovery, and use, to meet human needs.
Societal Values:
The beauty of wildflowers is just one of the many aesthetic values of native plants. The presence of plants in their native habitats and in cultivation enhances our world in many ways. Native plant communities and natural areas provide opportunities for people to experience nature.
