What Does Stewardship Mean to Us?
At Northern Rockies Nature Journaling, stewardship is at the heart of our mission. We believe in using nature journaling as a way to inspire individuals to care for and protect the environment. We can’t appreciate the beauty of nature without actively contributing to its preservation, which is why we want to have a highlighted focus on stewardship. As people engage with nature and with each other, we hope to inspire lasting stewardship that will benefit the environment we all share.
Supporting Native Species
Supporting Native Species
This Month’s Stewardship’s Focus:
Supporting Native Animals and Plants!
Why is Supporting Native Species Important:
Have you ever noticed how certain plants do exceptionally better in your garden? Or have you noticed the same type of animals running around in your yard? It might because they’re native species! Native species are the animals and plants that have lived and grown in an area for thousands of years and they play a major role in keeping our local ecosystems balanced and healthy. However, when invasive species, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change come into the their environment, native species often suffer. When they disappear, it creates a ripple effect—disrupting food chains, soil health, and even water quality. By protecting and supporting our native species, we help preserve the natural beauty and balance of our environment for future generations. Let’s make sure our local wildlife and plant life have the support they need to thrive!
Tips and Tricks to Support Native Plants/Animals:
Look up which species are native to your area!
You can use this website: https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/ to find native plants in your area! All you have to do is enter your zip code, and it will provide a list of native flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs and it will even tell you which animals benefit from them!
Plant native species in your yard or garden.
Now that you know which plants are native, try adding them to your outdoor space gives birds, bees, and butterflies a safe place to live and find food. Native plants are also easier to take care of because they’re already adapted to your local climate!
Remove invasive species from your yard.
Invasive plants like English ivy, Japanese knotweed, and others can take over spaces and push out native plants. Learn to identify and safely remove them from your property or local green spaces. Additionally, leave the leaves alone! In fall, you may be tempted to rake them all up, but leaves can provide shelter for small animals and naturally enrich soil as they break down!
Avoid using harmful pesticides and herbicides.
Some pesticides can have really harmful chemicals can hurt the very creatures we’re trying to protect, like pollinators, birds, and small mammals. You can look into buying natural/organic alternatives and try using home-remedies such as vinegar, or salt!
Support local farms and native plant nurseries.
Buying from local farms or nurseries that grow native plants supports the local economy and encourages sustainable, eco-friendly gardening. Plus, they most likely have knowledge on which native plants are best to plant yourself!
Learn and share!
Get to know which plants and animals are native to your area. The more you know, the more you can help! Talk to your friends, neighbors, or family members about native species and why they matter.
Every native plant you grow and every animal you protect makes a difference. It may seem like whatever is growing out of the ground is natural, but by educating ourselves and being more mindful of the environment around us, we help create a healthier, more vibrant ecosystem for everyone—humans, plants, and animals alike.
How to Support Native Species with Your Nature Journal:
Sketch and label native species you observe—it spreads awareness and helps others learn, too!
Be gentle and avoid disturbing habitats while observing—stay on trails and don’t pick wildflowers to maintain ecological balance.
Add notes on how certain species benefit the ecosystem to encourage stewardship education. Try and see how everything in the ecosystem is connected!
Use your journal to track long-term changes in local biodiversity over seasons or years.
Community Efforts:
Because we’re all in this together!
Community Story:
Hi! So, I live in central New Jersey and I remember about two years ago in the summer, we had a crazy problem with spotted lantern flys: an invasive insect species. You couldn’t even go outside without seeing them, and because they reproduce so quickly and feed on so much, they were damaging the native species. We barely saw any other type of insects, and there would always be holes in plants where they fed. But we were able to raise a lot of awareness and taught people to remove them as efficiently as we can, and the next summer, we didn’t have that problem anymore!
So, how did you do?
Email us your stewardship story for a chance to get featured on this website!
Did you try any of our tips, and if so, how did they work out? Did you have any other tips that we didn’t mention?
More Resources
More Resources
Interested in learning more about how to be a good environmental steward?
Check out these websites for more info!
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/
Use this to get informed, find volunteer opportunities, take online action, or donate! Check out their “Research” page! They have articles on any environmental issue you’re interested in to learn more about what can be done.
While this website is intended as a resource for teaching environmental studies, it still offers so many resources that anyone can utilize. Learn about their initiatives (with articles, quizzes, toolkits, etc.) and see what action you can take.
https://earth911.com/category/
On this site, you can listen to podcasts, read “featured courses”, learn how to live sustainably, and take action all in one place! Most importantly, they have so many tips to offer on how to be better stewards; you’ll definitely be able to implement something in your daily life.