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Creating a Haven for All
By Kelly Meinhart, Producer
 arlier
this summer I had the opportunity to spend a lovely sunny
day with Mr. Ed Zygmunt at his home in the mountainous lands
of Susquehanna County. Ed and his wife Amber purchased their
home and property back in 1996, and immediately got busy with
what has become a 'natural wonderland' if you will, where
the natural world and all her inhabitants are treasured. They
call it "Perennial Acres."
Video Clips
 estoring
the old farmhouse was their first order of business, and today
they now live in a restored, energy-efficient haven of their
own. With that business behind them, they set out to create
an overall conservation plan for their property. Ed and Amber
wanted to be sure that their efforts would be preserved forever,
so they contacted their local land trust and developed a conservation
easement plan for their property. As is often the case, the
efforts of one inspire the efforts of others. It wasn't too
long after Ed and Amber donated their 50 acres to the easement
program that their neighbor decided to enroll his land in the
program as well — and so because of their combined efforts
150 acres of this beautiful countryside is now dedicated to
open space.
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it was time to get busy developing new habitats and restoring
others. The first order of business was to restore the wetland
habitat that had been drained by past owners to produce additional
crops. The couple worked with DEP's wetland replacement project
to create new wetland ponds, and today 15 acres of their property
is classified as high-quality wetlands, supporting a variety
of wetland plants while providing much needed habitat and resources
for wildlife.
 he
Zygmunt's work doesn't stop there — what amazed me was
how inclusive their work and dedication is to their daily lives.
It seemed to me that their philosophy wasn't just to start a
project and complete it, but more that they understand the larger
cycle of the natural world and live within in. For Ed and Amber
it's not just about making things better, but about living it
better. Perennial Acres is life, naturally.
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 ometimes
in our daily lives we see things that make us just want to
cry. That's how Ed and Amber felt every time it rained. That's
because they'd look out the window and see that rain rushing
down the dirt road out front with only one destination —
the stream. At the side of their backyard lies a lovely little
country stream that generally supports a variety of stream
organisms. However, rain of any magnitude, turned it into
a roaring river of mud. Again, Ed worked with his local conservation
district office and DEP to take part in the Dirt and Gravel
Road Pollution Prevention Program. Through this program they
reconstructed the road and redirected the stormwater into
channels leading into hayfields along the road, with peak
stormwaters redirected into the newly created wetland ponds.
All of this work not only provided a much nicer road for traveling,
but also created ground water recharge while protecting the
stream.
 long
with these projects, Ed and Amber have really taken on the
challenge of providing safe habitats for wildlife. In an effort
to provide habitat and grow fruit trees, they've sectioned
off an area to create a deer exclosure. In that grassy pasture
you'll find a variety of wildflowers and plants along with
brush piles — perfect habitat for small mammals. They've
also taken a smaller field and planted a native wildflower
field for small mammals and birds. They are also working with
the PA Bureau of Forestry to formulate a forest management
plan for maximum benefits to wildlife.
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he
couple has even taken conservation practices and implemented
them in the previously maintained grass lawn. They've enrolled
their yard into the National Wildlife Federation's "Backyard
Wildlife Habitat Program" and now have over 1/4 acre
of their yard dedicated to providing the basic elements for
wildlife: food, water, shelter and space to raise their young.
Their backyard has been certified by the NWF, and now brings
pleasure to their daily lives with the sightings of hummingbirds,
butterflies, frogs, bats and other wildlife in their own backyard.
he
work the Zygmunt's have done is an inspiration to anyone wanting
to improve their own habitat and protect nature. While it
may seem overwhelming to get started, or that you need a large
track of land to work with — what Ed would most likely
stress is that anyone can work with their property to create
similar projects. All you really need is the desire to welcome
wildlife into your backyard. The first step is contacting
the people who are there to help — partnerships get things
done, and you'd be surprised at the number of programs that
are out there to help you get started. If you're interested
in creating your own backyard habitats, contact your local
conservation district office to lend a hand.
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Ed Zygmunt
Better
Than you Found It
ood
luck to those of you who are just getting started, and thank
you to Ed and Amber for welcoming me into your home, and for
your inspiration.
