Why you should rethink your fertilizer

A MESSAGE FROM THE AC SAVE THE MANATEE CLUB kidney, reproductive, and nervous systems), are harming over one million New Yorkers’ primary source of drinking water. So how exactly did our lakes turn into such a major public health and environmental concern? economy so reliant on agriculture. However, there is another solution available that could help Finger Lakes farms while reducing environmental degradation.

As Western New Yorkers, many of us are anticipating summer retreats to the Finger Lakes, a perfect location for swimming, boating, fishing, and simply soaking in the beauty of nature. While this paradise seems untouchable, the Finger Lakes, and many other aquatic ecosystems across the nation, are at risk of significant deterioration due to harmful algal blooms (HABs).

The main culprit behind these HABs can be traced back to the overuse of synthetic fertilizers. Essentially, people use fertilizers in landscaping and agriculture, then heavy rain causes runoff and erosion of those nutrients into nearby waterways, and the excess of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water - paired with warm calm water - creates the ideal conditions for cyanobacteria to grow. As a result, the cyanobacteria deplete the water of its dissolved oxygen and produce toxins resulting in an unsafe, or even an uninhabitable, lake.

According to the Finger Lakes Land Trust, every one of the 11 Finger Lakes have faced cyanobacteria (commonly known as bluegreen-algae) outbreaks since 2017. These blooms in the Finger Lakes, which result in fish death, foul-smelling water, and the release of cyanotoxins (known to affect the human liver,

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Now that spring has arrived with Earth Month, and widespread landscaping, gardening, and farming return across the state, fertilizer use will increase as well. Life in the Finger Lakes, a popular magazine in the region, explains that the Finger Lakes area is home to over 7,600 farms. Furthermore, local writer and educator Jim Ochterski† asserts that “drive for 10 minutes in any direction in the Finger Lakes region and you will pass by at least one farm.” It is hard to imagine fertilizers going anywhere with an

Organic fertilizers aim to create a natural balance between soil organisms, plants, animals and humans, all while increasing crop yield and yield quality by using living materials to supply soil with its required nutrients. While they do have downsides such as lower nutrient content and a lack of readily available nutrients, organic fertilizers have also shown to enhance water retention, soil texture, air flow, erosion resistance, and disease prevention. As a rapidly advancing division of world agriculture with research and advancements around every corner, organic farming could be just the solution that those residing near bodies of water have been looking for. • https://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com/what-do-you-knowabout-farming/#:~:text=Drive%20for%2010%20minutes%20 in,of%20the%20total%20land%20area. https://www.fllt.org/toxic-algae-actions https://www.fllt.org/toxic-algae-facts https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wQw95fj1jyiABlPoO1B hLnTyUwY1duCWMqJxfQSJ3qM/edit