Environmental advocates join congresswoman for roundtable.
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill say that native plants are key to making sure New Jersey’s ecosystems are healthy. Sherrill (D-11th) is pushing legislation that focuses on habitat rehabilitation and flood prevention, for which native plants are critical.
“They offer such a benefit and there is currently no U.S. government-wide statute requiring federal entities to incorporate native plants in their building and landscaping projects. And this bill will change that,” Sherrill said.
Environmental advocates joined Sherrill on Thursday for a roundtable on the importance of native plants — those that are indigenous to a region.
“Native plants are the crux of how we rehabilitate and reclaim ecosystems. Without that you will not succeed. You have to get rid of the invasive first,” said Jenny Gaus-Myers, who runs environmental education at the Morris County Park Commission. “But once you do that, the wildlife is going to take over and it’s going to do it for you.”
Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club chapter, said, “Having native plants, especially with a state like New Jersey where most of our land has been human-altered, bringing back our native species is actually one of the best solutions that we have in order to have resilience against climate change. … Native plants have the best adaptability to changing temperatures, changing weather, changing climate.”
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