scholarly journals Landscape Preferences and Water Conservation Choices of Residents in a High Desert Environment

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolston St. Hilaire ◽  
Dawn M. VanLeeuwen ◽  
Patrick Torres
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
High Water ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Desert Plants ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Residential Landscapes ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
High Desert

We surveyed homeowners with residential landscapes in Santa Fe, NM, to determine their attitudes toward high desert plants and to assess their preferences for urban landscapes and water conservation strategies in a high desert urban environment. While there was low acceptance for the traditional turf lawn, 64% of residents agreed that high desert plants provided the variety they needed in their residential landscapes and 92% of residents would use high desert plants to landscape their front yard. Homeowners had a strong preference for retaining their current desert landscapes and converting traditional landscapes to high desert-adapted landscapes. Logistic regression revealed a negative relationship between length of residency in the southwestern United States and the willingness to use high desert plants. When homeowners who irrigated their landscape were asked whether water shortages, environmental concerns, information on water, city regulations, high water bills, or water rate increases would cause them to use less water on their landscapes, the highest level of agreement (94%) was for water shortages. Eighty-eight percent of respondents agreed that they liked any type of landscape that contains interesting features and is well planned. We conclude that homeowners have a preference for desert-adapted landscapes and agree that high desert plants provide an adequate palette of plants for urban landscapes. Additionally, the length of residency in the southwestern U.S. and the possibility of water shortages have the potential to impact water conservation strategies in high desert urban landscapes.

scholarly journals Balancing Landscape Preferences and Water Conservation in a Desert Community

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane E. Spinti ◽  
Rolston St. Hilaire ◽  
Dawn VanLeeuwen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Desert Plants ◽  
Property Value ◽  
Desert Environment ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Residential Landscapes ◽  
Landscape Water ◽  
Willingness To Use

We surveyed homeowners with residential landscapes in Las Cruces, N.M., to determine design features participants valued in their landscapes, their attitudes toward the landscape use of desert plants and opinions on factors that would encourage respondents to reduce landscape water use. We also determined whether the willingness to use desert plants in their landscapes related to the length of residency in the southwestern United States. At least 98% of respondents landscaped to enhance the appearance of their home and increase their property value. About half (50.6%) of the participants strongly agreed or agreed that the main reason to landscape was to display their landscape preferences. Many participants indicated they would use desert plants to landscape their front yard (80.3%) and back yard (56.3%), but relatively lower percentages of participants actually had desert landscapes in their front yard and back yard. Regardless of their property value, respondents were more likely to use desert plants in their backyard the shorter their stay in the desert. Data revealed that participants rank water shortages as the factor that would most likely cause them to reduce the amount of water they applied to their landscapes. We conclude that homeowners report willingness to use desert plants but desert-type landscapes are not a widespread feature of managed residential landscapes. Furthermore, water shortages and the length of time respondents spent in a desert environment would most likely influence water use in their landscapes.

scholarly journals 286 Plant Life Form Frequency, Diversity, and Irrigation Application in Urban Residential Landscapes

HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 491E-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathleen A. Peterson ◽  
L. Brooke McDowell ◽  
Chris A. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Area Coverage ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Irrigation Application ◽  
Residential Landscapes ◽  
Canopy Area ◽  
Central Arizona

Heightened awareness of ecological concerns have prompted many municipalities to promote water conservation through landscape design. In central Arizona, urban residential landscapes containing desert-adapted plant species are termed xeriscapes, while those containing temperate or tropical species and turf are termed mesoscapes. Research was conducted to ascertain landscape plant species diversity, tree, shrub, and ground cover frequency; landscape canopy area coverage; and monthly irrigation application volumes for xeric and mesic urban residential landscapes. The residential urban landscapes were located in Tempe and Phoenix, Ariz., and all were installed initially between 1985 and 1995. Although species composition of xeric and mesic landscapes was generally dissimilar, both landscape types had comparable species diversity. Mesoscapes had significantly more trees and shrubs and about 2.3 times more canopy area coverage per landscaped area than xeriscapes. Monthly irrigation application volumes per landscaped surface area were higher for xeriscapes. Even though human preference for xeric landscape plants may be ecological in principle, use of desert-adapted species in central Arizona urban residential landscape settings might not result in less landscape water use compared with mesic landscapes.

scholarly journals Assessment of Water Usage and Water Management in Mae Fah Luang University

2017 ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Yanasinee Suma ◽  
Nittaya Pasukphun ◽  
Anuttara Hongthong ◽  
Vivat Keawdounglek
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
High Water ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Type Water ◽  
Use Behavior

A university may be compared by its size of population and activities to a small city, with high water consumption and in need of effective water conservation strategies. This study presents the results of a study of water consumption on the Mae Fah Luang University campus in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Consumption was classified by activity type, water usage and water saving behavior of students and staff. The results suggest strategies for water conservation on campus. With a water conservation plan focusing on residential areas (halls and homes), which accounted for the highest levels of consumption on the campus. The study also identified activities where water-use behavior was wasteful; hence, we propose practical strategies to reduce the university’s water use by a) raising awareness of the costs of wasting water; b) education to improve knowledge, attitude, and behavior in regard to water conservation, with examples of good practice.

scholarly journals A Method to Quantitatively Classify Residential Urban Landscapes in a Desert Environment

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-481
Author(s):  
Malik G. Al-Ajlouni ◽  
Dawn M. VanLeeuwen ◽  
Michael N. DeMers ◽  
Rolston St. Hilaire
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Desert Environment ◽  
Landscape Type ◽  
Quantitative Classification ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Residential Landscapes ◽  
The Common ◽  
Landscape Types

The apparent heterogeneity of human-generated materials in residential urban landscapes sustains concerns that the quantitative classification of urban residential landscapes is impossible. The objective of this research was to develop a method to quantitatively classify urban residential landscapes in a desert environment. Using a purposive sampling procedure, we studied the landscapable area around each of 54 residential homes in Las Cruces, NM. All materials in the landscape were identified, measured, and categorized. Using 30% as the cutoff to indicate that a material was dominant in the landscape, we classified 93% of all landscapes into nine common landscape types. Mulch-dominant landscapes were the most common, and landscape types differed between front- and backyards. Shrubs did not feature prominently in any of the common landscape types. Our classification method clearly identifies multiple landscape types, and for the first time, provides quantitative evidence that landscape types are distributed differently in front- and backyard landscapes in the desert environment of Las Cruces. Information on common landscape types will be valuable to landscape horticulturists wanting to craft water conservation plans that are landscape specific if the common landscape type can be linked to a landscape water budget.

A 2050 Vision for Colorado's water supply future

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Rowan ◽  
E. Hecox ◽  
S. Morea
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
The State ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Water Projects ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Local Water

The last decade has brought many changes to Colorado's water supply outlook. Despite the recent economic recession, the state has experienced significant population growth, and Colorado's population is expected to nearly double within the next 40 years. Other pressures on Colorado's water supply include severe drought, a desire to meet multiple needs (i.e., municipal, environmental, recreational) with existing resources, and impacts to agriculture due to water shortages, urbanization, and transfers to new users. To address these challenges, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) has undertaken a visioning process to explore solutions to these future water supply challenges. As part of this process, CWCB has led the state in identifying demand and supply strategies to meet the state's future water needs while considering agriculture and the environment. These strategies have been combined into varying portfolios that include methods such as conservation, local water projects, new Colorado River development, and agricultural transfers. This paper details the development and evaluation of these portfolios and describes stakeholder's efforts to balance meeting Colorado's water needs in the future.

scholarly journals The Water Footprint of Primary and Secondary Processing of Beef from Different Cattle Breeds: A Value Fraction Allocation Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6914
Author(s):  
Frikkie Alberts Maré ◽  
Henry Jordaan
Keyword(s):  
Water Footprint ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
High Water ◽  
Allocation Model ◽  
Cattle Breeds ◽  
A Value ◽  
Average Production ◽  
High Water Intake ◽  
The Difference ◽  
By Products

The high water intake and wastewater discharge of slaughterhouses have been a concern for many years. One neglected factor in previous research is allocating the water footprint (WF) to beef production’s different products and by-products. The objective of this article was to estimate the WF of different cattle breeds at a slaughterhouse and cutting plant and allocate it according to the different cuts (products) and by-products of beef based on the value fraction of each. The results indicated a negative relationship between the carcass weight and the processing WF when the different breeds were compared. Regarding a specific cut of beef, a kilogram of rib eye from the heaviest breed had a processing WF of 614.57 L/kg, compared to the 919.91 L/kg for the rib eye of the lightest breed. A comparison of the different cuts indicated that high-value cuts had higher WFs than low-value cuts. The difference between a kilogram of rib eye and flank was 426.26 L/kg for the heaviest breed and 637.86 L/kg for the lightest breed. An option to reduce the processing WF of beef is to lessen the WF by slaughtering heavier animals. This will require no extra investment from the slaughterhouse. At the same time, the returns should increase as the average production inputs per kilogram of output (carcass) should reduce, as the slaughterhouse will process more kilograms.

scholarly journals Calcined Clay Improves Germination of Arid Plant Species

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-93
Author(s):  
Taun Beddes ◽  
Richard Anderson ◽  
Ricardo Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Calcined Clay ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Commercial Practice ◽  
Percent Germination ◽  
The Common ◽  
Water Holding

Water conservation efforts in urban landscapes have increased the need for water-wise-plants. A potential source includes multiple native, drought-adapted species. A lack of researched propagation protocols makes commercial production of many species difficult. We examined germination of three native plant species (Purshia stansburiana, Cercocarpus ledifolius, and Forestiera pubescens) in three substrates. Both P. stansburiana and C. ledifolius are endemic to semiarid areas. Forestiera pubescens is found in riparian areas but is drought hardy once established. Stratified seed of each were sown in substrates varying in organic matter (OM) content and water-holding porosity (WHP) characteristics: (1) a commercial germination mix (83% OM); (2) a self-blended combination of a commercial potting soil mixed volumetrically 1:1 with vermiculite (37% OM); and (3) a calcined clay (0% OM). Germination was monitored for 60 days. Percent germination was highest in the calcined clay for each species evaluated (P. stansburiana: 63%, C. ledifolius: 51% and F. pubescens: 83%). These rates were at least 25% greater than the next best medium, the self-blended substrate. The commercial germination blend was the least favorable for germination. These results suggest that the common commercial practice of using germination substrates may not be suited to germinating many species native to arid areas.

Farming systems and conservation needs in the Northwest Wheat Region

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 52-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.I. Papendick
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
No Till

AbstractThe Northwest Wheat Region is a contiguous belt of 3.3 million ha in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Its climate varies from subhumid (<650 mm annual precipitation) to semiarid (<350 mm), with more than 60% of the annual precipitation occurring during the winter. Winter wheat yields range from a high of 8 t/ha in the wetter zones to a low of 1.5 t/ha in the drier zones. Winter wheat is grown in rotation with spring cereals and pulses where annual precipitation exceeds 450 mm; winter wheat-fallow prevails where annual precipitation is less than 330 mm. Tillage practices are designed to maximize infiltration and retention of water through soil surface and crop residue management. Because of the combination of winter precipitation, steep topography, and winter wheat cropping, much of the region is subject to a severe water erosion hazard, accentuated by freeze-thaw cycles that increase surface runoff and weaken the soil structure. Wind erosion is a major problem in the drier zones, where cover is less and soils are higher in sand. Residue management, primarily through reduced tillage and no-till systems, is the first defense against both wind and water erosion, but yields often are higher with conventional intensive ti llage. Factors that limit yields with conservation farming include weed and disease problems and th e lack of suitable tillage and seeding equipment. Conservation strategies must shift from relying on traditional tillage methods to development of complete no-till systems. Spring cropping as a replacement for winter wheat also needs to be investigated. In some cases, tillage for water conservation must be made compatible with tillage for erosion control.

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