Virtual Field Studies: Building Healthy Desert Soils

 

Urban yards have the potential to produce well beyond their natural productivity without needing costly store products. By integrating the use of typical waste streams such as greywater, stormwater, plant trimmings, and more, you can bring desert soils to life. Learn how to assess soil types, profiles, and infiltration. By the conclusion of this field study, you will have the skills necessary to effectively use typical household wastes to build soil health and promote a productive urban landscape in your own yard!

 

Learning Objectives

 

 How to assess soil types and profile characteristics

 Enhance soil moisture absorption and retention

 Promote building a soil food web

 Create a plan for your landscape to use ‘wastes’ that create soil health

 

Pre-Course Activity

 

Maximize your class experience and come prepared. Before class, preview our Soil Assessment Youtube Playlist and then use the USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey to classify your soil type at home and identify the following properties for your soil:

 

A) hydrologic soil group

B) typical soil profile

C) depth to restrictive layer (and what type of layer is it?)

 

Cost

 

To eliminate access barriers to our educational offerings, we invite everyone to participate regardless of your ability to pay. If you have the means, please consider supporting our educational programming through making a donation so we can continue to reach as many folks as possible.

 

Donate Today!

 

Continuing Education

 

This virtual field studies class has been pre-approved for:

 

1.5 Professional Development Hours through the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES)

1 Continuing Education Credit through the Association of State Floodplain Managers' Certification Program (ASFPM CFM)

 

Instructor

Catlow Shipek, WMG Policy and Technical Director