Martha Bishop Ferguson will give tips for keeping lake water clean while establishing beautiful yards and lakefronts. Her talk will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21, in the Syracuse Community Center.

It is open to the public and sponsored by LaPSI, Lake Papakeechie Sustainability Initiative. “If you enjoy watching butterflies, birds, dragonflies and our native bees, then you need to provide habitat to support them,” she explains. She adds that lakeshore buffer strips help run-off infiltrate into the ground instead of polluting the lake. Shoreline plantings mimic nature but do not have to appear wild.

They can enhance lake views, not detract or obstruct views. Her method uses local genotypes, seeds from plants that have actually adapted to northeast Indiana. Martha is owner of Riverview Nursery, Spencerville, where she grows native genotypes for sale including the much sought-after milkweed so necessary to the existence of Monarch Butterflies.

She will not have plants to sell since it is still too early. She is a Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist, who previously directed the garden restoration project at the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site.