Here at Flows To Bay, we love meeting incredible San Mateo County residents who are making a difference in their communities.
This month, we’re excited to introduce Erica Richter, a 34-year resident of our beautiful county. Erica has been a member of the UC Master Gardener Program for the past 9 years and is an expert in eco-friendly gardening and pest control practices. Erica shares her experience and passion for sustainable gardening with local hardware stores throughout the County in partnership with the Flows to Bay program.
Among her many passions, Erica cares deeply about biology, the health of the planet, and public education—but she’s also a grade-A detective. She has honed her skills over the years in one-on-one conversations with residents who come to her with tough pest and garden issues. In the clutch of a difficult garden conundrum, Erica takes a moment to identify the issue and then, almost without fail, offers up a number of effective solutions that also minimize environmental impacts. Often, the issues residents face in the garden are caused by certain practices they’ve adopted that, while well-intentioned, encourage the problem to occur in the first place. Overwatering, for instance, encourages root rot, weed growth, and pests. Reflecting on the many conversations she’s had with residents, Erica points out that,
“Most people want to make the right environmental decisions when they understand they have a choice. Best pest management practices involve working with the environmental factors in yards or gardens by supporting natural predators that attack pests or using traps to catch rats and moles rather than poisons which can also harm birds and other animals as well as children and pets.”
If Erica looks familiar, it might be because you’ve seen her tabling at your local Home Depot or Hassett Hardware store. At these tabling events, Master Gardener volunteers like Erica talk to customers about the impact that individual products can have on the health and productivity of our county’s soil and water. There are lots of products available that won’t harm you or your property, and Master Gardeners can help you figure out just what to use! You can find upcoming events on our calendar, or call the Master Gardeners directly for pressing concerns.
If you care about the environment or love to be in your garden and want to help make a difference, the Master Gardener Program is always looking for people to help teach residents how to care for plants and the planet. You can find volunteering information here.
Have questions about the blog, our programming, or pest control problems you’re having? Contact us here.
