Tax incentives may help motivate homeowners to implement stewardship guidelines. For example, counties or municipal governments could reduce property taxes by 1 percent for homeowners who follow conservation guidelines for the use of such elements as water, chemicals, and native plants and by 2 percent for homeowners who follow those guidelines and whose individual activities are also consistent with a larger urban plan. A similar incentive is the policy of reducing sewer rates for homeowners who disconnect downspouts. Parks, Schools, and Cemeteries Parks, schools, and cemeteries have many opportunities to participate in conservation programs. Local parks, schools, and watershed councils can all assist people in learning about urban ecosystems and how individual activities affect them.
Community businesses can help finance educational efforts.
Parks and schools play an important role in taking their education programs one step farther by providing their constituents with meaningful, hands-on activities that develop a greater awareness of the contributions they can make in their developed environment and beyond. Students and other volunteers can participate in restoration and clean-up efforts that encourage awareness and sensitivity toward natural ecosystems. Using biodiversity-friendly management practices at cemeteries can provide important help for biodiversity conservation. In some grassland areas, cemeteries represent that last remaining plots of native grass species. Cemeteries also can provide relatively large stands of natural habitat in the urban environment, making them prime birding areas for species such as owls.