According to a study in 2005, around 1.1 million acres of Maryland are covered in turf grass. That includes golf courses, but it’s primarily residential lawns. In the US, there are approximately 30 million acres of land being used as nothing but lawns. And we pour fertilizers, weed killers, and pesticides across them like they’re going out of fashion. No, lawns are not good for conservation. Just mowing the lawn uses a lot of gas per hour, and watering a yard that’s 10,000 square feet needs at least 10,000 gallons of water over the summer alone. Then there’s the fact that perfectly manicured lawns are ecological dead zones. Insects and other pollinators will see a lawn the same way we see a deserted landscape. There's simply nothing there for them to feed on or make a shelter out of. Get rid of as much of your lawn as possible, and replace it with plants native to Maryland.