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VII.3. Discussion on No Mow May; Imihy Bean CITY OF HOPKINS Memorandum To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members Mike Mornson, City Manager From: PeggySue Imihy Bean, Special Projects and Initiatives Manager Date: March 21, 2023 Subject: Discussion on No Mow May _____________________________________________________________________ PURPOSE Tonight, the Staff will offer a presentation on No Mow May and request guidance from the City Council on if enacting No Mow May should proceed. INFORMATION In concert with other conversations about sustainability in Hopkins, residents have begun asking the City to temporarily suspend the City’s nuisance ordinance related to the maintenance of vegetation to allow for participation in “No Mow May.” The concept of No Mow May originated in Europe through the non-profit PlantLife, and has been advocated for heavily in the recent past by the organization, Xerces Society’s Bee City USA. No Mow May champions mowing your lawn less in an effort to create habitat and increase the abundance and diversity of wildlife. Here in Minnesota, pollinators include native bees, honeybees, ants, flies, beetles, birds, butterflies and more. The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for these early season pollinators. Pollinators that emerge from hibernation in spring rely on readily available food sources to survive, which spring flowering plants provide. Having a robust habitat for pollinators is particularly important in urban areas like Hopkins, where floral resources are often limited. Many Cities in the metro and across greater Minnesota choose to participate in No Mow May each year by adopting a resolution recognizing the month, and issuing a temporary ordinance suspending any nuisance ordinance related to long grass or noxious weeds. However, not all cities are advocates of the practice due to discrepancies in research coming from the origination of the program in England, which has a different cli mate than many parts of the US – though the program is universally applied. In Minnesota – especially this year where we have had record breaking snowfall, it could be unlikely that grass reaching a growing height that requires a suspension of the nuisance ordinance. The University of Minnesota Bee Lab’s website describes No Mow May as a way to support spring flowers for pollinators, but does note that “People should not take the catch phrase "No Mow May" literally.” They indicate while No Mow May can increase the availability of flowers, mowing in the month of May might actually be needed to reduce Administration the spread of invasive plants (e.g., dandelions) or even to encourage future blooms (e.g., clover). Finally, some experts share that for most typical urban and suburban lawns, which are typically made up of Kentucky bluegrass with few native flowering species, No Mow May provides little benefit to pollinators and only encourages aggressive species (such as dandelions) to thrive. Allowing grass to grow longer in May does not introduce new native flowers, and when aggressive flowers such as dandelion start to grow, this may result in increased herbicide use the rest of the season to control them which runs counter to many efforts to reduce the use of chemicals on lawns. Residents wishing to support early season pollinators, regardless of No Mow May, should intentionally plant a pollinator lawn (or “bee lawn”) using native seed mixes that include native grasses and plants. The University of Minnesota Extension has many resources for those wishing to learn more about creating a pollinator friendly lawn. Both Nine Mile Creek Watershed District and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil offer grants to residents who wish to restore their yards to native habitats. In 2022, the City and Nine Mile Creek Partnered together to create a demonstration garden in Valley Park to show the environmental benefits of pollinator-friendly native landscaping. The garden features native grasses, flowers, and fescue grass (also called eco-grass). At the garden, residents and visitors can sit on benches to relax, or explore the garden and learn how to use native plants in their yards. Despite differing options on the benefits of No Mow May, the program can ultimately be a useful conversation starter on supporting our natural environment through native plantings and lawn care. Additionally, the City has received many comments from residents, including comments from the Avenues Neighborhood Association, about the desire to have the ability to participate in No Mow May. It should be noted that individual property owner participation in No Mow May is not mandatory. If adopted, residents will be encouraged to participate through City communications (social media, Highlights, Connections, etc.), but property owners may still choose to mow their lawns. Should the City Council decide to participate there are two paths for moving forward with the decision: 1. Annual Ordinance Suspension and Resolution of Recognition – Each year the Council would issue a temporary ordinance suspending the City’s maintenance of vegetation ordinance to allow residents to grow their laws from May 1 to May 30, which would need to follow our charter requirement to read the ordinance at two meetings. The City would also issue a resolution recognizing No Mow May. 2. Permanent Ordinance Revision and Annual Resolution of Recognition – The Council could permanently revise the vegetation ordinance to allow for residents to grow their laws from May 1 to May 30. In future years only the resolution recognizing No Mow May would need to come before the City Council. FUTURE ACTION Should the City Council decide to move forward with No Mow May, an ordinance and resolution will be brough back at the April 4, 2023, meeting.