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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 5/31/2022 - Memorandum From Honore Depew Re: No Mow May: Supporting Pollinator Health 1 OCF Exec includes: Jackie Kozak Thiel, Sustainability Officer; Seve Ghose, Community Services Director; Caryn Champine, Planning Development and Transportation Director; Kendall Minor, Utilities Director; Claudia Menendez, Equity Officer, Lindsay Ex, Environmental Services Director 2 Additional staff contributors to memo include: Mike Calhoon, Parks Director; Julia Feder, Natural Areas Environmental Program Manager; Marcy Yoder, Neighborhood Services Manager; Jay Hernandez, Code Compliance Lead Inspector; Michelle Finchum, Municipal Sustainability Coordinator; Mariel Miller, Interim Water Conservation Manager Environmental Services Department 222 Laporte Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6600 MEMORANDUM Date: May 25, 2022 To: Mayor Arndt and City Council Thru: From: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager Our Climate Future Executive Steering Committee (OCF Exec)1 Honoré Depew, Climate Program Manager with Additional Staff 2 Re: No Mow May: Supporting Pollinator Health The purpose of this memo is to address to Council Members request for more information in response to community interest in encouraging residents not to mow their lawns during the month of May. Background: No Mow May is an ecological conservation initiative that suggests residents stop mowing lawns for the month of May in order to create temporary habitat and provide resources for bees and other pollinators. During the May 3, 2022 City Council regular meeting there was a request to follow up with more information about options for promoting pollinator habitat health during the spring of 2023. Bottom line: Through community education, incentives programs, and leading by example, the City of Fort Collins actively promotes and supports the growth of pollinator habitat across the community. Residents are currently able to participate in No Mow May if they choose, and there are many ways community members can take action to benefit pollinators. Staff intends to help residents promote pollinator health for spring 2023 and will continue to explore No Mow May as one possible strategy. Strategic Plan Alignment Supporting pollinator habitat aligns with: Natural Areas Department Master Plan and Nature in the City Strategic Plan ReCreate: Parks & Recreation Master Plan Action 4.1.3 Our Climate Future Big Move 11: Healthy Natural Spaces Municipal Sustainability and Adaptation Plan MSAP Goal 2: Our Public Lands Thrive 2022 Strategic Plan, Objective 4.5 Protect and enhance natural resources on City-owned properties and throughout the community. City Plan Strategy ENV-1b. Continue funding and other resources to help homeowners, homeowner associations, community groups and contractors implement Nature in the City on their properties. No Mow May Conservation Initiative Voluntary participation for residential landscapes is welcome o Code Compliance staff received notice of this growing program too late to formalize a program for May 2022. o Residents have been advised to contact Neighborhood Services/Code Compliance if participating to avoid citations for code violations, and Inspectors used appropriate discretion if a resident had a sign or other indicator of participation. o Staff is tracking participation to understand uptake and impacts as well as conducting research into best practices and examples from other communities. perspectives o Extension is not actively promoting this approach for several reasons: The climate in Colorado is different than in the United Kingdom or the Midwest, where No Mow May originated and gained traction, respectively. Cutting more than 1/3 of turf grass length at a time damages roots and makes it less resilient to stressors (such as lack of water in the heat of summer). o Extension staff support residents converting landscapes to xeriscape with pollinator-friendly and water smart landscapes. Leading By Example to Promote Pollinator Health Natural Areas conserves and protects over 40,000 acres of land for wildlife habitat, including pollinators o Natural Areas efforts focus on increasing native plant diversity and abundance in rewilding restorations to promote pollinator health. o Natural Areas Department began bee and butterfly surveys on natural areas in 2020 to get baseline data and measure outcomes of habitat management efforts and conducts annual pollinator surveys. o Natural Areas Department creates habitat corridors through the city that allow the movement and dispersal of pollinators. Parks Department manages parks to support both the natural environment and user experience o All community parks are Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary certified. An education and certification program that helps organizations implement an environmental management plan that improves efficiency, conserves resources, and promotes conservation efforts. o Park Planning and Development designs new parks to include naturalized areas rather than turf grass from edge to edge. o Parks Department uses "No Mow Zones" in the Park system (parks, golf courses, and cemeteries) to naturalize the edges of the properties and provide benefits to pollinators while improving the quality of stormwater runoff and reducing irrigation demands. o The Parks Department follows an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy. According to the EPA, IPM "is the coordinated use of pest and environmental information with available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment." o Parks has experimented with beehives on Cemetery, Park, and Golf Course properties. o The Parks Department meets a high community expectation for level of service for sports and play fields and player safety, including turf health and maximum grass height. o Parks encourages the community to join them in eliminating the use of 2-stroke equipment during the heat of the day on Ozone Alert Days throughout the summer. Nature in the City promotes and supports integrating pollinator habitat into urban settings through: o A community grant program funding over 60 projects to-date that increase habitat for wildlife in the city, o Installing a 1/3-acre pollinator demonstration garden at Sugar Beet Park, o Hosting a pollinator plant swap and native seed swap to get more pollinator friendly plants into the community, and o Training over 200 volunteers how to conduct butterfly surveys on Natural Areas and private property. 2023 Strategies and Tips for Community Members to Promote Pollinator Health Xeriscaping program offers rebates for community members to reduce residential turf grass. o Includes incentives to support landscape change from bluegrass to xeriscape. Since 2021, has been funded by Nature in the City if participants use at least 80% native plants in their project, further supporting our pollinators habitat. 3 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320717306201 Susannah B. Lerman, Alexandra R. Contosta, Joan Milam, Christofer Bang, To mow or to mow less: Lawn mowing frequency affects bee abundance and diversity in suburban yards, Biological Conservation, Volume 221, 2018, Pages 160-174, o Water Conservation Xeriscape Incentive Program Residential and HOAs. https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/conserve/water-efficiency/xeriscape/incentive- program Encourage community members to mow less all year round (if vegetation height allows). A study in Massachusetts found that mowing every 2-3 weeks, instead of every week, increased bee abundance and diversity (Lerman et al., 20183). Minimize irrigation use until as late in the spring as possible. Take classes provided by Larimer County Extension Master Gardener program. More info: https://larimer.extension.colostate.edu/y-g-master-gardener-program/ Visit Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens City Hall and Gardens on Spring Creek to learn more. Use herbicides and pesticides sparingly. More info: https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we- do/stormwater/stormwater-quality At a minimum, the City will continue to allow voluntary participation in No Mow May and will continue to explore if the program should be proactively promoted, based on further reserach. Next Steps Staff intends to help residents promote pollinator health for spring 2023 and will continue to explore No Mow May as one possible strategy. Compile and review data from 2022 participation and learnings. Research and connect with other communities and trusted partners to share best practices. Coordinate messaging between Communications and Public Involvement Office (CPIO) and the communications teams from related departments (e.g., Utilities, Parks, Natural Areas, Code Compliance, etc.) for 2023 messaging.