KENT, Conn.—The Board of Selectmen has joined forces with the town’s Conservation Commission and Kent Land Trust to encourage residents to observe No Mow May.
No Mow May is a conservation effort that allows plants that support pollinators to establish themselves in the spring, providing early-season food and habitat for bees and other pollinators, helping to boost their populations and biodiversity.
Conservation Commission Chairman Jean Speck attended the selectmen’s meeting Wednesday, May 7, to remind the board of the town’s commitment to the Pollinator Pathway Resolution passed in 2022 and to encourage the town government to engage in more initiatives during May.
The commission asked that the town not mow designated town properties and rights-of-way in May and display educational signs on town properties where parcels are being allowed to grow.
It further asked that mowing be minimized along roadsides and the edges of parks, and that planting native species be prioritized in municipal landscaping.
In addition to the unmown pollinator pathways, Town Foreman Rick Osborne said the town will try to reduce roadside mowing.
“We will do the first pass along the edges because the grass gets longer there and mats down onto the roads, getting in the way of bicycles,” he said. “But we won’t do the second and third passes until later.”
The area around town hall will be mowed “because we have enough dandelions already and they seem to come back as quick as we mow,” he said.
First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer said he favors a “manicured lawn” in front of town hall to present a business-like appearance. But other areas, such as the space between the Kent Center School and the Kent Land Trust’s property, will be allowed to grow.
Lindenmayer said he had looked over the resolution to see how the town can participate, but that he is concerned about the prevalence of ticks in long grass.
“I talked to the Torrington Area Health District,” he said. “We all know that ticks are increasing and [I worry] about elderly people who walk their dogs between the KCS playing fields and the land trust land. It’s always been a place for ticks, but it also has [plants] important for pollinators.”
He suggested that signage could help people to avoid exposure to this year’s bumper crop of ticks.
Connie Manes, Conservation Commission member and executive director of the land trust, thanked the selectmen for the dialogue.
“It really goes to thinking about where we can decrease mowing,” she said. “Lawn can be replaced with native plantings that are much more beneficial and much less costly. That’s the spirit of the pollinator pathway resolution—mow where people will walk; think about where lawn needs to be, and where it doesn’t need to be.”
She further urged that residents reduce the number of times they mow.
Pollinator Pathway practices already in place have earned the town 20 points from Sustainable CT. Further points can be earned through educational efforts.
