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Roseville Public Works, Environment and Transportation Commission Agenda Item Date: October 25, 2022 Item Description: No Mow/Less Mow May Discussion Item No: 6 Background: No Mow May is a conservation initiative first popularized by Plantlife, an organization based in the United Kingdom, but which is gaining traction across North America The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for early season pollinators. Russ Henry from Giving Tree Gardens will present the "why" and "how" of No Mow May. This will be an abridged version from his presentation he gave to the MN Horticultural Society called "Bee Lawns & Beyond." The full version is about 1.5 hours long and can be found on YouTube. Benefits of not mowing in May: Lets early spring wildflowers bloom to provide food for emerging and migrating pollinators. Most wildflower seed mixes don't flower early enough to provide early season nectar and pollen resources. Yards not treated by herbicides more likely to foster "spontaneous growth" of common flowers like dandelion and white clover. Reduces usage and emissions of gas lawn care equipment. Turf grass grows deeper roots and becomes more drought -resistant when mowed less frequently. On April 25, 2022, City Council supported a council member -initiated item to support residents who wish to participate in "No Mow May." Local ordinances pertaining to lawn maintenance were temporarily suspended until June 1, 2022. With the environmental benefits of not mowing in May, Community Development staff saw an increase in lawn driven complaints. David Englund, Roseville's Building Official and Codes Coordinator, will be in attendance and will highlight these issues that they faced from No Mow May 2022: • Complaints about yards not being mowed, and weeds spreading to neighboring properties. • Costs to mow properties that were not responsive to the June 1 deadline.