The Shawano Common Council has agreed to let No Mow May continue for one more year in 2025, but the members want some studies to take place then to answer the question once and for all about whether letting the grass grow higher is really a benefit for pollinators.
Alderman Kevin Barkow brought the idea to the council in 2022, having seen that the city of Appleton did it for several years prior in the hopes of bringing a more robust bee population to the area. It was decided then to do an annual resolution approving the observance.
It only took one year for the thrill to be gone, as Barkow learned in 2023 that Appleton was trying to end the practice because there’s no scientific evidence that the taller grass has improved the bee count. Despite the hesitancy, the council has agreed to No Mow May last year and this year.
The discussion June 12 was put on the agenda at the request of Alderwoman Sandy Steinke, who voted against the No Mow May resolution in 2023.
“Maybe it might be doing some good, but there’s no real studies,” Steinke said.
Alderman Jack Young has been doing some research on the matter and told the council that Appleton, after the first year of its program, had three times as many bees in the area.
“It was a real positive for them,” Young said. “A lot of it depends on which community and the uniqueness of each community. What I’d like to see is a No Mow May for this next coming year and then lining somebody up to study it and study the city of Shawano and how we respond to that and see if it’s a positive here.”
Young suggested getting some higher education institution involved doing a study and seeing what tangible benefits there are from not mowing lawns for a month in springtime. He noted Appleton has been studying the matter.
“I’m sure we could get one of the universities involved as a student research project, because the more we can increase the bee population and some of the other positive insects and that, the better we are as a community,” Young said.
Mayor Bruce Milavitz spoke positively about the program because it’s purely voluntary. Any property owners that don’t want to participate can continue to mow their lawns, he said.
“If you want to participate, you participate,” Milavitz said. “If you don’t want to participate, you don’t have to.”
Alderman John Hoeffs noted that Appleton also has the benefit of wildflower beds, so having something like that might also benefit the bees.
“You don’t just have to leave your lawn grow,” Hoeffs said.
Steinke noted that the last No Mow May saw an increase in the number of butterflies, another type of pollinator, but she acknowledged the butterflies visiting might not correlate with No Mow May.
“It was kind of cool,” Steinke said. “There were a lot more butterflies than I had seen in years past.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
