WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (OnFocus) – The City of Wisconsin Rapids has adopted a resolution designating the month of May 2024 as No Mow May, which temporarily relieves property owners of lawn maintenance standards in Chapter 36, Sections 302.4 of City Ordinance. Participation in No Mow May is voluntary and free of charge. City residents and property owners who are interested in participating may do so without registering.
During their March 18 meeting, the Common Council adopted a resolution to suspend the enforcement of Chapter 36, Section 302.4, of City Ordinance city-wide for the month of May 2025. Properties must be brought back into compliance by June 4, 2025, which provides a grace period in recognition of weather or scheduling conflicts. Properties that aren’t compliant by the deadline will be subject to regular penalties for long grasses and weeds. This is the City’s fourth year adopting the No Mow May resolution.
Each City of Wisconsin Rapids property is eligible to receive one free yard sign, but we have a limited number of yard signs available. Please keep your yard sign for future No Mow May programs. Additional yard signs can be purchased for $10 each. Yard signs can be picked up at the Mayor’s Office on the 3rd floor of City Hall, 444 West Grand Ave., Monday through Thursday, between 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; or Fridays between 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. If you prefer to schedule an appointment to pick up a yard sign, you may contact Emily Kent at 715-421-8216 or ekent@wirapids.org.
The City has also designated some spots on city property to leave un-mowed:
- 20th Street, from Two Mile Avenue to Griffith Avenue
- 16th Street, from Two Mile Avenue to Kuhn Avenue
- Whitrock Avenue, between 16th Street and 20th Street
- Around the storm water pond on 16th Street and Two Mile Avenue
- Sand Lot Park (ball fields and spectator areas will be mowed)
- McMillan Memorial Library (E. Grand Ave. side will be mowed)
The goal of No Mow May is to provide early season forage for native pollinators by reducing our mowing intensity during a month when foraging resources are limited. Allowing lawns to grow longer, without treating them with chemical pesticides or herbicides, leads to an increase in the number and types of native plants, which are a great source of food for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. Additionally, it provides important insect habitats for those that are still in diapause (a type of hibernation) in early spring. Native weed growth in May is particularly important because many other spring blooms have not yet emerged.
“Less Mow May” and “Slow Mow Summer” have emerged as alternative catch phrases for the movement to change lawn care practices in support of native pollinators. Whether “no mow,” “less mow,” or “slow
mow,” the objective is the same – aid and protect native pollinators. Residents are encouraged to establish the following lawn care practices:
- Lawns that are chemically treated for weeds and pests will not be very beneficial for pollinators, even if they are allowed to grow for a full month. Consider limiting or eliminating chemical treatments.
- Native flowering plants, such as white clover, creeping charlie and dandelions, provide important food for pollinators. Consider allowing native plants to flower, then mow before they go to seed.
- Mowing grass several inches all at once is hard on plant health, leaving the grass vulnerable to drought. Consider allowing the grass to grow to 6-8″ before cutting the tips off at your highest mower deck height. Increase deck heights and cut less frequently all growing season. (Chapter 36, Section 302.4 of City code allows grasses up to 7”.)
- Hibernating pollinators can’t safely emerge in early spring. Leaves provide important insulation for hibernating bees, moths and butterflies, and some bees nest in stems until June or later. Consider waiting to remove winter leaves from your yard until you notice blooming trees and flowers with active bees. Leave past season’s stems alone and allow the new growth to cover them. If you want to remove the stems, find a place to safely stash the cut stems until the bees that might be nesting in them have a chance to emerge. Compost the stems in midsummer.
“We’ve learned a lot about pollinator-friendly environments since the City of Wisconsin Rapids first implemented No Mow May a few years ago. While No Mow May is a great slogan and an important sentiment, protecting pollinators requires a more thoughtful approach,” said Mayor Matt Zacher. “Join me in bolstering nature’s bounty by implementing this year’s suggestions for modifying your lawn care practices to help local insect populations, birds, and gardens.”
Below are some local resources and programs that are available to learn more about pollinators:
- Clean Green Action (CGA) and Bird City Wisconsin Rapids will have an informational booth on No Mow May and pollinator-friendly practices set up at McMillan Memorial Library this May. Learn more about CGA online at: www.cleangreenaction.org
- Find a list of resources and download a coloring page by visiting: www.wirapids.org/no-mow-may
“Participating in No Mow May annually has been a wonderful experience, and I have learned a lot. I found that changing our mowing habits has helped my vegetable and fruit trees by keeping a more pollinator-friendly space for them. By leaving my grass longer in summer, with a diversity of bee friendly plant species, the lawn needs less watering and stays greener. I now keep the mower at its highest deck level and cut when conditions warrant or I want to keep invasive plants from going to seed,” said Elizabeth Whelan, Monarch and Pollinator Encouragement Project Leader for Clean Green Action.
Learn more about the No Mow May initiative online here: www.wirapids.org/no-mow-may
Questions about No Mow May or availability of yard signs can be directed to the Mayor’s Office at 715-421-8216 or ekent@wirapids.org.
Municipal code can be found online at: www.wirapids.org/municipal-code. Questions about lawn care ordinances can be directed to the Code Enforcement Officer at 715-421-6206.
Questions about how to dispose of residential lawn clippings can be directed to the Street Department at 715-421-8218 or jbeaton@wirapids.org.
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Author: News Desk
This piece was posted by our news team! Contact us or submit stories at news@onfocus.news.
