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Jessica Schwartz
Minnesota “Lawns To Legumes” Accepting Applications
Minnesota landscapers, heads up! Here’s something to make your clients aware of: The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is once again accepting applications for the Lawns to Legumes program. The state-wide program, which aims to increase habitat for at-risk pollinators in residential settings, means your clients can potentially be reimbursed for up to $350 in costs associated with establishing new pollinator habitats in their yards. Recipients are required to contribute a 25% match in hiring a landscaper (you), purchasing materials, or as in-kind time spent planting and maintaining their projects. This presents an eco-friendly and cost-saving opportunity for clients, while giving landscapers an opportunity to upsell services and showcase their garden design skills. The program also provides workshops, coaching, and gardening resources. The new application period is now open. “This program empowers Minnesota residents to make a difference for pollinators in their own living spaces,” BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke said. “Lawns to Legumes offers options for Minnesotans to put conservation on the ground in a way that works for them.” Applications will be accepted through January 18, 2023 Notifications about funding decisions will be sent to project applicants in February. Those who do not receive funding are encouraged to pursue DIY projects using the many online resources, including BWSR’s Planting for Pollinators Habitat Guide, gardening templates, tips for selecting native plants and more. Apply online at Blue Thumb’s website. For previous coverage on pollinator habitats, visit “Could Your Business Handle a No Mow May?“
Pollinator Friendly Or Overgrown Mess? How One State Is Rethinking Property Codes
Are more naturalized yards that support pollinators becoming more acceptable? Or do we still embrace neighborhood standards—either formal or implied—that dictate a yard be well kept primarily with grass that is trimmed and manicured? What is the line between pollinator friendly and an overgrown, messy hazard? In Minnesota, this debate is currently being considered in a recently introduced bill. State Representative Rick Hansen, chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee has introduced a bill that would require all MN cities to permit native landscapes. “You do have a lot of cities with ordinances that the traditional lawn is the standard. Having something different and having a diverse landscape is more healthy,” Hansen told the MinnPost in an Oct. 8 article. But there are restrictions. ““Except as part of a managed natural landscape…, any weeds or grasses growing… to a greater height than eight inches or that have gone or are about to go to seed are prohibited,” he continued. He told the MinnPost it’s a natural next step in the Lawns to Legumes program, previously profiled in Turf, which provides modest financial incentives for homeowners to convert some or all of their lawns to native gardens that support pollinators, especially the rusty patched bumblebee. To date, 44 Minnesota cities have adopted resolutions declaring themselves pollinator friendly cities, but laws on grass height and weeds are still commonplace nationwide and can lead to conflicts—and even court cases—between property owners and municipalities. Lawns to Legumes tries to address such conflicts ...
Pollinator Friendly Or Overgrown Mess? How One State Is Rethinking Property Codes
Are more naturalized yards that support pollinators becoming more acceptable? Or do we still embrace neighborhood standards—either formal or implied—that dictate a yard be well kept primarily with grass that is trimmed and manicured? What is the line between pollinator friendly and an overgrown, messy hazard? In Minnesota, this debate is currently being considered in a recently introduced bill. State Representative Rick Hansen, chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee has introduced a bill that would require all MN cities to permit native landscapes. “You do have a lot of cities with ordinances that the traditional lawn is the standard. Having something different and having a diverse landscape is more healthy,” Hansen told the MinnPost in an Oct. 8 article. But there are restrictions. ““Except as part of a managed natural landscape…, any weeds or grasses growing… to a greater height than eight inches or that have gone or are about to go to seed are prohibited,” he continued. He told the MinnPost it’s a natural next step in the Lawns to Legumes program, previously profiled in Turf, which provides modest financial incentives for homeowners to convert some or all of their lawns to native gardens that support pollinators, especially the rusty patched bumblebee. To date, 44 Minnesota cities have adopted resolutions declaring themselves pollinator friendly cities, but laws on grass height and weeds are still commonplace nationwide and can lead to conflicts—and even court cases—between property owners and municipalities. Lawns to Legumes tries to address such conflicts ...
Lawns To Legumes Program Will Pay MN Residents For Pollinator Plantings
Though it was rainy and cold last Thursday in Roseville, MN, inside the Roseville Skate Center, attendees of the “Lawns to Legumes Workshop” were already thinking and planning for Spring. Specifically, they were learning about a new program whereby Minnesota landowners can actually receive up to $350 to help convert their grass lawns into pollinator friendly habitats. Minnesota landscapers take note: this could be a great program to promote among your clients! Earlier this year, Minnesota passed legislation setting aside approximately $900,000 to assist homeowners in the effort to install wildflowers, clover, and other native plantings on their properties. The Lawns to Legumes program aims to protect the Minnesota state bee, the rusty patched bumblebee (which has declined by 87% in the last 20 years and was the first bee in the continental U.S. to be labeled an Endangered Species), and other at-risk pollinators by helping to counteract issues like habitat loss and pesticide use. Will more states follow suit? Perhaps. On Tuesday, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced ten grants totaling more than $1.5 million to projects geared toward conserving monarch butterflies, rusty patched bumblebees, and other insect pollinators in nine states across the U.S., including Arizona, California, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The grants will generate more than $2.8 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of more than $4.4 million. “These projects will restore and improve habitat for monarch butterflies and other at-risk native pollinators, which are vital to the ...
