<div dir="auto">My 2 cents, if you want an acre lawn, more power to you, not my thing. My lawn care was "don't water; don't fertlize, minimize need to cut". I'm sure some neighbors didn't like it, but the 6 foot forsythia hedge rendered the front yard unseeable. My front yard was mostly moss which held up well with this approach. <div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">From zoning and water quality point of view, I strongly recommend less lawn, more natural plants, and leave the trees untouched. Thus having s Coastal Resources District with strict lot clearance restrictions. Big lawns affected water levels in the kettle ponds and fertilizer/pesticides/weed killers were destroying the Coastal Habitat.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Places in Arizona and a few other states are prohibiting lawns due to water supply concerns. Bridgewater MA was running on empty two weeks ago and prohibited watering. Probably time we all got ahead of the curve and looked at lawns for their impact on water supply and quality. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">If anyone wants the Crowe's Pasture Resource Protection District Landscape Restrictions, I can share them. Landscaping, thus clearing beyond the house and driveway is limited to 12.5% of the lot, this is lawn and other plantings.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Daniel Fortier, AICP Retired Planner </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Jul 3, 2024, 4:20 PM Carolyn Britt via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div>
<p>Love this conversation....</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Our yard is an example of an unusually shaped lot that is large
and lends itself to "meadows". Oddly shaped yards can be tempting
for different management approaches. We have lawn around the
house, large veggie gardens, lots of landscaping, groundmount
solar, and two meadow areas. We mow the meadow areas once in the
fall. They are host to decorative grasses, lupines, daisies, and
many, many, many daffodils in the spring. People take photos. Is
it a lot of management - no, but some.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Why can't people let part of their yard that was perhaps
overcleared for construction allow some of it to return to forest
through an unmanaged process. It would be of value to us all.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>A good conversation for an "almost friday".</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<address>Carolyn Britt, AICP</address>
<address>1 Shagbark Woods</address>
<address>Ipswich, MA 01938</address>
<address>978-356-9881 <br>
</address>
<p><br>
</p>
<div>On 7/3/2024 4:29 PM, Mark Hamin via
MassPlanners wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
I am 100% on Team Pollinator/Re-Wilding myself, however I
believe that every community needs to have some plan for how to
differentiate between an intentionally designed, well- managed
pollinator garden or meadow landscape vs. owner
negligence/abandonment of care, which could constitute an
attractive nuisance that neighbors would likely and rightly
consider problematic. Private property (yard) rights are not
100% sacrosanct if there is a valid public interest in
regulating potential negative impacts on abutters, e.g., pests,
fire, etc. Maybe neighbors just need to communicate better with
one another during No-Mow May and Low-Mow Spring? My $.02,
fwiw...</div>
<div style="text-align:left;text-indent:0px;margin:0px;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
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Mark Hamin PhD (he/him)</div>
<div style="text-align:left;text-indent:0px;margin:0px;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Principal Consultant, Sustainability Designer</div>
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413 387-9760 </div>
<hr style="display:inline-block;width:98%">
<div id="m_8059233841089434373divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Calibri, sans-serif" color="#000000"><b>From:</b>
MassPlanners <a href="mailto:massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org></a> on
behalf of Corrin Meise-Munns via MassPlanners
<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><massplanners@masscptc.org></a><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 3, 2024 4:00 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Barbara Carboni <a href="mailto:bcarboni@truro-ma.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><bcarboni@truro-ma.gov></a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Nate Card <a href="mailto:card24@csld.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><card24@csld.edu></a>;
<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">massplanners@masscptc.org</a> <a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><massplanners@masscptc.org></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Massplanners] mowing requirements</font>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">Love the support. Come and speak at my Town
Meeting :)</div>
<br>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">On Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at
3:57 PM Barbara Carboni <<a href="mailto:bcarboni@truro-ma.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">bcarboni@truro-ma.gov</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<div lang="EN-US">
<div>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt">I’m
with Jeff, on grounds of both property rights and
pollinators.
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt">No
retreat; no surrender; no forced mowing. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<div>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt">Barbara
Carboni AICP MCPPO</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt">Truro
Town Planner and Land Use Counsel</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt">(508)
214 0928</span></p>
</div>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<div>
<div style="border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-top:1pt solid rgb(225,225,225);padding:3pt 0in 0in">
<p><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> MassPlanners
<<a href="mailto:massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jeff Lacy via
MassPlanners<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 3, 2024 3:41 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Nate Card <<a href="mailto:card24@csld.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">card24@csld.edu</a>><br>
<b>Cc:</b> <a href="mailto:cmeisemunns@longmeadow.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">cmeisemunns@longmeadow.org</a>;
<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">massplanners@masscptc.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Massplanners] mowing
requirements</span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>Are we talking about private
property? A homeowner’s little patch of the earth? I
can’t see any legitimate role for government here,
especially if the only complaint is appearance.
</p>
<div>
<p>Jeff Lacy </p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Rural Planning Associates </p>
</div>
<div>
<p>(413) 230-9693</p>
</div>
<div>
<p> </p>
<div>
<p>Sent from my iPhone</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><br>
<br>
</p>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5pt;margin-bottom:5pt">
<p style="margin-bottom:12pt">On Jul 3, 2024, at
3:18<span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span>PM,
Nate Card via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>>
wrote:</p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5pt;margin-bottom:5pt">
<div>
<p><span style="font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif"></span>
</p>
<div>
<p>I don't know what it
would look like, nor of any precedents (as
far as regulations go) but I suspect you
could establish an approved ratio of mowed
to un-mowed lawn, essentially requiring some
degree of cues-to-care, like mowed borders
or pathways. Or perhaps waivers to the
current regulations could be issued for
households submitting a plan for some level
of lawn conversion, to promote long-term
pollinator support.
</p>
<div>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p><b><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Nathanael
Card </span></b><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">M.S.
Ecological Design, 2024</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">The
Conway School, Northampton, MA</span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</blockquote>
</div>
<br clear="all">
<div><br>
</div>
<span>-- </span><br>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr"><b>Corrin Meise-Munns</b> <i><font color="#444444">(she/her)</font></i>
<div><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)">Assistant Town
Manager / Director of Planning & Community
Development</span><font color="#444444"><i><br>
</i></font>
<div>
<div><font color="#444444">Town of Longmeadow, MA</font></div>
<div><span style="color:rgb(68,68,68)">(413) 565-4110</span><br>
</div>
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