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The Adirondack Park Agency and
state Department of Environmental Conservation are responding to
concerns about their un-mowed grounds outside their facilities in
Ray Brook – an issue that’s been a talking point for WNBZ listeners
for more than a week.
In a joint APA-DEC press release
issued yesterday, DEC Region 5 Director Betsy Lowe said the
department wants to set an example for sustainable and
environmentally friendly practices.
“Large mowed lawns serve little
practical or ecological purposes,” she said. “And significant
resources, including chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are often
used to maintain them.”
APA Executive Director James
Connolly says his agency is also committed to long-term energy
conservation measures.
“Limited mowing contributes to our
overall plan to reduce the agency’s carbon footprint,” Connolly
said. “In addition, we receive a modest fiscal savings.”
APA spokesman Keith McKeever said
the initiative started last summer when fuel prices were high. “We
were looking for innovative ways to save the state money,” he said.
“What we found over time was there
was a very quick re-vegetation of native plants and a lot of really
pretty plants started to come up,” McKeever said. “So this year
we’re going to again look to reduce our carbon footprint and have a
modest savings.”
Mowing won’t cease all together, as
officials plan to continue upkeep of the grounds along the road and
near the entrance of each building to – quote – “aesthetically
offset” – the more natural areas of the grounds.
The press release states that poor
soils and a lack of nutrients have limited the growing of standard
lawn turf. Once the mowing ceased, native grasses and wild flowers
began blooming.
McKeever believes that once the
lawn has had a chance to grow, people will change their opinions
about its un-kept appearance.
“I think over time
what we’ll really see out there is a nice meadow with habitat for
butterflies and different birds, and last year we had a regular
flock of wild turkeys that were coming late in the summer, feasting
on the crickets and grasshoppers that had taken up residence on the
lawn,” he said. “I think in time people will come to appreciate the
property and how it will look.”
The long range plan
calls for the state Department of Transportation to assist DEC with
seeding the grounds with native wild flowers and grasses.
DEC will also bring
in trees from its Saratoga Tree Farm and introduce native shrubs to
the property.
-Chris Morris, 6-17-09 |