At the Monroe County Parks Department we strive to be the best stewards of our park lands for the benefit of all our residents. A large part of this mission involves best conservation practices to foster a biologically diverse environment for all native species. With this philosophy in mind, we have decided to allow portions of our mowed fields to return to natural meadows.

The benefits of maintaining meadowlands throughout our county parks are extensive. Natural meadows are critical ecosystems for attracting many native bird species whose numbers have suffered from habitat loss. The red wing blackbird, eastern bluebird, and American goldfinch are some examples of native birds who would benefit from allowing grass to return to meadowland.

Natural meadowlands are critical habitat for pollinators. Pollination of plants is dependent upon bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects that all thrive in meadowlands. Meadowlands offer wildflowers and native plants that pollinators need for foraging and laying eggs. A shortage of this type of habitat has contributed to a reduction in pollinators that are important for food production and the overall ecosystem.

Allowing grassland to return to meadowlands reduces pollution in a number of ways. Less grassland means less gasoline consumption from mowing. Meadowlands also absorb more rainwater than grass fields so there is less pollution from runoff making its way into our streams and creeks.

Park staff will still be mowing the perimeter and some paths through these new meadowlands so park patrons can easily walk through and enjoy the diverse nature taking advantage of this new habitat. There will still be plenty of maintained grass fields in our Monroe County Parks for sports and activities we all enjoy. So if you see signs posted for “low mow/meadow restoration,” you can feel good about the wildlife thriving in this improved biodiverse ecosystem.