BROOKINGS — April showers bring May flowers — and a chance for Brookings residents to once again help bees and other pollinators thrive.

No Mow May is back for the second consecutive year, allowing residents to put away their lawn mowers this month. Participants can choose to opt out of mowing all or part of their lawns. 

The Brookings Sustainability Council encourages residents to join in the voluntary program.

“Bees and other pollinators play an important role in our food supply and help keep our natural resources healthy,” said Robin Buterbaugh, a Sustainability Council member. “Spring is a crucial time of year for pollinators as they emerge and look for habitat and food. Relaxing our ideas about mowing and the traditional appearance of lawns is a good first step. That’s why we’re excited to once again sponsor No Mow May.

“Planting bee-friendly lawn mixes and incorporating native plants and trees in our yards will improve pollinator habitat even more for those interested in taking that next step,” Buterbaugh said.

To that end, the Sustainability Council has helped pilot a native plant incentive program this spring. The voucher system allows residents to be reimbursed for part of their native plants purchase. Residents can register for and pick up a voucher at the City’s Engineering Division Office at the Brookings City & County Government Center. Program details can be found at www.cityofbrookings-sd.gov/StormwaterIncentives

Sustainability Council member Kiley Rath said another goal of the No Mow May campaign is to raise awareness. Research has shown significant declines in pollinator species due to environmental stressors, such as habitat loss.

“We hope No Mow May raises awareness by generating conversations between friends and neighbors who see one another participating in the program,” Rath said.

The Sustainability Council designed yard signs to serve as notice that a residence is participating in No Mow May. The free signs are available — one per city address — on a first-come, first-served basis. They can be picked up in the lobby of the Brookings City & County Government Center at 520 Third St. The signs must be placed in yards, not on boulevards. Also, the City does not require participants to post a sign.

By June 7, all properties must be brought into compliance with the City’s vegetation management practices, which call for lawns, grasses and weeds to be no taller than 15 inches. No violation notices will be issued during May. For more information, visit www.cityofbrookings-sd.gov/NoMowMay. No grass-related code enforcement citations were issued in June 2023.

In February 2023, the Brookings City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 23-004 to allow owners or occupants to refrain from mowing their lawns during May. The Sustainability Council recommended the Council approve the No Mow May ordinance after researching the initiative and speaking with the mayor of peer college community Stevens Point, Wis., which adopted the program a couple years ago.

No Mow May is a national campaign advocated by Bee City USA, which says the initiative started in the United Kingdom to create better habitat for bees emerging from hibernation. In 2020, Appleton, Wis., became the first city in the United States to formally adopt the initiative. Since then, several other U.S. cities have followed suit.

The science behind No Mow May remains a matter of some dispute. According to the University of North Dakota extension office, which does not support the practice, the singular scientific study which led to the practice has been retracted. 

In May 2018, SDSU became the first university campus in South Dakota to become a Bee Campus USA affiliate. Bee Campus USA promotes groundskeeping and community outreach that supports and promotes pollinators.