Media Contact: Paul Murphy, pfxmurphy@gmail.com; or Beth Plummer, beth@sustainablesaratoga.org

Sustainable Saratoga announces NO MOW MAY, joining the nation-wide effort to encourage all homeowners, farmers, municipalities, highway departments and businesses to rest their lawnmowers through the end of May to help our highly at-risk pollinators.

Populations of pollinators and insects are being impacted the globe. Pesticides and habitat loss are the primary killers of these vital insects who pollinate 70 of 100 USA major crops. In 2021, 45% of bee colonies in the US were lost. Since 1998, 88% of Monarch Butterflies disappeared in the Eastern US and 95% of Monarchs have perished in the Western US.

Paul Murphy, Chair of Sustainable Saratoga’s Pollinator Committee, says about NO MOW MAY, “Our Earth’s pollinators and all insects are fighting for their very existence. Pesticides and habitat loss are the primary killers of these vital insects. NO MOW MAY is a Fundamental Assist for the Bees enabled by not cutting the pollen portals of the Clover, Violets, and Dandelions in May. The Net truth is: If you do not cut these wildflowers that appear in lawn acreage in the Spring, pollinators will leverage this pollen source to gain strength and nourishment during the tough May transition period.

We can all help increase pollinator populations by keeping mowers in garages and sheds and letting our lawns go natural through the end of May. This will allow the bees, moths, butterflies, and other pollinators to safely exit their winter ground homes and find the only nectar nourishment available during late April and early May.”

Across the country, communities who launched NO MOW MAY have experienced nice increases in bee and butterfly populations (5x more bees and 3x more bee species) just by delaying spring mowing and lawn treatments through the end of May.

To help spread the word, Sustainable Saratoga has NO MOW MAY lawn signs available for people to place on their yard announcing support of the effort. Signs come with a $10 requested donation and will be available at pick-up locations in Saratoga Springs and Stillwater. Signs can be purchased online by following this link  or by emailing pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org. Pick up only; signs cannot be shipped.

Sustainable Saratoga | PO Box 454, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 | www.sustainablesaratoga.org

For more about NO MOW MAY, visit https://sustainablesaratoga.org/no-mow-may/

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ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources, through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life.

 Contact: Paul Murphy, Chair, Sustainable Saratoga’s Pollinator Committee

email pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org

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NO MOW MAY: GIVE UP YOUR LAWNMOWER AND GIVE BEES A CHANCE!

SARATOGA SPRINGS JOINS NATIONAL NO MOW MAY MOVEMENT 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York – Put your lawnmower aside for the month of May to help save our bees and the planet.

Once again this year, The City of Saratoga Springs is joining with Sustainable Saratoga to launch No Mow May, a national movement to help our highly at risk Pollinators transition from barren winter to Blooming Spring!

Action Plan:  Take No Action!

During the critical month of MAY, Mayor Ron Kim and The City of Saratoga Springs encourage all to keep your mowers at rest and let your lawns go natural in May. This critical transition month allows the Bees, Moths, Butterflies, and all other Pollinators to safely exit their winter ground homes and find nectar nourishment available during May…nectar from beautiful Clover (great nitrogen source for spring lawns), cheerful Dandelions, native lovely violets and the few other Wildflowers that bloom and go to seed in May prior to mowing.

Appleton, Wisconsin was the first U.S. community to adopt No Mow May, in 2020. It proved exceptionally successful in supporting pollinators: No Mow May lawns had 5x as many bees and 3x as many bee species as lawns that were mown, according to scientists in Wisconsin.

“No Mow May is a simple but very effective way that we can help bees and other pollinators, which are facing catastrophic declines due to massive human use of pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change” says Paul Murphy, Chair of The Pollinator Committee for Sustainable Saratoga, which is spearheading No Mow May in Saratoga Springs and the greater Saratoga area. “We are excited to support this excellent effort in Saratoga to help bees and all pollinators, which in turn help our flowers and plants grow. We are delighted that the Saratoga Springs City Council is proclaiming “Saratoga Springs as a NO MOW MAY City!”

We have NO MOW MAY Bee Lawn Signs announcing you’ve signed up to help “Save The Bees”.  Let us know if you want a sign by emailing us at  pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org . We are requesting a $10 donation to Sustainable Saratoga to cover the cost of the sign. These signs can be re-used each May for at least 10 years.

Action Plan: Take No Action!

During the critical month of MAY, Sustainable Saratoga asks all to participate in NO MOW MAY. That means keep your mowers in your garages or sheds and let your lawns go natural in May. This critical transition month allows the bees, moths, butterflies and other pollinators to safely exit their winter ground homes and find the only nectar nourishment available during May… nectar from beautiful Clover (great nitrogen source for lawns), cheerful Dandelions, native lovely Violets and the few other Wildflowers that bloom and go to seed in May prior to mowing.

Across the country, communities who have launched NO MOW MAY have experienced nice increases in Bee and butterfly populations (5x more Bees and 3x more Bee species) just by taking the Month of May off… no mowing, no pesticides and no herbicides.

Our Earth’s Pollinators and all insects are fighting for their very existence. Pesticides and habitat loss are the primary killers of these vital insects who pollinate 70 of 100 USA major crops

• In 2021, we lost 45% of bee colonies in the USA
• Since 1998, 88% of Monarch Butterflies disappeared in the Eastern USA
• 95% of Monarchs have perished in the Western USA

Please consider just relaxing in May

We have a NO MOW MAY Bee Lawn Sign for your yard announcing you’ve signed up to help “Save The Bees”

Just let us know if you’d like a sign or have questions by e-mailing us at pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org and we will be delighted to get you a sign. We have NO MOW MAY sign pick-up locations in Saratoga Springs and Stillwater. We are requesting a $10 donation to Sustainable Saratoga to cover the cost of the sign. These signs can be used each May for at least 10 years.

Here is our very cool lawn sign… Join Our Movement… Save The Bees, and Take The Month of May Off for…

For All of Our Pollinators,

Murph
Chair, Sustainable Saratoga Pollinator Committee

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For more resources about pollinators and native plants, see our Pollinator Pages

Check out Bee City USA for more information about No Mow May