Tuesday 4th August 2015
Don’t Mow, Let it Grow! – Have your say on short V long!
This is a new project is aiming to challenge our desire for neat and tidy mown grass. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in partnership with Transport NI and Northern Ireland Environment Agency secured Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) to develop a new approach to grassland management – restoring our grasslands and letting them grow to create a range of positive impacts for local wildlife.
Currently some publicly owned grasslands and road verges are intensively managed. Some are cut several times each month, partly due to public demand for neat and tidy mown grass. By contrast traditional hay meadows are cut once at the end of summer, allowing our native wildflowers and associated insects like bumblebees, moths and butterflies to flourish. The ‘Don’t Mow, Let it Grow’ project will work with partners to restore a number of public grasslands and road verges to flower-rich meadows. Invasive species which pose a real threat to our natural heritage, such as Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed, will also be managed and where possible eradicated.
HLF has provided £9,000 to help develop the plans in more detail for a three year project. As part of this development phase, a number of verges and amenity grasslands will be identified where various management techniques will be trialled.
As we are used to seeing these public grassy areas kept short, an important part of the project will be convincing the local community of the benefits of allowing our native wildflowers to grow, flower and set seed. We are interested in your views, please have your say by following the link below and completing this quick online survey.
click here for don’t mow let it grow survey
Volunteers will be recruited to take part in surveying and recording the species and habitats, and an education programme will help raise awareness of the wider benefits of the project. If you wish to find out more or want to volunteer please contact Rachel Bain, Biodiversity Officer, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, rachel.bain@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
