‘No Mow May’ Is On The Way For Bangor

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, bees are important because they pollinate a large variety of crops including vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes. And when they pollinate those crops, those crops yield more food.

But worldwide, bee populations have been on the decline, so there's been a concerted effort over the past few years to try to find ways to save the bees we have left and help these colonies recover.

Scientists say one way to help the bee population grow and flourish is to create spaces where bees can rest and feed. One way to do that, conveniently enough, is to forgo a chore many aren't fond of doing anyway: mowing the lawn!

This concept caught the attention of Bangor's Director of Code Enforcement, Jeff Wallace last year, and he set out to get the City ordinance on lawn length changed to accommodate a movement called "No Mow May" wherein people let their lawns grow, without cutting them, during the entire month of May.

"In Bangor, this 'movement' started at a Staff level with a few brief discussions during Staff Meetings over the last year. I did a very quick level of research...and it seemed like a no-brainer to me to allow property owners the choice to participate...I said to my boss I would like to bring this forward so it was in effect on May 1. She was good with that, so off I went."

The ordinance change was approved in 2023. Wallace is once again looking forward to another "No Mow May" this year. He says there are even "No Mow May" lawn signs available this year. If you want one, just visit the Code Enforcement Office at the new location of City Hall, behind Penquis on Harlow St.

Wallace says that aside from local property owners suspending their lawn mowing activities for the month of May, there are some spaces around the City of Bangor that will be left to grow a little longer than usual such as parts of the Golf Course and spots along the beginning of the Bangor City Forest.