Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District

Just say no to No Mow May! No Mow May is a tempting prospect, but what really happens when you skip a month of mowing turfgrass here in Central Ohio then mow it back down?

😬 Your lawn can get stressed! During the growing season cool-season grasses like turfgrass can suffer if you chop off more than 1/3 of the blade. This can result in your lawn becoming patchy later on which can lead to soil erosion.
🥀 Beneficial native wildflowers aren't supported. Most of our lawns in Franklin County don't have a seed bank for wildflowers that would support pollinators if we stopped mowing. Violets and non-native dandelions and clover that you might see flowering in your lawn during May can still thrive with regular mowing if your mower deck is set higher to ~4"
🚜 You risk damaging your mower at the end of May when you finally have to mow. A push mower may balk at the task of mowing the high grass combined with thicker w**d and woody plant stems that have had a whole month to grow.
🐁 Tall grass attracts rodents. In a rural or large open area where predators abound and there aren't concentrated food sources this isn't so bad, but in urban and suburban areas like Columbus it becomes a problem. Rodents have plenty of concentrated food sources here already- From trash to pet food and bird feeder spillage, and letting a monoculture of turfgrass grow tall is like setting up a housing development for mice and voles.

*If you really want to support pollinators, start chipping away at your lawn and replacing it with native plants that don't need mowed at all! Edges, corners or wet spots where turf has a tough time growing are great areas to start with. ✨Remember that creating habitat in urban areas needs to start with intention ✨ Just leaving a space unattended for a month is not a good way to support your wildlife or your human neighbors!*

Join us in Bexley!

Reason in Every Season: Ecological Gardening Tips for a Healthy Yard Year-round
Thursday, May 14 at 7:00 PM at Bexley Public Library

Spring and Summer don’t have to be the only times we enjoy our garden! Join Love Your Alley and Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District in exploring various ways you can create a sustainable yard that provides food and habitat for local wildlife in every season. Discuss ways to support local birds and pollinators year-round, as well as ways to conserve water and improve soil health even when you can’t see the ground!

We had another fantastic year of our Conservation Poster Contest! This year's theme, Soil. Where it all Begins resulted in thoughtful, creative entries from students all around the county. Pictured here are our First Place Winners from each grade grouping. You can view all the awardees at https://www.franklinswcd.org/conservation-poster-contest

As Earth Month comes to an end we want to remind everyone that you can support local conservation projects by donating to our Conservation Stewardship Fund! Keeping water clean requires work beyond what our small office can do (There are only 24 of us!) so we created the Conservation Stewardship Fund for partners and local community groups to implement projects in their neighborhoods that protect our natural resources. While focused on water quality and rainwater runoff, these projects also benefit wetlands, forestry, carbon offsets, pollinators, native plants, and bird populations throughout Central Ohio. Donate at: https://columbusfdn.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4612

Do you have a curious dog that explores the world with their mouth? There's a native plant for that! We put together some native plant choices that are safe for the hungriest of labs (It's always a lab). Many of them also have rough leaves or yucky tastes that make them unpalatable.

Check out this call for artists for a new public art project!

🎨 Calling all EXPERIENCED muralists!

Columbus Water & Power (CWP) and Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) are excited to announce the third chapter of our “One Water Mural” series! This new masterpiece will be located along the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department's Harrison West Rail Trail, complementing the “Full Circle” and “Waves of the Watershed” murals from previous years. We’re on the hunt for a talented muralist to celebrate the connection between water, people, and the community, while highlighting the vital work both CWP and FLOW do to protect our most important resource.

🗓️ Round One DEADLINE is May 11.

Note that this round is a call for artists only, NOT a request for mural designs. View the full call for artists details on FLOW's website at olentangywatershed.org

If you know an artist that might be interested, please tag them or share this post!

Happy Arbor Day! Thank you for helping us sell 10,490 trees and shrubs in our tree sale this year!

We love the ripple effect of our tree sale! Did you share any trees this year?

While every day is Earth Day in our office, Earth Day, Earth Week and Earth Month provide special opportunities for us to collaborate with our partners to keep our waterways clean and healthy! Yesterday, we teamed up with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Franklin County Engineer and Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio - SWACO to pick up litter and remove invasive plants on a conservation easement on Frank Road.

Central Ohio organizations join together for Earth Day Officials said to report illegal dumping or littering to the Environment Crimes Task Force