Help! I need advice on how to stop the mowing of small wetland.

[scubadude]

Across from where I live there is a large warehouse with an adjacent large field. The field is beautiful green grass which is mowed by a hired crew. At the end of the field there is a small water retention/overflow area, which until a couple of weeks ago had been filled with what I would describe as a wetland. Cat Tails and other wetland plants and animals. It is small, but was beautiful. I would estimate the size as 60 by 20 feet.

I guess I should show the management of the warehouse and they should handle it, but the warehouse isn't occupied most of the time. Would it be right to approach the crew? It might be difficult because there may be a language problem.

The area can be seen here:




Thanks,

Scuba

[customerserviceguy]

1. Why are you so gung-ho to stop someone from doing something with their own property?

Maybe it's a mistake to refer to it as "their own property", chances are, they had to put in the retention/overflow area as a condition of building the warehouse, so they can't do squat with the property.

Just be glad you get to look at a beautiful grass field across from your property, at somebody else's expense.

[Wickerman]

2. there might be municipality regs that require the retention pool not be mowed

I know we have such. The idea is that natural grasses and such filter out groundwater contaminants before it leeches into the water table. Your community may vary. Locally when we build anything of any size we have to set aside a certain amount of land as "parkland dedication" and Minnesota Pollution Control MPC makes a determination whether we need a retention pool.

[konnichi wa]

3. Try to find out who owns the property and point this out to them:

"you can save money by not manicuring this little plot and at the same time help the small critters who live on it"

They might be more receptive than you think. :shrug:
:D

[Kali]

4. wetland classification can get into some screwed up land management

issues for a land owner, but if it is really important talk to the owners. Also might try local Natural Resource Conservation Service - it will be under fed govt in phone book. They might be able to give regs and/or work with owner.

Other problem can be mosquitos.

[scubadude]

6. It's funny but it was only mowed the first time a couple of weeks ago.

I imagine they have a new guy on the crew who doesn't want to go to the trouble of mowing around the area. It isn't super steep but I imagine it's harder than just going up and down the edges. That's my impression at least. I thought that they might mow it once and let it recover to simulate fire, but now they've mowed it 2 weeks in a row. There were tall cat tails with a couple of bird nest and some cool spiders and the like. Now it's just a mess.

I'm going to have to find the owner. I'm sure they don't want the area mowed and I don't believe it is supposed to be mowed either.

Thanks for the replies folks,

Scuba

[Obamanaut]

5. Does the county or some other official group this spot

a wetland, or is it just you? "...I would describe as a wetland..." It looks more like a small retention pond or a large indentation - with weeds.

[scubadude]

7. The weeds are the remnant of the Cat Tails that were mowed.

The area acted as a wetland, as evidenced by what "used" to live there.

And it used to look nice and harbor animals. This is a residential setting and a huge mud hole detracts...

Scuba

[Bigmack]

8. It's nesting season...

for a lot of birds... duck, for instance. Those retention ponds usually have a tight fence around them that keeps out predators, so it's perfect for a nursery for wildlife. I'd go to the effort of finding out who owns it and talk nice with them. By August, the tall dry grass could be a fire issue, so cutting it then makes sense, but not now.

[scubadude]

10. Yes, nesting season, and we had some very nice Red Winged Black Birds...

that are missing from our bird feeders lately. They nest amongst the Cat Tails. That is what I first noticed, birds gone, then later I saw the wetland was gone too. Wow, was I ticked!

Scuba

[BoneDaddy]

9. My ignorant guess is the "wetland" is a specific

term relating to a series of conditions being met. Simply being a low laying land that collects water and may foster some flora does not meet the conditions.

Besides, that kind of standing water can easily become stagnant and breed a wicked mosquito population.

So in this case I think you are off. Good intentions though.

[scubadude]

11. There was never a mosquito problem before, now there may be.

The area had been Cat Tails for years prior to the mowing. A natural ecosystem had formed and I believe it was meant to be that way. Does anyone know if these continually wet areas are better off with or without the plants that naturally grow there?

Scuba