Institutional Memory

A little more than a year ago, on June 22, 2012, an article with no byline, which seemed to be a press release from the Columbia County Department of Public Works, appeared in the Register-Star. It explained a change in the mowing schedule for the grassy fields that were once the county landfill in North Bay. These fields, it explained, would not be mowed until autumn "to protect important grassland bird habitat." The article went on to say: "Birds such as bobolinks, savannah sparrows, and eastern meadowlarks nest, breed, and find food in fields with tall grass. Mowing the fields during summer, when birds nest and breed on the ground, inhibits their chances of reproducing successfully."

That being the case, why, a year later, were the grassy fields of the former landfill mowed only recently--at the beginning of the summer?

Looking back at the article, one discovers that Jolene Race, director of the Solid Waste Department, said they were adjusting the mowing schedule "on a trial basis." Was a year enough of a trial, or are they experimenting with leaving a few swaths of tall grass here and there, hoping that will provide sufficient habitat for grassland birds?
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK