Concord volunteers set up pollinator signs, mosquito-dunk giveaway and No Mow May recognition ahead of Earth Day

Members of a Town of Concord volunteer pollinator committee agreed on plans to produce and place pollinator signs, speed up GIS mapping for sign locations, distribute mosquito “dunk” buckets at the library’s Earth Day event (scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend), and pursue a May 19 photo recognizing the Concord Housing Authority’s new No Mow May practice.

The committee said the measures are intended to strengthen local pollinator habitat and public awareness ahead of pollinator week and spring planting activities. Members discussed logistics for a transplanting workshop, outreach to state legislators on pending pollinator bills, and recruiting more volunteers ahead of a rescheduled committee meeting on May 6.

Committee discussion and immediate next steps Committee members said they will make and place pollinator-yard signs and connect that effort to town GIS mapping of pollinator sites; one member said they had drafted copy and circulated it for feedback but had not yet distributed a group email asking people to document sign locations. The committee agreed to move its regular meeting to May 6 so members could finalize participation in the library’s Earth Day event, which the library is scheduling on Mother’s Day weekend (May 11).

At the Earth Day event the committee plans to hand out small “mosquito dunk” buckets — containers filled with straw or yard debris plus a small piece of a biological larvicide tablet (a “dunk”) that committee members said kills mosquito larvae in standing water. A committee member described the dunks as “little donut shaped…a biological control for mosquito larvae” and noted the town’s conservation director permits use of dunks on conservation land. The group set an initial distribution target of roughly 25 ready-to-giveaway buckets and asked Mark (committee member) to check local sources for inexpensive five-gallon or similar buckets; members noted that Kimball’s (an ice-cream/toppings supplier mentioned during the meeting) sells sturdy buckets for about $1.

Events, workshops and volunteers The committee intends to support Fowler’s native-plant transplanting day (likely in June, during pollinator week) and discussed organizing a transplanting workshop where jugs or small containers would be used to root cuttings (willow and red dogwood were named). Members said they have or can collect small pots or Dixie-cup–size containers for starting plants and that volunteers could walk local trails to collect cuttings. The committee also said it would invite beekeeper Jim Tull to the May 6 meeting to discuss native-bee concerns and potentially contribute to outreach.

Legislative outreach and PFAS concerns Members reviewed a circulated list of state-level pollinator bills and discussed contacting legislators with short personal stories about local impacts. One member noted a legislator replied that “individual emails are more welcome than templated ones.” The group also discussed PFAS concerns, noting artificial turf and some pesticides have PFAS-related issues; members referenced Lexington Living Landscapes and Minnesota as looking more closely at PFAS in turf, and said they will follow developments but did not propose any local ordinance or prohibition.

Concord Housing Authority No Mow May photo and recognition The committee said the Concord Housing Authority notified them it is adopting a No Mow May approach on some properties. Members proposed asking permission to photograph the Housing Authority site (Everett Gardens / Everett Street and related offices were discussed) and drafting a short letter to the local newspaper or a letter-to-the-editor congratulating the authority and encouraging wider adoption. The group set a tentative recognition/photo date for noon on May 19 and agreed a few committee members would attend to take pictures and draft a short congratulatory submission for local media.

Logistics, roles and recruitment Specific assignments included: Mark to scout and source buckets, a member to contact Fowler and maintenance staff (named maintenance contact Jim Nichol and Jennifer Pulido were mentioned) to coordinate transplanting and site access, and committee members to invite additional residents on an outreach list to upcoming meetings. The group agreed to invite all interested residents on the contact list to the May 6 meeting and to have volunteers bring any spare pots or jugs to Fowler for transplanting activities.

Meeting schedule and closing action The committee set its next meeting for May 6 and planned to finalize details for Earth Day (Mother’s Day weekend) and the May 19 Housing Authority recognition. The meeting ended on a motion to adjourn that was approved by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Ending Committee members said they would follow up by email with schedules, confirm the May 19 photo location with Housing Authority staff and circulate materials for the letter to the newspaper and the fisheries letter draft the committee planned to revive.