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State College updates No Mow May pilot, recommends plant-focused pollinator strategy
Summary
Borough staff and Penn State researchers presented results of two No Mow May pilot years and recommended moving from an outright no-mow approach to active planting of native trees and flowers, expanded outreach, and code guidance to allow approved pollinator plantings in public rights-of-way.
Jasmine Fields, Sustainability Program Officer for the Borough of State College, told council Monday that two pilot runs of the borough—s No Mow May program showed strong public interest but mixed public feedback and limited evidence that simply ceasing mowing produces durable pollinator benefits.
Fields said the borough ran its first pilot in 2022 with 60 registered participants and relaunched a modified pilot in 2024 with about 150 registered participants. She said the borough received 278 community survey responses after the 2024 pilot and that "most people heard about the program from the borough newsletter, social media, and word-of-mouth." Fields said some respondents were confused by the program—s registration requirements and the borough—s emphasis on pollinator conservation rather than only mowing cessation.
The presentation included two Penn State experts. Christina Grozinger, director of the Penn State Center for Pollinator…
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