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Salem council sends Bush's Pasture Park no-mow policy to parks advisory board after public debate
Summary
After weeks of constituent complaints about tall grass and lost picnic space, Salem City Council voted to ask the Salem Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to review the seasonal no-mow restoration program for the Upper Oak Grove at Bush's Pasture Park and return recommendations to council.
Councilors on Monday voted to ask the Salem Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to review the city's seasonal no-mow restoration program at Bush's Pasture Park and recommend an annual approach that incorporates guidance from the park's Cultural Landscape Management Plan (CLMP).
The substitute motion, introduced by Councilor Varney, passed 5'to—2 after more than an hour of public testimony and staff explanation about the ecological and safety rationale behind the 'no-mow' approach.
Rob Romack, the city's park planning manager, told council the no-mow work stems from the CLMP approved in February 2021 and is aimed at stabilizing the park's mature oak grove and restoring an oak savanna below the canopy. "We're stabilizing the oak trees and we're hoping to see that we're no longer moving in the direction of decline," Romack said, noting the program also aims to reintroduce native plants and camas bulbs and to protect seedlings. He…
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