Letters

Andrew Messenger naively and grossly underestimates the environmental degradation caused by an overabundance of lawns [“Leave My Lawn Alone, Please,” Viewpoint, Residence, October 30].

Groundwater pollution is a major environmental problem. A Sagg Pond watershed update with Dr. Molly Graffin of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program recently discussed research findings showing groundwater nitrogen toxicity 30 to 40 feet underground draining into Sagg Pond. Large pipes are being sent deep into the ground to create a long semipermeable barrier to scrub the water of the poisonous nitrogen and are proposed for a much larger area.

For this major engineering project to treat the symptoms of land mismanagement to be done, there needs to be a serious community discussion and educational component to decrease nitrogen runoff into our waterways. Does the Lake Agawam debacle sound familiar?

While farmers have been shown to use less fertilizer, and farmland is decreasing, the vast acreage of lawn areas is the elephant in the room. The big, beautiful lawns are an aesthetic symbol of the past, and are out of touch and old fashioned in our era of habitat loss and toxic algae blooms.

Practically everyone can remove hundreds, and even thousands, in some cases, of lawn square footage and not detract from the aesthetics of the yard. Native plantings do not require fertilizer and will invite birds and beneficial insects and make the property more beautiful. The moisture from watering lawns can actually attract ticks.

A horticultural cultural revolution is absolutely necessary in changing people’s thinking regarding the aesthetics of what is horticulturally beautiful and beneficial. While there has been a learning curve, a successful multi-species meadow can be created in any open, sunny area.

Town bylaws should be enacted concerning the size of lawns, with limits on the amount of fertilizer used. This is not without precedent, since in the Southwest lawns are being removed because of water restrictions, and here they should have size reductions on the basis of fertilizer pollution. No one should be allowed to pollute our land and water, no matter how much money they have.

Shrinking lawns and installing native planting is not the end of the world, but will make our community healthier and a better place to live.

Richard Ricca

Water Mill