Bemidji Residents Encouraged to ‘Slow the Mow’ to Help Pollinators

The group Birds, Bees, & Butterflies – Bemidji has decided to change things a little bit for its third year of “No Mow May.”

Instead, for 2024, it will be deemed “Slow the Mow,” allowing city residents to register their yard and be given the opportunity to delay lawn-care practices during the month of May and the first week of June.

The Bemidji Parks and Recreation department says May through June is an important period for many pollinators in the area, and that the “Slow the Mow” program will be a massive benefit to those pollinators outside of the month of May.

“We are expanding it to that first week of June to better fit the growing season that we experience up in Bemidji, and then also because there’s more that you can do for pollinators than just not mowing your lawn,” explained Lizabeth Rynders, Bemidji Parks and Recreation Program Director. “We’re kind of getting people to think about that. So you can do a lot more year-round, you don’t have to limit yourself to just the month of May. So we’re just trying to get people to think about what they can do year-round for pollinators, habitat- and food source-wise.”

Although registration is required, the program is free and goes from May 1 to June 7. You can register via the City of Bemidji website here or by stopping at the Tourist Information Center at Paul Bunyan Park.