Alternatives to Dangerous pesticides

Join  fellow West Orange residents and other communities as we celebrate "No Mow May." The strategy is this: Bees usually awake from hibernation in late April, when there is already a limited diversity of food. Managed lawns deprive our suburban bee populations of sustenance in the form of clover and even dandelions.

In Appleton, Wisconsin, 435 households of embraced No Mow May in 2020. A study last year found the following results of not mowing for just one month of May:  Floral and bee abundance were higher in unmowed lawns relative to mowed lawna.  Unmowed areas had 64% more plant species and 66% more flower density than mowed areas.

According to the New York Times Dr. Del Toro and Dr. Ribbons studied the impacts of No Mow May on Appleton’s bees. They found that No Mow May lawns had five times the number of bees and three times the bee species than did mown parks. Armed with this information, they asked other communities to participate.

Wild bees are considered a keystone species as so much of our ecosystem depends on a healthy population. Give No Mow May a try this year. The worst that can happen is you’ll save a few hundred dollars in landscaper fees.

On April 28, 2022, the West Orange Township Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously against California-based Public Storage to construct a storage facility in West Orange, overlooking historic Crystal Lake. (The building would have taken over where the Eagle Rock bowling alley stands.) We celebrate the ZB's decision, and thank the members for listening to OGWO members' concerns.

The West Orange Township Council recently pulled a resolution that would have permitted giant billboards over Route 280 from Rooney Circle. Thank you to the large number of OGWO members and others who wrote and called in to the Town Council to express safety concerns. Without your voices, this dangeous push would likely have gone through. In the past, every single council member voted to allow a town-wide digital billboard resolution to go out for a bid. Perhaps knowing that this is an election year and that three of the current members are running for mayor, influenced them to listen and respond. Thank you to all!