Notices On items Of Concern

The Hilliard City Council- passed a resolution allowing the sale of "unneeded, obsolete, or unfit municipal property" via the internet website govdeals.com. There are no properties listed at this time for Hilliard, but the sale site will be monitored in the event that any park land, potential park land, or wild areas becomes listed put up for sale. Any notices will be posted here. If you find similar in your municipality, send us a message through the Contact Form on the Our Mission page and we will post it here.

If you live or work in Hilliard, you may have noticed a lot of mowing and grass spraying going on as you drive around town. While it is time to start caring for lawns, there are many organizations, such as the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODNR), Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) not mowing their properties, particularly roadside strips and ditches. 

This is because the period of April through June is a key time for pollinators to feed and populate. It is also a time when many migratory species are nesting, laying eggs, and rearing young in the ditches. Mowing during this time destroys nest and eggs, and kills fledglings, decimating the bird populations and threatening their longevity.

There are organizations such as Bee City USA and the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative who attempt to partner with companies and municipalities in activities such as "NO mow May" in order to give pollinators and migratory species a fighting chance. One municipality that does not believe in following these initititaves is Hilliard. Currently every bit of public and private roadside strips and ditches are currently being mowed very short and sprayed with unknown chemicals at a time when it benefits wildlife and the conservation balance greatly to not do so. 

City Arborist/Forester Andy Beare has said, "...I'm not aware of any major push to halt mowing during this timeframe (sic)".  The city's concern appears to be mainly for aesthetics.  Bear has also stated, "I'm all for providing wildlife habitat wherever possible, but need to balance it with keeping areas of high visibility aesthetically pleasing and safe". On the surface this sounds acceptable, but this is a city with very few wild parks. Land that is wild is being rezoned and sold off to housing and commercial developers at a breakneck pace. Areas of high visibility that are to be kept aesthetically pleasing, in Beare's words, are nearly everywhere and anywhere you care to look in Hilliard. Everything is lawns, lanscaping, concrete and asphalt. Yes, the city has plenty of parks, but the large majority of those- athletic fields- do not benefit nature in any way.

Don Kloss has contacted the Ohio Division of Wildlife's Wildlife Management Consultant, who works with municipalities on such issues anc concerns, to discuss her working woith the City of Hilliard. He will be attending the city Shade Tree Commission meeting on Tuesday May 2nd to discuss the issue with Beare and the commission, and to provide documentation.

Please note that the "Mosquito Do Not Spray" request form for Franklin County can be found at:

https://mosquito.mycph.prg/spray-notification-do-not-spray/

You can reach Franklin County Public Health at:

280 East Broad Street Columbus OH 43215
(614) 525-3160
fcph@franklincountyohio.gov