>> THIS MONTH, YOU MAY HEAR LESS
LAWNMOWER SOUND AND MORE BUZZ
ABOUT "NO MOW MAY."
WITH DECLINING BEE POPULATIONS
CONCERNING THE SCIENTIFIC
COMMUNITY, ONE WISCONSIN
BIOLOGIST TOOK ACTION IN HIS OWN
BACKYARD.
OUR NEXT GUEST BROUGHT NO MOW
MAY TO APPLETON THREE YEARS AGO,
AND THE IDEA HAS BLOOMED ACROSS
THE STATE AND THE COUNTRY.
ISRAEL DEL TORO JOINS US FROM
APPLETON.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU.
>> SO HOW DID THIS IDEA TAKE
HOLD IN APPLETON AND CONTINUE TO
POLLINATE ELSEWHERE?
>> YEAH, DEFINITELY IT GENERATED
A LOT OF BUZZ.
SORRY ABOUT ALL THE BEE PUNS.
BUT YEAH, I CAN'T HELP IT
ANYMORE.
BUT IT GENERATED A LOT OF BUZZ
IN TOWN.
THERE'S PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT,
PEOPLE THAT HATE IT, BUT IT'S
REALLY OVERALL A GREAT TOOL FOR
COMMUNICATING AND EDUCATING OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD ABOUT POLLINATOR
AWARENESS AND MAKING SURE THAT
OUR POLLINATORS ARE BEING
PROTECTED.
AS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD,
POLLINATORS ARE IN DECLINE
GLOBALLY, SO THIS IS A WAY TO
GET THAT CONVERSATION STARTED
JUST HERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> WHY IS MAY THE MONTH TO HOLD
BACK ON BRINGING OUT THE
LAWNMOWER?
>> YEAH, WHY NOT NO MOW MAY --
OR WHY NOT NO KNOW JUNE?
THE IDEA IS PRETTY SIMPLE.
WE LIVE IN THE MIDWESTERN U.S.,
AND WHAT THAT ALLOWS US TO DO IS
THAT MAY IS A TIME PERIOD WHERE
THINGS ARE JUST STARTING TO WAKE
UP OUT OF HIBERNATION.
SO JUST NOW, YOU START SEEING
BEES BUZZING AROUND.
AND SO RIGHT NOW AS BEES ARE
COMING OUT OF HIBERNATION, IT'S
A CRITICAL PERIOD TO PROVIDE
FORAGING RESOURCES THEY MIGHT
NOT HAVE.
BY THE TIME JUNE ROLLS AROUND,
THERE'S A WHOLE SUITE OF PLANTS
AVAILABLE TO THEM TO CHOOSE
FROM, BUT THAT'S WHY THOSE EARLY
BLOOMING SPECIES LIKE DANDELIONS
AND CLOVERS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT
TO BOOST OUR POLLINATOR
POPULATION NUMBERS HERE IN
WISCONSIN.
>> WE DID ASSIGN OUR
VIDEOGRAPHER TO FIND ZOMBIES BUS
BUT HE DID NOT.
HAVE YOU SEEN RESULTS FROM NO
MOW MAY YET?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THE FIRST STUDY WAS IN 2020.
IN THE CITY OF APPLETON, WHAT WE
FOUND WAS THAT BECAUSE OF THE
PRACTICES OF NO MOW MAY OR
REDUCING OUR KNOWI MOWING INTENE
INCREASED POLLINATOR ABUNDANCE
FIVE TIMES, THE NUMBER OF
SPECIES IS THREE TIMES HIGHER IN
AREAS THAT ARE NON-MOWED
RELATIVE TO AREAS THAT ARE
MOWED.
SO IT'S REALLY PROMISING TO SEE
THESE INCREASES.
WE SAW THE SAME TREND LAST YEAR
WHEN WE EXPANDED TO OTHER CITIES
ACROSS THE STATE AND WE HOPE TO
DO THAT IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS
FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
>> MEANWHILE PLACES LIKE MENASHA
AND LITTLE CHUTE HAVE BANNED,
SAYING IT WON'T SOLVE THE
POLLINATOR PROBLEM, OTHERS
SAYING THERE'S ZERO TOLERANCE
FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT MOW THEIR
LAWN.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> THEY'RE OUR NEIGHBORS AND WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE WE STAY
FRIENDLY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS,
JUST LIKE I MIGHT STAY FRIENDLY
WITH MY NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE
STREET WHO MAY WANT TO MOW THEIR
LAWN.
SO LITTLE CHUTE AND MENASHA WANT
TO CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THEIR
PRACTICES, THAT'S FINE BUT WE
ENCOURAGE THEM TO START THINKING
ABOUT OTHER WAYS THAT THEY CAN
BENEFICIALLY IMPACT OUR
POLLINATOR POPULATION, REDUCING
OUR DEPENDENCY ON CHEMICAL USE
AND FERTILIZER USE LIKE
HERBICIDES AND PESTICIDES.
ALL OF THOSE ARE GREAT THINGS
THAT ARE GOING TO GO A LONG WAY
IN PROTECTING OUR POLLINATORS.
NO MOW MAY IS JUST ONE TINY
LITTLE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.
>> AND IT'S CATCHY.
BUT WHY ARE BEES AND POLLINATORS
SO IMPORTANT TO THE
ENVIRONMENTAL ECOSYSTEM?
>> BEES AND POLLINATORS ARE
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAJOR
ECOSYSTEM SERVICE: POLLINATION
OF OUR CROPS.
SO IN THE U.S., POLLINATION BY
INSECTS IS VALUED AS A
MULTIBILLION DOLLAR A YEAR
INDUSTRY.
ONE IN EVERY THREE FOODS THAT WE
EAT, FOR EXAMPLE, IS DEPENDENT
ON INSECT POLLINATION.
IN WISCONSIN, WE ARE MAJOR
PRODUCERS OF CRANBERRIES AND WE
DEPEND -- ENTIRE COMMUNITIES
DEPEND ON ECONOMIES AROUND
THINGS LIKE DOOR COUNTY CHERRIES
OR APPLE ORCHARDS.
ALL OF THOSE ARE DEPENDENT ON
INSECT POLLINATION SO IF WE CARE
ABOUT THE FOOD WE EAT WE SHOULD
BE THINKING ABOUT THE
POLLINATORS THAT DO THAT WORK
FOR US.
>> AND WE DO.
ISRAEL DEL TORO, THANKS VERY