Pittsburgh council member introduces pollinator garden legislation
A Pittsburgh City Councilmember has introduced a new bill that would allow city residents to cultivate native and pollinator gardens.
District 5 Councilmember Barb Warwick introduced the legislation on Tuesday, which would create a registry of managed natural landscapes to prevent overgrowth citations for native gardens, according to an accompanying news release.
The bill exempts managed natural landscapes, defined as "intentional plantings of vegetation native to Pennsylvania," from the property code's prohibition of plant growth more than 10 inches high on residential properties. The bill also requires managed natural landscapes, which include rain gardens, pollinator gardens, and native gardens, to be registered with the city, the press release added.
"Cultivating native gardens in place of turfgrass lawns improves our local biodiversity, air quality, and water quality," said Councilmember Warwick. "We as a city should allow and encourage residents to take actions which will protect our ecosystems from the effects of climate change."
Councilmember Warwick's legislation creates the registry to prevent any further uncertainty from city inspectors when determining the difference between plants more than 10 inches tall that have been purposefully planted and a regular weed.
"It's great to see the city encourage more people to cultivate native and pollinator gardens. People should be able to help our local environment without being afraid of incurring City penalties for their gardens," said Lawrenceville resident Josh Koshar, who also maintains an Audubon Society-certified backyard.
"(The) Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is very excited by this proposed ordinance change and strongly encourages its adoption. Allowing for natural landscapes in the City of Pittsburgh will enable people to connect with nature in their own back (and front) yards," said Jim Bonner, Executive Director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. "Native plants require less fertilizer and less maintenance. Once established, they require less water and will even help to manage stormwater runoff."
The legislation will be further discussed at next Wednesday's standing committees council meeting and could be voted on as early as the May 6 council meeting.
