HOWELL – Throughout the spring season, Howell Township has begun the process of converting its open spaces into active pollinator gardens.
The goal of the multi-year project is to restore habitat, create opportunities for pollinators, and save taxpayers money on mowing.
Matthew Howard, Deputy Township Manager, Director of Community Development, and Land Use Officer, explained how the Township had been discussing the idea of pollinator gardens for several years.
“The Township is always looking at new and innovative ways to improve quality of life, environmentally enhance the town and save the taxpayers some money,” Howard said. “We all noticed the large wild flower beds driving along the Garden State Parkway and said to ourselves, ‘why can’t we do this.’ We began talking about it during the tail end of COVID and really started looking for potential sites in the past couple of years.”
The project utilizes Township Open Space funds. In 2023, residents voted to support the Township’s referendum to enhance the open space levy.
Tilling and seeding began back in April in some patches of open space. So far, the triangle piece of land by Asbury Avenue, Brickyard Road, and Five Points Road, as well as field off Maxim-Southard Road by Talcott Road have been constructed into gardens. The Township plans to continue plantings in the fall during the growing season.
“There is no end date as we hope to be able to expand to more areas over time,” Howard noted. “We are selecting larger Township owned properties now, but are hoping to start doing roadside areas as well. We want to make sure that we do not create any new issues like blocking sight lines, but we anticipate more of this planting to occur in all parts of the Township, eventually.”
The project consists of planting native wildflower and pollinator seed mix, with these seeded areas producing more abundantly every season. The Township Administration, Shade Tree Commission, Department of Public Works and Community Development have all collaborated on the project.
Howard hopes that the pollinator gardens will lead to more native biodiversity and more areas for pollinators to flourish.
“We all know how important this type of habitat is for a variety of plants and animals and we want to provide what we can in areas that are otherwise not being used,” Howard said. “In addition, once these areas are established, we hope that they will become self-maintaining with only needing to be mowed once or twice per year. The areas we are targeting are currently grass lawns that need to be mowed weekly or biweekly. By planting this mix, we can allow it to grow naturally, eliminating the need for maintenance and attention. This means less time, money and effort being spent by DPW staff mowing these areas, which means these resources can be reallocated to other projects. This will save taxpayers money and have an ecological benefit for the entire town.”
