City uses tools and eco-friendly practices in landscaping projects

Sustainability, wildlife protection, pollinator protector policies and increased water efficiency lead the way as the city of Longmont considers landscaping and agricultural projects on Earth Day and every day.

Kathy Kron, senior project manager at the city of Longmont, said "all city projects are looked at through the lens of the Sustainability Evaluation System, or SES, to guide decisions about them." 

The SES is part of the greater mission of Envision Longmont –— a multimodal and comprehensive plan to provide the city of Longmont with strategic direction over the next 10-20 years, according to the city of Longmont website. The SES is a tool used to “make more sustainable decisions when developing or implementing plans, procedures, programs and projects,” states the city of Longmont website.  This includes how the city approaches environmental and sustainable efforts. 

When it comes landscaping or agricultural projects on city-owned property, the efforts focus on low maintenance options, efficiency and the use of green building products when possible.

"In the past few years, the city has also done other upgrades to be more efficient, including installing and standardizing four raw water monitoring systems to better monitor irrigation," said Francie Jaffe, water conservation and sustainability specialist.Monitoring irrigation is one method for checking whether water use is appropriate for the plant growth encouraged on city property. 

While Colorado has many concerns about water, air quality is an issue as well. Jaffe added that "parks operations have purchased commercial electric riding mowers that should reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality."

Planning for landscaping and design for exterior architecture face additional challenges in Colorado's arid environment. "Xeriscaping principles are required per the city's standards," Kron said. "Native plants are used along greenways trails and in habitat areas, and native plants or hardy adapted plants are used elsewhere to the greatest extent possible." 

This preference for native plants is one effort toward common conservation practices that help support native wildlife species, increase water efficiency, and reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides. It also supports pollinators.

According to the United States Forest Service's fact sheet on wildflowers, native plants "do not require fertilizers and require fewer pesticides than lawns." They also do not require as much water. Native landscapes don't need to be mowed and provide food and shelter for wildlife.  

Instead of using pesticides, Longmont, “selects turfgrass with more aggressive rhizomes — underground stems — to outcompete weed seeds, engages in more frequent core aeration and in overseeding to decrease weed pressure dramatically," said Ben Gratton, the parks supervisor for the city. 

"These new grasses better handle heat, drought and wear from use, so herbicides are only used as a last resort in certain situations,” Gratton explained. 

The city of Longmont has the opportunity to do even more and create models for communities within its boundaries. It received a matching grant from Northern Water to build a demonstration garden in Rogers Grove Nature Area. The city of Longmont is using the funds to "transition 1.25 acres of turf to a wheatgrass blend that is expected to use 50% less water," Jaffe said. "This project will be used as an example to help guide future landscape transitions for both the city and become a demonstration project to educate HOAs." 

Pollinators like bees are under threat. As a result, the city council adopted a resolution in 2017 to address pollinator protection. An ecosystem group, within the Natural Resources Department, was established to take action to ensure pollinators are protected.

"Within our Ecosystem Group, within the Natural Resources division, we've implemented specific actions to protect all pollinators, including native bees and honey bees (of European origin)," Jim Crick, natural resources project manager, said.

Active restoration projects to protect pollinators are in progress at Roger’s Grove Nature Area, Sandstone Ranch, St. Vrain Creek and McIntosh Lake. These projects include encouraging native plant growth, leaving hives in place and leaving dead and downed wood in natural areas. The city also hopes to use these areas to educate the public on the benefits of pollinators in public and private gardens. 

The city of Longmont is keeping watch on a variety of indicators for environmental stewardship and on efforts toward sustainability progress through its Sustainability Dashboards. The public dashboards are broken down into sections including, air quality, water, waste, energy, food system and natural environment.