A good time was had by all at the October 19, 2023 Old Town annual general meeting, held at the Lakewood Center of the Arts. Guest speakers were Rich Hatfield, Senior Conservation Biologist at the Xerces Society and a bumblebee expert; and Leah Puhlman, Master Gardener. Mr. Hatfield noted that in the past 30 years, we have lost 40% of our insect biomass, due in large part to loss of habitat and use of herbicides and insecticides. This should not only be concerning, but alarming. Ms. Puhlman talked about “compassionate gardening,” describing how healthy soil contains many beneficial micro- and macro-organisms, and how we should do all we can to
maintain healthy soil, including stopping the use of leaf blowers. Leaves provide nesting grounds for birds, food for insects, and through decomposition enrich the soil. We should also minimize light pollution at night. Both Mr. Hatfield and Ms. Puhlman argued that we need to endeavor to have native plant species and plants that have not been engineered with neonicotinoids (a type of insecticide) and to implement and appreciate a little “messiness“ – i.e., leave the leaves on dirt – in order to give our precious environment a fighting chance. Ms. Puhlman showed photographs of Old Town that are the frequent target of leaf blowers, illustrating how the soil is now dead. We can and must do better.
Please encourage your neighbors to stop using leaf blowers and poisons. To the extent blowers are used, please insist they use electric, and only on impermeable surfaces.
Betsy Wosko
Chair, Old Town NA
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