An email from vigilant North Mankato "alley cat" Tom Hagen offers some hope for sanity in the City of North Mankato's 1950 lawns nightmare:
At the Nov. 1 council meeting the council went into closed session with a lawyer and in 20 minutes returned to regular session announcing that they would no longer pursue Ed Borchardt with litigation. With all of this finally over, Ed has significant legal bills and we have set up a Go Fund Me page for him . . .
We're pleased to learn that the City of North Mankato will no longer use the court system to bother Borchardt for having a pollinator-friendly natural lawn.
Here's the GoFundMe You can fight city hall...but it'll cost you! page, organized by the friends of Ed Borchardt:
The pitch from the page:
For over two years the City of North Mankato, Minnesota has been fighting one of it's longtime residents over the look of his lawn (which is a certified Monarch Waystation). Ed Borchardt, a former Botany professor at Minnesota State University in Mankato, has planted his property in such a way as to help feed and shelter both pollinating insects and birds.Last December, the City declared the property a public nuisance because it doesn't conform to their idea of what a yard should look like. The City required Ed to remove his wildlife friendly habitat in order to match the turf lawns that are the norm.Ed appealed the City's decision, arguing that there was no evidence pointing to a public nuisance in his yard and that the City ordinance is unconstitutionally vague. In early October, the Minnesota State Court of Appeals agreed with Ed that there was no evidence of a public nuisance.Great news for Ed (and the birds and bees)! But lawsuits are costly and Ed is an 80-something retired professor, in poor health. He would appreciate help covering legal costs.
Related posts:
- North Mankato lawn wars: Kicking up compassion and kicking its own citizens
- North Mankato lawn wars: Free Press publishes moving portrait of post-victory Ed Borchard
- City of North Mankato takes care of its buckthorn problem in the worst possible way
- North Mankato lawn wars: MN Court of Appeals opinion reverses city resolution against natural lawn as unsupported by the record
- North Mankato lawn wars: resident maps buckthorn in Bluff Park, citizens badger council
- Another dispatch from North Mankato lawn wars: City removes buckthorn in Spring Lake Park
- North Mankato lawn wars: local man cuts lawn buckthorn suckers, sees buckthorn in city park
- Mankato Free Press: Borchardts' North Mankato lawn war case heard in Minnesota appeals court
- North Mankato lawn wars: City Council passes natural yards ordinance limiting pollinator habitat
- North Mankato natural lawn fight update: Borchardt sues city for public nuisance order
- Buzz kill: North Mankato Planning Commission not so much into lawns to legumes
- North Mankato declares “Monarch Wayfair” lawn a public nuisance from “infestation of the premises by plants, animals, and birds”
- Strib picks up North Mankato lawn police story
Photo: Welcome to North Mankato, city sign.
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