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Elizabeth Lundgren submitting comments re: #206495, the proposed native plant ordinance.
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To the Honorable City Council:
Despite being a Somerville resident for the past 19 years, this is my first letter ever concerning proposed Somerville legislation. I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of the Native Plant Ordinance that is being put before you early next week.
I am not going to go over the scientific consensus regarding the importance of native plants in supporting a healthy ecosystem. This information is included in the ordinance. But I do want to go over why I think this ordinance is particularly important for Somerville.
1. To be blunt, Somerville is a not a friendly place for green spaces for humans, and even less so for wildlife. As I am sure you know, this is historical given the rapid development and economic priorities of the city. At this point we cannot easily tear down buildings and rip up pavement, or mandate private land be turned into gardens, but we can do more to make the land Somerville has power over be made as wildlife-promoting as possible. The Native Plant Ordinance does exactly this.
2. I can speak from experience as a gardener in New England my entire life that native plants simply do better than non-native plants. They have evolved to do well in this climate without help, which means less work for the City of Somerville to maintain. Furthermore, the ecological diversity they support makes the ecosystem generally more resilient, also translating into less cost to the city in the long-term.
3. Somerville’s adoption of the Native Plant Ordinance would send a message to its residents that it cares about the natural environment in Somerville. This message is badly needed. Many residents feel that Somerville prioritizes development (meaning money) over protection of the environment and making the city a nice place to live in. I realize the issues are complicated, but I do believe that passing the Native Plant Ordinance would be a big step that the city could take, at relatively low cost, to offset the perceived negative image that persists.
Please, seriously consider the impact you can have on this small pocket of the globe by passing the Native Plant Ordinance. Human development is not going to slow, especially in Somerville, and it is therefore up to us to be responsible stewards of the land and the wildlife we have some amount of control over.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lundgren
Somerville homeowner, 15 Belmont St. #2
Senior Scientific Programmer, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Somerville Garden Coordinator, Morse-Kelley Community Garden