FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2017
South Fourth Street Newest Campus Low Mow Zone
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The newest Low Mow Zone on the Urbana campus runs approximately three-quarters of a mile on both sides of South Fourth Street, between St. Mary’s Road and Windsor Road. Eight locations encompassing 81.8 acres now serve as Low Mow Zones in 19 designated service areas.
Facilities & Services established Low Mow Zones in 2010 to support sustainability, increase pollinator support, and decrease grounds maintenance costs. New Low Mow Zone signage will be officially introduced at the Campus Sustainability Celebration Wednesday, October 25 from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center.
Due to the continuous presence of invasive plant species and woody tree species, all campus areas need occasional mowing to help further maintain plant population balance. Cutting Low Mow Zones periodically lessens the seed production from weeds and non-native plants, decreasing the invasive seed bank for next year. This process is essential to encouraging the growth of native species.
Low Mow Zone maps and location information are available at: http://go.fs.illinois.edu/lowmowzone.
Media Contact:
Steve Breitwieser
Customer Relations & Communications
Facilities & Services
sbreit@illinois.edu
217-300-2155
Department Contact:
Morgan White
Sustainability
Facilities & Services
mbwhite@illinois.edu
217-333-2668
Facilities & Services (F&S), at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, provides all physical plant, operational, and essential services for sustaining an environment that fosters the research, teaching, and public engagement activities. F&S supports the university’s education, research, and outreach missions by improving the physical condition of the facilities and grounds through construction and building maintenance activities, providing utilities production and distribution, implementing energy conservation initiatives, and increasing customer satisfaction by delivering quality services in a responsive, reliable, and customer-focused manner. www.fs.illinois.edu
News Release Low Mow Zones PDF