I say forget the grass. forget the lawn mowers. forget the watering.

I just want things to look the way they used to after my ancestors came, drove out the Native people, slaughtered the bison, plowed up the prairie, cut down the oak savanna, and invented the gas-powered lawn mower, herbicides and petrochemical fertilizers. What's so unreasonable about that?

Delbert Wenzl and his kind's love of "Kentucky Blue Grass desserts" and lack of understanding of the need to preserve wildlife habitat is unfortunately still widespread among his generation. A kind of brainwashing of the nation has been accomplished by the lawn care industry. I wonder if they prefer a world without butterflies, songbirds and the natural diversity that comprises the web of life. Mowed lawns are important when done in moderation and with minimal poisons because they serve as good firebreaks and provide good groundcover to hold the soil. But I sometimes think of how nice and quiet my neighborhood would sound on summer weekends without the incessant background noise of lawnmowers trimming off that extra inch of growth and the howling leaf blowers tidying up those offensive grass clippings.

That's an interesting concept to ponder. The natural vegetation of God's natural creation in nothing but "junk" and it's getting "trashier and trashier." Maybe it could just be covered with asphalt and then it would always be clean, neat and orderly.

I am for conservation but with safety in mind. These areas must not bring unwanted pests. Skunks, mice and rats all spread disease to our children and pets and other wildlife could cause traffic accidents. Also these areas could be a fire hazard in the fall or dry years. If these areas are located in the correct places they should benefit society. Keep in mind that these trees and shrubs are expensive to get rid of when they get larger. Trees and power-lines do not mix.

WHy would anyone want to pay for an unsustainable lawn of imported plants over a naturally growing wilderness? It is mind-baffling!

Native prairie would be great, but it is simply not possible to get it to fit into some urban landscapes. You can't conduct periodic burns, so there is a natural evolution toward brush and trees. Mowing the verges of park paths and having reasonable turf buffers can help prevent the spread of ticks and Lyme disease. The "let it grow" philosophy is a good fit for cities trying to do more with less, but there will be costs associated with manually cleaning out noxious weeds, trees, and invasive species due to the impracticality of burning in urban areas.

You've got a bit of a point there Mr. environment, but many of us would argue that a lawn soaked in chemicals to keep away unwanted weeds and promote a monoculture of short grass with shorter roots is much more insidious and inherently unhealthy. If you need a sign that says stay off the grass for a few days until the chemicals wash off, then you are spreading cancer and pollution to your neighbors and the watershed. That is even worse. My neighbor built a large garage that changed the drainage of the entire block, sending it into my back yard and nearly into my back door! After contemplating several expensive options such as grade changes and retaining walls I simply let a 30' strip of grass grow wild, encouraging it with wildflower plantings, and it miraculously has impeded the flow of water just enough to send it in different directions. Great for me. Last week a policeman stopped by and told me to mow it due to a violation of city lawn ordinance. Rediculous.

One of the main reason we have so much monoculture bluegrass is because of a certain fertalizer company has done such a good job of advertising to gulible people. Making people think that they are less if they don't have perfectly manicured lawn. It has been an environmental disaster with all the chemicals, wasted energy and time spent maintaining bluegrass.

Over the past few years, I've been slowly shrinking my lawn's footprint on my south Minneapolis 1/4 acre and planting native shrubs and flowers. So far, nothing but compliments from neighbors and friends, especially the birds, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and other urban creatures, which by the way, do not spread disease. Even been visited by a piliated woodpecker, a red-tailed hawk, a green heron, and a nocturnal visit from an unidentified owl hooting outside my bedroom window.