Editor’s note: This is one of several Lincoln Squirrel articles about an agenda item (a “warrant piece,” with apologies to Leo Tolstoy) to be considered at the March 23 Town Meeting.
By Alice Waugh
A group of residents calling themselves Quiet Lincoln is asking residents at Town Meeting to consider the possibility of restricting the use of leaf blowers, which cause air and noise pollution and are bad for the land they’re trying to clear, according to the group.
While primarily a fall nuisance, leaf blowers can now be heard all year around near public and commercial properties, where they’re sometimes used for sweeping driveways and walkways, said Robin Wilkerson, a key member of Quiet Lincoln along with Jamie Banks. In addition to being noisy, the gas-powered devices create smoke and cause pollution and health problems when they blast fine particles of dirt, dust, dried feces and other material into the air, she said.
Using leaf blowers is also bad landscaping practice, said Wilkerson, a former professional landscape designer. “People are scouring their soil with the leaf blowers and removing all the organic matter and then bringing in imported mulch,” she said. Though they may look untidy in the fall, leaves aren’t had for lawns, and most of them blow away by the time the grass starts to grow again. In addition, leaves protect shrubs during the winter and attract birds, she said.
“Scouring” property of every leaf and twig is sign of “a standard of cleanliness that’s ecologically disastrous,” Wilkerson said. “They’re confusing the inside of their house with the outside.
While some may hope for a complete ban of leaf blowers, “we appreciate that that’s not a realistic outcome, ” Wilkerson said, adding that she’d like to see their use limited to the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and prohibited on Sunday. More than 400 towns in the U.S. already have some form of leaf blower restrictions, “and we feel that Lincoln, with its venerable environmental history, should definitely be on the forefront of this issue,” she said. “We’re hoping not to create a polarizing issue, just to educate people and work out a rational plan to control the misuse” of leaf blowers.
Quiet Lincoln’s position is supported by the town’s Green Energy Technology Committee, whose website, Greening Lincoln, has posted information about the negative effects of leaf blowers. Residents submitted a citizen’s petition to have their question put on the Town Meeting warrant. If Article 41 passes, the Board of Selectmen or designated body will appoint a working group to study the effects of leaf blowers, research alternatives, and present findings and possibly action items to Town Meeting in 2014.
Leave a Reply