To the editor:
Lori Borgman’s column, "To mow or not to mow" (Page A6, April 27) gives a bad impression of re-wilding. She writes in length about ticks, apparently to discourage anyone who may be interested. Why is that? I’ve seen ticks in manicured lawns. I’ve seen them in woodlots and forests. I wouldn’t suggest staying inside all summer, or cutting every tree down to get rid of them. That wouldn’t seem too bright.
Don’t let fear of ticks or snakes keep you from enjoying tall grass somewhere on your property. You likely wouldn’t spend all day in the grass anyhow, and when you do, it’s easy to take precautions. In the rural Midwest, there should be tall grass here and there, and whatever extant life happens to be indigenous to the region.
We’re surrounded by industrial pig farms and corn grown for non-domestic consumption. If you are permitted, I highly recommend letting your grass grow! If you want to manage a portion of your land appropriately for habitat and hunting, don’t let lawnmowers get in your way. It’s still a free country in some regards.
Surely, Indiana doesn’t need more anti-environmental sentiment. The state has a hard enough time keeping the remaining prairies, waterways and wetlands intact. If anyone in this county had an interest in conservation, and we had more worth hunting than a thin deer herd, complaints about the grass would not be beneficial. You’re not a better person for keeping the whole thing short.
Allan Cormick
Greenfield
