Audubon has been actively promoting improved highway right-of-way management in this state since the early 1970s.  Substantial progress has been made at times, and then the policies are ignored by some district engineers who build budgets and expand their work force based on demands they create to more frequently and completely mow out ROW vegetation.

KDOT Secretary Deb Miller has made great progress advancing the idea that vegetated roadsides can be a positive resource. In response to requests from Audubon of Kansas (AOK), Secretary Miller established an Aesthetics Task Force (ATF) in February 2008 to develop recommendations for enhancement of roadsides.

The task force met monthly in 2008. It included representatives of state and federal agencies, Audubon of Kansas, Kansas Native Plant Society, Kansas Wildlife Federation and individuals with special expertise. The ATF report finalized in October 2008 can be viewed on the AOK website.

Mowing Policy-

It is the general consensus of the Task Force that the policy as written is not followed uniformly throughout the State.  There seems to be entirely too much mowing in most areas and both sides of the highway are rarely left unmowed at the same time.
 
Mowing native grasses and forbs is generally unnecessary, except for the control of invasive weeds (including brome and fescue) and woody plants in specific areas. 

At the request of the Task Force Coordinator, the District One Maintenance Engineer provided mowing expense data and found that a 3-year average fiscal year expenditure for KDOT mowing statewide was $6,608,868, and that the average annual area mowed was 316,907.9 acres.  On the basis of expenditures alone, a significant amount of savings could occur in this area; especially in light of the dramatic increases in fuel costs recently.

Benefits and Concerns for Limited Mowing-

Limited mowing will save financial resources that can be used to lower tax burdens, help KDOT address higher priority needs, or the savings can be used to invest in enhancement of roadside areas with supplemental native grass and forb plantings.

Limited mowing can become part of the State's energy conservation plan by limiting fossil fuel consumption through reduced miles driven/hours of operation for tractors and support trucks.

Limited mowing will result in enhancement of State roadsides for the display of native grasses and wildflowers throughout much of Kansas-a Prairie State-and the enjoyment of the traveling public, both residents and visitors.

Limited mowing will result in enhancement of roadside habitat for numerous species of birds and beneficial pollinating insects, including butterflies and bees.

Limited mowing practices and the planting of native grasses and forbs on roadsides serve as filter strips and buffer areas, which help to remove pollutants from roadside runoff and help to keep many kinds of litter from washing into nearby streams, rivers and lakes.  Allowing deep-rooted native plants to mature also help to prevent ditch erosion and bank slides.

Comments are regularly received from the field that mowing needs to be accomplished prior to snowfall, and that areas prone to drifting need to be mowed out to "allow the snow to blow across the road."  It has generally been proven that mowing for snow control is not only unnecessary, but may be exacerbating the problem of drifting on road surfaces.  Natives left at their natural height actually collect and hold snow in the manner of living snow fences, rather than allowing it to drift across the highway surfaces.

The task force recognizes the fact that regional differences across the State have a direct impact on the treatment of roadsides, especially during the establishment period.  Where the establishment of grass may occur relatively quickly in the eastern part of the State, woody seedlings and other undesirable growth also develop rapidly.  The western part of the State may take years to develop any kind of permanent cover, allowing undesirable weeds to proliferate.  On the other hand, once mature stands are achieved in the western part of the State, many roadsides may rarely need mowing.  The ATF believes, however, that mowing on a 4-year cycle is beneficial to natives, replicating somewhat thatch removal by fire.  It is suggested that normal scheduling should include:

Year 1 - East side of all north/south roadways
Year 2 - North side of all east/west roadways
Year 3 - West side of all north/south roadways
Year 4 - South side of all east/west roadways

This policy will encourage regrowth, control trees and shrubs, and be the simplest to implement.

Mowing Recommendations-

Recommended changes to the mowing policy would reduce or limit all mowing to a 4-year cycle, except for shoulders, safety zone mowing for sight distance, and for the control of undesirable weeds and woody tree seedlings.  When mowing is necessary or scheduled in areas outside the shoulders, it should not occur between April 15 and November 1 due to the sustainability of native grasses, wildflowers, and the protection of ground nesting wildlife, unless specific problems need to be addressed. 

Shoulder strip mowing should be confined to one mower width (about 10-15') adjacent to the paved shoulder or edge of roadway.  

In addition to the spring, summer and fall benefits, standing vegetation provides living snow fences that reduce blowing snow across roadways. That results in improved safety for travelers, reduction of snow removal costs and the quantity of salt applications.

Living Snow Fence-Hwy 36           Roadside Photos by Ron Klataske

 

During the summer of 2008 fuel prices were extraordinarily high and that was an added motivation for reduction of mowing.  Most KDOT maintenance units limited mowing to approximately 15 feet out from the shoulder, and as a result native grasses and wildflowers were incredibly showy along state highways that fall.  However, far more extensive mowing, and mowing out to the fencerows in many places while native grasses and wildflowers were still in full bloom was commonplace in the fall of 2009.  It appears mowing recommendations of the ATF are already being ignored.
 
One of the best ways for citizens to help make state highway roadsides more attractive in Kansas is to urge KDOT to fully adopt the ATF recommendations and adhere to a limited mowing protocol throughout the state.  One can contact Secretary Deb Miller by sending an e-mail to her administrative assistant at PeggyH@ksdot.org.
 
The state highway system includes approximately 10,000 miles of roadway (20,000 miles of ROW) with more than 150,000 acres of vegetation.  That is more than 13 times the acreage of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, and this roadside grassland is viewed by hundreds of thousands of residents and visiting travelers every day.  Our rich prairie heritage of native grasses and wildflowers should be projected in the most positive way possible at every season of the year.  It can be done in a manner that reduces the use of fossil fuels, saves taxpayer dollars, and improves the ecological and environmental benefits of this public land. Yes, it is public land.