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Weed Laws Article on Landscaping (John Marshall Law Review) free- flowing native shrubs and forbs, end real sunflowers reaching to the sky in a blaze of gold. VI. WHERE TO GO FROM HERE - -- SUGGESTIONS FOR LOCAL WEED LAWS THAT EMBODY THE LAND ETHIC Page 25 of 27 In the end, it is the public perception that must change, particularly those in policy making positions in villages around the nation. History Points that way. In 16th Century England, wealthy andowners had lawns that were natural meadows starred with a thousand flowers. In those days, grasses were hated weeds, and garden boys would creep along the flower lawns picking out the grass. In the 19th and 20th Centuries, the perception of the ideal yard has been confounded. Grass became the vegetation of choice. Local weed laws protect and promote this ideal. We must return to the past. In response to the natural landscaping movement, communities are moving from repressive weed laws toward more progressive weed laws. The progress, however, is too slow; and far too often efforts to change regressive "weed laws" are met with opposition based on misunderstandings. Judges and government officials should abandon these ill- founded notions. The natural landscaping movement, having taken root, will continue to grow as we enter the 21st Century. Unfortunately, weed laws in many communities persist and create a significant impediment to the growth of the natural landscape movement. These repressive laws must be changed. In her recent book, Noah's Garden, Sara Stein challenges us to replace the sterile, contrived, inherited exotic landscapes that have unfortunately dominated our lives. She writes of a promising future where local and state laws regarding land use reflect the Land Ethic: Some time in the future, the value of a property will be perceived in part according to its value to wildlife. A property hedged with fruiting shrubs will be worth more than one bordered by forsythia. One with dry stone walls that provide passageway for chipmunks will be valued higher that one whose walls are cemented stone. Buyers will place a premium on lots that provide summer flowers and fall crops of seed. Perhaps there will be formal incentives: tax abatements geared to the number of native species; deductions allowed for Tots that require neither sprays nor sprinklers. A nursery colony of bats might be considered a capital improvement. There could be bonuses for birdhouses. Oh, brave new world! 193 This is the goal, but in populated urban areas, it may be unrealistic to believe that unregulated, pro- active natural landscaping laws, will be accepted in the near future. The "journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step," and it is with that axiom in mind that the following guidelines are offered to be used by communities in crafting new weed ordinances that begin the road toward a more http: / /www.epa.gov /glnpo /greenacres /weedlaws /JMLR.html 2/22/01