A person who received a head-scratching memo from their homeowners association may have found a promising loophole in the situation.
The homeowner, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, explained on Reddit that their HOA advocated for chemical weed killers to be sprayed on their lawn in early spring — as soon as the snow had melted.
"What the... Why is the HOA property manager telling private property owners when and how to maintain their lawns?" the original poster wrote in the subreddit r/Bozeman, detailing how the HOA specifically called out "pesky dandelions."
"It has become common knowledge that bees and other pollinators rely on dandelions in the spring. Dandelions provide nectar for at least 100 species of insects, while the seeds and leaves feed over 30 species of birds, chipmunks, and other wildlife," they added, also pointing to the fact that many types of food need to be pollinated to grow.
What was particularly strange, according to the OP, was how the HOA zeroed in on weeds potentially being poisonous while apparently overlooking that chemical lawn solutions contain toxins that harm pollinators and humans alike.
"Hmm, maybe not as poisonous as most herbicides and pesticides. Who writes this stuff?" they wondered.
Struggles like this aren't out of the ordinary. Many tenants and homeowners have encountered HOAs that have tried to get them to implement environmentally unfriendly policies — or even attempted to prevent them from making money-saving adjustments that also benefit the planet, from solar panels to clotheslines to rewilded yards.
Happily, other Redditors may have provided the OP with the information they need to fight back against the odd request, as it's possible to change HOA rulings if you know where to start.
"You should send [Saddle Peak Properties] the draft from the HOA Bozeman where it talks about embracing our native plants," one commenter wrote.
"Good point. The HOAs are wanting to overwater and spend all our money on mowing nonstop, and the city is moving towards more conservation," the OP responded, sharing in another comment how they typically wait until July to pull their dandelions.
"The newsletter they sent me looks like a generic template they just sent out to all of their HOAs, so I don't think they are enforcing any specific covenants," they added.
"Why we still have [grass] lawns is totally lost on me," someone else said in return.
"Noxious weeds do NOT include dandelions per the Gallatin County Weed board. FYI," said another.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
