The city of Bad Tölz has now redesigned 90 areas with a total of 60,000 square meters so that bees and butterflies find plenty of food there.
Bad Tölz - Long before the “Save the Bees” referendum, the city of Bad Tölz campaigned for flowers on the side of the road. Where previously dull green was mown as often as possible, now in summer there are colorful flowers that provide food for butterflies and wild bees.
The fact that all of this is not a sure-fire success was demonstrated by the presentation of “Close to nature public green in Bad Tölz” during the city council's most recent construction meeting. Landscape gardener Franziska Bauer and Florian Schallhammer, head of the municipal building yard, explained where such flower strips were created in the city and why it has to remain in "other" meadows in some other places.
The campaign "Near-natural public green in Bad Tölz" started on Kohlstattstrasse
It started in the course of the expansion of Kohlstattstrasse in 2016, as construction manager Christian Fürstberger explained at the beginning. By the end of 2019, a total of 90 areas with around 60,000 square meters had been redesigned and 32,000 euros had been spent on them.
Bauer explained the different methods to the city councilors. In the fat meadows that are often found in Tölz, it is necessary either to remove the humus or to create strips over which the seeds gradually spread. Then mowing is done only once or twice a year, whereby the green material must be removed.
Areas at Flint height, on Wachterstrasse and at the town hall will soon also be bee-friendly
This is the reason why, for example, on steep slopes, "which are not accessible from below", as previously mowed. As Schallhammer explained, the hay can be left there. "We tried different places like the Kalvarienberg and the Girlitzer Weiher, but it doesn't make sense," said the manager of the building yard, who pointed out that the new flower strips in no way involve less work. Employees from the Isarwinkler workshops help to look after the areas.
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Upon further request from Karsten Bauer (CSU), Bauer mentioned the additional areas that are to be redesigned this year, the height of the flint and the triangle in front of the Egger paint shop on Wachterstrasse and the edge of the slope on the south side of the town hall.
A lot of praise for bee-friendly green areas in Bad Tölz
In his report, Schallhammer did not hide the earlier conflicts between nature conservation and the building yard. Franz Mayer (Greens), who had significantly contributed to the project years ago, spoke of an "exemplary joint project", and Camilla Plöckl (SPD) found the summer floral splendor in the settlement a "great thing". Building director Fürstberger did not want to stand back and praised the city councilors for their understanding and commitment and said: "If everyone gives up their extreme positions, then it will work."
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While Schallhammer still reported steep meadows that are used for drainage and therefore have to be mowed several times as before (for example between the parking lot Schloßplatz and kindergarten), Mayer and Michael Lindmair (FWG) appealed that private garden owners take the city as an example and that colorful flowers on their lawns should give them a chance: “It pays off.” Kurita Brita Hohenreiter suggested that flowering islands should also be created in the spa gardens.
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Unreasonable Parkers who ruthlessly drive on the green areas at the ice rink were criticized. Bauer thought that the seeds in the ground would prevail in the spring, but with announcements at games and fines the drivers should be urged to use the asphalt parking lots.
Karl Bock