After signing, please share this petition, submit a public comment, or contact your district representative to let them know you support this initiative.

Native wildflower and coastal prairie grass habitats in Galveston save important pollinator species like bees and butterflies, reduce mosquito populations, support resident and migrating birds, beautify communities, require less water/no fertilizer, and also reduce local flooding and help sequester carbon with their long roots.

Current city ordinances 302.1 and 302.4 (adopted from the International Property Maintenance Code) inhibit residents' and businesses' ability to foster native plant growth on their property as these types of yards are not currently recognized as exempt "cultivated  flowers or gardens". This petition supports the recognition of intentionally undisturbed and monitored native wildflowers and grasses as additions to the list of exempted plants, whether or not all were planted by the property owner. 

Residents can apply for a free Wildflower Exemption Permit every year but most residents are unaware of this permit and will be fined and taken to court for their wildflower growth instead of being informed of the free permit. In addition to the lack of promotion of this permit, permits are not filed and shared reliably across city systems, city marshals supposedly cannot access the permit list and continue to harass permitted homeowners, no renewal reminders/notices are sent out, and the window to renew each year is only 30 days (Jan 1-31, right after the busy holiday season as families are returning to work and school). 

We propose the following to the City of Galveston as improvements to the Wildflower Exemption Permit program to support native wildflower habitats across neighborhoods in Galveston:

1) Allow residents to renew Wildflower Exemption Permits anytime throughout the year since new applicants can currently apply at anytime during the year OR at least increase renewal period to January 1 - March 31st.

2) Require the City of Galveston to send out electronic or mail renewal notices to permit holders within 30 days of their permit expiration date.

3) Amend the language of Sections 302.1: Sanitation and 302.4: Weeds to add "and monitored native wildflowers and grasses" to the phrase below, following "cultivated flowers and gardens": 

"Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided; however this term should not include cultivated flowers and gardens".

4) Improve permit filing system to retain accurate records and allow for remote access by city marshals to view current records by address or property owner name. 

5) Appoint a volunteer "Conservation Commission", consisting of knowledgeable local residents and organizations, to inform the city of best practices to support native plants, habitats, and wildlife, and increase awareness of wildflower exemption permits and benefits. This will reduce the education and outreach burden on city staff and provide a knowledge base to continue to improve and amend environmental ordinances and programs citywide.

See the recent Galveston Daily News article about this issue and citation threats. Thank you to journalist Scott McLendon and photographer Jennifer Reynolds!