A telephone tipster — a city employee, I’d guess — told me the other day that the city parks folks are planning a “naturalization” program, also known as benign neglect.
I asked parks director Murdock Jemerson about it. His email response said, in part: “Yes, but only in a limited number of parks and specific, appropriate areas within parks.
“Due to budget constraints, we are always looking for ways to reduce our maintenance costs while continuing to provide the citizens of Lansing with well-maintained and safe parks. Naturalization of parks, or portions of parks, is a viable tool that has been a best practice in parks and recreation agencies across the country.
“It should be understood that even this practice requires some planning and communication with the neighborhood to select the best parks or portions of parks. We are currently in the process of selecting areas best suited for naturalization.”
