BY KERA ABRAHAM
Pesticide-Free Parks
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Is Eugene up to the challenge?
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ARTISAN BAGELS
FRESH BAKED
Boiled & Hearth
Baked Daily
Springfield
Eugene
810 Willamette
341-1335
5768 Main St.
868-1072
Enrollment 2005-2006
The Village School is a tuition-free Steiner inspired
public charter school serving children K - 8.
The Village School provides a holistic, arts integrated
curriculum educating the whole child using
artistry, music and movement.
A
coalition of nonprofits known as
Pesticide Free Partners recently
convinced the City of Portland to
stop applying pesticides – including insecti-
cides, herbicides and fungicides – in three
public parks. Portland will test organic pesti-
cide alternatives such as vinegar and natural
soaps in three other parks. The Northwest
Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
(NCAP), with support from nine other envi-
ronmentally progressive nonprofits, spear-
headed the effort.
Managing parks without pesticides mini-
mizes hazards to park users while reducing
toxic runoff into streams. “Our goal is to be
more sensitive to environmental and human
health,” says city of Portland Horticultural
Services Supervisor Kathleen Murrin.
“Whether or not that can be achieved by
eliminating the use of pesticides is something
that we’re trying to look at.”
Cities from Seattle to Santa Barbara,
Calif., have adopted similar initiatives, but
not Eugene. “We don’t have a pesticide-free
program,” says Eugene Parks and Open
Space Landscape Supervisor Chris Girard,
“but my work group is always looking for al-
ternatives to pesticides.”
According to Parks Maintenance
Manager Sarah Medary, the city generally
uses integrated pest management (IPM) to
control weeds and insects in public open
space. IPM emphasizes non-chemical meth-
ods, allowing pesticides use only when other
approaches fail. Pesticide spraying “is the last
practice we tend to use,” Medary says.
Non-chemical pest control methods in-
clude hand weeding, mulching, mowing, and
the use of propane flame devices and infrared
heaters. “We have a lot of environmentally
focused staff members who are constantly
looking for better ways to do things,” Medary
says.
Girard says that his landscape crew is
looking into eco-friendly products like
Waipuna Hot Foam, which is derived from
the sugars of corn and coconut, and BurnOut,
a biodegradable herbicide made with clove
oil. But for tough invaders like Japanese
knotweed, Girard’s crew spot-sprays
glyphosate (the active chemical in
Monsanto’s popular herbicide Roundup).
Park Amenities Supervisor Richard
Zucker says that city workers weed by hand
near restrooms, picnic areas and play-
grounds. But there is no written policy for-
bidding pesticide applications in high-use
areas. “It’s supposed to be common knowl-
edge,” Zucker says.
According to the Toxics
Right-to-Know database,
the city applied 274 pounds
of glyphosate (Roundup) to
public open spaces in 2003.
Even without a clear pesticide policy, the
city takes precaution when applying chemi-
cals to public open spaces, Medary says.
Only licensed applicators spray pesticides,
and the city tracks all chemical applications
in compliance with the Toxics Right-to-
Know Act. But workers are not required to
post notices when they spray, and spray they
do. According to the Toxics Right-to-Know
database, the city applied 274 pounds of
glyphosate to public open spaces in 2003.
Medary says that the city has a “good
working relationship” with NCAP, and one
park — Scobert Park in Whiteaker — is al-
ready pesticide-free. But NCAP has not pro-
posed a pesticide-free park program for
Eugene. “For strategic reasons we chose
Portland,” says NCAP Program Coordinator
Megan Kemple.
Could Eugene try a pesticide-free park
program like Portland’s? “We’re open to it,”
Medary says. “I’d have to be convinced that
we’re doing it for the right reasons.”
Eugene’s Parks and Open Space
Department plans to draft a written pesticide
policy within the next two months, making
this an opportune time for citizens to share
their thoughts with the city.
“The public always has the right to give
us input on our practices,” Medary says.
She can be reached at 682-2809 or
sarah.j.medary@ci.eugene.or.us.
ew
The Toxics Right-to-Know Act requires the city to track
and report information on its use of hazardous chemicals.
To access databases, visit www.ci.eugene.or.us/toxics. For
more information on the Pesticide-Free Parks program,
contact NCAP Program Coordinator Megan Kemple at
portland@pesticide.org
Enroll by attending a required
Prospective Parent Information Meeting
January, 2005
Friday 14th - 10 am
Saturday 22nd - 10 am
Thursday 27th - 6:30 pm
February, 2005
Monday 7th - 10 am
Saturday 19th - 10 am
Thursday 24th - 6:30 pm
The Village School 2855 Lincoln St.
Phone: 345-7285 Email: village@4j.lane.edu
Website: www.eugenevillageschool.org
Lottery held at the end of February, 2005
10 JANUARY 13, 2005
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Hearts of Space 10:00p.m. - 11:00p.m. Tu
New Dreamers 11:00p.m. - 1:00a.m. M-Tu