Item A: Use of Pesticides in City Parks and Buildings

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When IPM is implemented, cultural practices are modified to reduce pest populations and least toxic non-chemical control methods are tried before pesticides are applied. If a pest cannot be controlled without the use of pesticides, the IPM strategy dictates use of the least toxic effective pesticide that will have the least non-target impacts. For example, staff might try hand-pulling and sheet mulching invasive weeds at Hendricks Park before using a pesticide. If non-chemical methods are not successful in controlling the invasives, staff might reconsider whether control of the plant is critical to the function of the plant community. If it is critical, staff will choose the least toxic herbicide that is known to be effective against the weed in question. City staff has used an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy to manage parklands since the early 1980s, and have been leaders in the IPM field for 30 years. City staff has been invited to make presentations about its pest control methods at several regional conferences in the past few years. The current edition of the POS IPM Policy and Operations Manual (IPM POM) was published in 2007 and has been updated several times since then. The IPM POM document runs to nearly 100 pages and contains guidelines for the management of pests in many types of developed landscapes, vacant lands, natural habitats, rights-of-way and medians, the golf course and rose garden, as well as bioswales and waterways. The manual contains information on cultural practices to prevent or limit the impacts of each pest and describes the effective control methods for the pest, including non-chemical methods, and where applicable, the pesticides which are known to be effective against the pest. The POS IPM policy also outlines two programs which further limit the use of pesticides on parklands: the Pesticide-Free Parks Program and the No Pesticide Zone policy. In partnership with the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) the City launched the Pesticide-Free Parks program in 2007. Staff chose parks which could be reasonably maintained without the use of pesticides, obtained the support of the neighborhood association for each park and launched the program. Additional parks have been added to the program and the City currently has eight pesticide-free parks, sites which are managed entirely without the use of pesticides, often with the assistance of neighborhood groups or other volunteers. Additional parks are added to the program when volunteer groups adopt them, committing to help with weed control on the site. The No Pesticide Zone policy establishes no-pesticide zones around certain park features, including: playgrounds, picnic areas, dog parks, swimming and wading pools, spray-play areas and stormwater catch basins and inlets. These areas are managed without pesticides and weeds are pulled by hand, burned or controlled with other non-chemical means. When it is necessary to apply a pesticide in a No Pesticide Zone, for example when a nest of stinging insects is very near a playground, the area is fenced or taped off and posted to alert park users. Depending on the circumstances, hard surfaces near where the application was made may be washed down after the application. The Facility Management Division officially incorporates an IPM requirement into its Landscape Maintenance contracts referencing the POS IPM manual. The landscapes of several City facilities (Facility Management Campus, Lincoln Yards, Police Services Building, The Train Depot, Washington Park Community Center, River House, Police Headquarters Building, and the Kaufman House) are maintained through the use of hand pulling S:\CMO\2013 Council Agendas\M130313\S130313A.doc