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Steve Baysinger stated that the City parks staff has to be careful about mowing there because it is a City water source. Anything that is done there has to be coordinated with Public Service. He also added that mowing doesn't really control knapweed, it only sets it back. Cindy Owsley then suggested the following: Parcel R (Tamarisk). Weed whacking leafy spurge in the spring, then chemically treat it in the fall. She noted that there is an opportunity to eradicate it, and that the City should take advantage of it. The hoary cress in that area could be hand pulled. Coal Creek Trail. Mowing to knock the weeds back would be helpful. Trillium. A prescribed burn would be very helpful. Burns help the native grasses get a healthy start and gets the knapweed to "burst" bloom (condenses the germination time frame) then can spray herbicides on the knapweed in the fall. Susan Remington asked what Boulder County's policy on herbicides was. Cindy Owsley replied that it is the same as Louisville's; herbicides as a last resort. But the reality is that the County is so far behind the problem, it is not a practical solution to not use herbicides. The County tries to uses the least toxic herbicides to damage the fewest number of native plants. Matt Jones asked Cindy Owsley what other properties would benefit from controlled burns. Cindy Owsley suggested: Harper Lake: Would be good for knapweed in order to break its dormancy. Tamerisk: Because it has not been disturbed in so long, it is a little stagnant. A burn would invigorate native grasses which in turn would ward off non - natives. Warembourg: Might be a candidate. Bob Muckle asked if applying herbicides kept native plants from growing or was dangerous to wildlife. Cindy Owsley explained that many herbicides were very specific to the weeds and don't harm much of the native vegetation. 1) The toxicity is very low 2) Used properly, herbicides won't have any effect on local insects or wildlife. Several studies have been done to look at the long term effects and these have all been taken into account before the County uses them. 3) Many herbicides are made to interrupt a specific plant process, therefore wildlife doesn't synthesize the herbicide and are uneffected. She commented that it takes education of the public to accept herbicides. For information on specific herbicides, contact the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network at : npt @ace.orst.edu or 1- 800- 0858 -7378. Public Comment Matt Jones called for public comment on the weed control issue. Bill Jennings commented that he uses T4D and Roundup and it really only kills the weeds.