Parks and Public Landscaping Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2020 03 05

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From:Diane Shepard To:Ashley Stolzmann; City Council Subject:Herbicide Use in Parks and Open Space. City Council Discussion & Decision. Date:Sunday, February 23, 2020 11:36:09 AM Louisville City Council, Thank you for your dedication to our community. I'm writing today to express my opinion on how the city manages weeds in our parks and open spaces. I think it's important to view our environmental care based on what we are collectively doing to maintain all these spaces. I am pleased that we no longer spray herbicide in playgrounds but believe we need to restrict use further. As you know, the only places that aren't sprayed is the actual sand area that playground equipment sits in. The grassy areas surrounding the playgrounds are still sprayed. It is appreciated when fields are "spot sprayed" rather than being completely saturated in chemicals. Still, we could reduce much more. I have been living in Louisville for 26 years and love much about our community. I am frequently on our trails walking, cycling, and exercising our dog. I hike the open spaces throughout Boulder County year-round. I receive notifications of herbicide applications in open spaces and weed management in the city parks. I try to stay informed and to understand the point of view and goals these boards are tasked with regard to managing noxious weeds. These are complex issues. Nonetheless, it appears to me that herbicides are applied every week from March through September and there are even a couple applications done as late as November. We probably share concern about chemical use because of the risk to human and environmental health. Accumulative levels contribute to many health issues. People with chronic illness are often not detoxifying all the environmental chemicals we're exposed to from lawn maintenance to mosquito control and a few other activities that occur regularly in Boulder county Children under 7 years old cannot detoxify these chemicals because their bodies are not equipped to do so. I want to stress the point that people are not usually acutely ill from environmental toxins, though many are chronically ill, and understanding why has always been difficult. Medical costs are high for these families. The symptoms build up over the years: fatigue, pain, neurological impacts, autoimmune reactions and other immune disregulation. These are prevalent. Our pets are impacted by the continued exposures to chemicals as well. The data has been available on this for years: https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-induced-diseases-database/body-burden https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/lawn/factsheets/LAWNFACTS&FIGURES_8_05.pdf http://www.nontoxiccommunities.com/childrens-health.html What I hope to learn is that the stewards/leaders of our community consider these aspects of health as you make decisions on how to maintain our beautiful, inviting city. There are resources that cities use when they are transitioning away from herbicide use. Perhaps the city council would review the links below and reach out to one of these organizations for suggestions? It is happening all over the country. Cities are moving to safer alternatives. They are banning chemicals. They are even banning gas-operated leaf blowers in favor of rakes and brooms. Here are a couple of organizations I see that are regularly working with communities: http://www.nontoxiccommunities.com/cities.html https://www.beyondpesticides.org/ https://www.momsacrossamerica.com/ Another aspect to weed management is the health of our turf. This means not over-watering grass. It is healthier for grass to be watered deeply, but less frequently, so that the roots grow deeper, and then less weeds can take hold. Taking this into consideration would also be beneficial in that we'd use less water which is scarce in the west. Walking across fields in our town, I've found them so soggy that my shoes are soaked through. We could consider planting native, drought resistant, plants rather than ones that look prettier (including so much grass) but really don't thrive in our climate. We know that dandelions are the first food for bees, so killing them in the spring has negative impacts for our pollinators, the birds that eat bugs, etc. These are all important aspects to a healthy eco-system. I think it's clear that I favor a considerable reduction of chemical use in our city. However, for those times when herbicides are still used, it is important for me to know in advance which areas will be sprayed. I have 9