Laserfiche WebLink
From:Karen Braverman <br />To:Ashley Stolzmann; City Council <br />Subject:Herbicide Use in Parks and Open Space. City Council Discussion & Decision. <br />Date:Sunday, February 23, 2020 2:56:00 PM <br />Hello Ashley and Louisville City Council, <br />I am writing in complete support of my neighbor’s letter below concerning eliminating or reducing herbicide use in Louisville’s <br /> parks and open space. <br />Diane Shepard has shared her letter with me as we have worked together in our Coal Creek Ranch neighborhood for years <br />trying to get our HOA to eliminate harmful herbicide use. <br />I am planning on attending Tuesday night’s meeting at City Hall but wanted to express my written opinion in support of <br />eliminating poisonous chemical use wherever possible. <br />Thank you for all your time and consideration. <br />Know that every step you take to provide a clean, safe and natural environment for our entire community of humans and pets <br />is greatly appreciated! <br />Karen Braverman <br />853 Saint Andrews Lane <br />Louisville, Co. 80027 <br />Louisville Resident since 1993 <br />-------- Forwarded Message -------- <br />Subject:Herbicide Use in Parks and Open Space. City Council Discussion & Decision. <br />Date:Sun, 23 Feb 2020 11:36:01 -0700 <br />From:Diane Shepard <dmshepard@comcast.net> <br />To:Ashley Stolzmann <ashleys@louisvilleco.gov>, CityCouncil@LouisvilleCo.gov <br />Louisville City Council, <br />Thank you for your dedication to our community. I'm writing today to express my opinion on how the city <br />manages weeds in our parks and open spaces. I think it's important to view our environmental care based on <br />what we are collectively doing to maintain all these spaces. I am pleased that we no longer spray herbicide in <br />playgrounds but believe we need to restrict use further. As you know, the only places that aren't sprayed is the <br />actual sand area that playground equipment sits in. The grassy areas surrounding the playgrounds are still <br />sprayed. It is appreciated when fields are "spot sprayed" rather than being completely saturated in chemicals. <br />Still, we could reduce much more. <br />I have been living in Louisville for 26 years and love much about our community. I am frequently on our trails <br />walking, cycling, and exercising our dog. I hike the open spaces throughout Boulder County year-round. I <br />receive notifications of herbicide applications in open spaces and weed management in the city parks. I try to <br />stay informed and to understand the point of view and goals these boards are tasked with regard to managing <br />noxious weeds. These are complex issues. Nonetheless, it appears to me that herbicides are applied every week <br />from March through September and there are even a couple applications done as late as November. <br />We probably share concern about chemical use because of the risk to human and environmental health. <br />Accumulative levels contribute to many health issues. People with chronic illness are often not detoxifying all <br />the environmental chemicals we're exposed to from lawn maintenance to mosquito control and a few other <br />activities that occur regularly in Boulder county Children under 7 years old cannot detoxify these chemicals <br />because their bodies are not equipped to do so. I want to stress the point that people are not usually acutely ill <br />from environmental toxins, though many are chronically ill, and understanding why has always been difficult. <br />Medical costs are high for these families. The symptoms build up over the years: fatigue, pain, neurological <br />impacts, autoimmune reactions and other immune disregulation. These are prevalent. Our pets are impacted by <br />6