Bozeman News

Lend your hands to keep our parks healthy

Promoting Pesticide-Free Parks

By Lucia Stewart, 5-17-07

It all started one morning as Nancy–Clair Laird looked up to watch her child, who loves trucks, chase after a pesticide-spraying truck criss-crossing Beall Park.

“I was outraged that they sprayed and didn’t tell anyone. There was no signs posted, no notices in the newspaper and they drove off without telling anyone to stay off the grass while it was wet,” said Nancy.

After doing research, Nancy found that 2-4D is most harmful when it’s wet and particularly for dogs, pregnant women and kids. So two mothers took matters into their own hands.

Nancy and Ann Dye contacted the Bozeman Parks and Recreation Board, who agreed to make Beall Park a pilot project that is now in its second year as a pesticide -free park. In order to maintain this status, the hands of the community are needed this Saturday, May 19th, at the annual Dandelion Pull from 10am to 2pm.

As two full time mothers, there is only so much they feel like they can do. They want to encourage momentum of community support in keeping Beall Park pesticide-free and educate others to take on similar practices in their neighborhood parks.

Luckily, the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) is assisting them in a small capacity. NACP is a 30-year-old, non-profit organization based in Eugene, Oregon working throughout the Northwest to protect people and the environment from pesticides through promoting alternatives.

One program area of the organization is to promote pesticides-free parks, and host an extensive website showing how to deal with weeds and fact sheets on pesticides.

“It is a growing movement,” said Megan Kemple is the pesticide-free parks coordinator who works with cities, activists and residences to establish sustainable and effective pesticides -free parks programs.

“More and more cities are interesting in establishing pesticide-free parks,” said Kemple. “People want places where they can go with children and pets and not be exposed to pesticide. As the movement grows, there are more examples and cities feel like they should be part of the movement.”

Three years ago NCAP established a program in Portland, where the city now has three parks that volunteers maintain by removing weeds with hand power instead of pesticides.

Although NCAP didn’t get involved in launching Bozeman’s program, they are assisting in giving them tools to use when talking with the parks department, handling the weeds and dandelions and discussing with Nancy and Ann so they know they are supported.

Dandelions are the most common and recognizable of weeds, and although they are a healthy part of the ecosystem, the numbers of dandelions that are appropriate for a lawn are up to the property owners or users.

Some people complain to the Bozeman Park and Recreation Board when the grass is covered in dandelions, due to creating uneven turf for little league, team sports and overall enjoyment factor. “But I bet if more people knew about what they were spraying on the grass, they might take a difference approach to the dandelions,” said Ann. “Really there is a better way.”

They are trying to work together with the Park and Recreation Board by making suggestions on changing some turf management practices while organizing on-the-ground action getting community hands to pull the dandelions. The key factors in creating durable turf without pesticides are aerating the soil, fertilizing, over seeding and mowing the grass on a consistent basis.

Two more Saturday’s are set for dandelion pulls at Beall Park on May 26th and June 2nd. Or just bring your weed extractor when you are hanging out at the park with the kids. They will thank you for it years later. 

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