Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Assistant Superintendent for Environmental Stewardship Justin Long presented findings from the 2016 Minneapolis Parks Herbicide Use Report to members of the Board of Commissioners Operations and Environment Committee at the March 16 MPRB Board meeting.
The report identifies the MPRB’s current use of pesticides and herbicide, catalogs practices and includes recommended modifications for implementation. Highlights from the report:
Liquid herbicides consistently reduced in parks and natural areas
The amount of liquid herbicide used and the number of acres on which it is applied decreased dramatically since the MPRB adopted its formal Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy in 2008. In 2008, 702 gallons of liquid herbicide was applied to 400 acres. In 2015, 15 gallons of liquid herbicide was applied to 51.2 acres. Of those 15 gallons, 3.2 gallons were applied by MPRB staff; the remaining 12.8 gallons were applied by licensed third parties including contractors and conservation groups.
Solid herbicides address athletic field conditions at specialty sports complexes
In an effort to improve the condition of specialty sports athletic fields, dual “weed and feed” herbicides are used to ensure that weed and insect control do not exceed the thresholds, or acceptable levels of weeds, set in the IPM Policy. Solid herbicide is applied preemptively to prevent weeds or diseases from establishing and reduces the need to eradicate fully grown plants or pests. Dual herbicides/fertilizers are also used in formal gardens.
Note: Golf course greens, fairways, and tees have a lower threshold for weeds and pests than parks and natural areas. As a result, there is greater usage of both solid and liquid herbicides than in general parks, parkways and athletic fields.
System-wide measures approved by the Board of Commissioners
After considering the Parks Herbicide Use Report and hearing from the community, MPRB commissioners voted to approve the implementation of four system-wide measures regarding the IPM Policy at its April 6 meeting:
1) Establish an IPM committee responsible for annually reviewing MPRB’s IPM Policy and implementation practices and providing an annual report with recommendations for improvements to the Executive Team and Board of Commissioners.
2) Designate an IPM Coordinator to review annual usage, provide quarterly reports to Executive Team and work with the IPM committee.
3) Introduce a finance activity code specifically for herbicide application.
4) Establish/select a new recordkeeping system and procedures for documentation.
Additional measures
The board approved two additional measures regarding the IPM Policy at its April 6 meeting:
1) Eliminate all products with glyphosate as an active ingredient within neighborhood parks, excluding projects already underway.
2) MPRB staff will evaluate using goats for invasive species control in two locations.