Pesticide Advisory Committee

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) manages more than 6,800 acres of parks, trails and open spaces. Most of that acreage is used as maintained parkland, which includes neighborhood parks and recreation centers, playgrounds, paths and trails, multi-use athletic fields, golf courses and more. However, more than 2,800 acres remain as natural areas, which include upland and lowland forests, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, wetlands and lakes. The vast array of landscapes vary greatly in management objectives. Golf courses and athletic fields must be managed for high performance playing surfaces. Open lawns and picnic areas are managed for passive recreation. Natural areas are primarily managed for invasive species, and in instances where non-native vegetation encroaches or crowds out native vegetation, management interventions are often necessary. All parkland must be managed in accordance with the Minnesota Noxious Weed Law. When interventions are necessary, our approach to pesticides is simple: use as little as possible in as few areas as possible. Since the 1990s we have been working to reduce the amount of pesticides used on parklands by focusing on prevention, cultural, mechanical and biological methods of control before using chemicals through an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach.

This committee, established in 2018, is charged with:

• Researching viable alternatives to glyphosate
• Assisting and advising the MPRB in transitioning towards pesticide-free resource management alternatives
• Reporting back to the Board with an initial set of recommended practices and potential modifications to the Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM)

• Timeline

• Get Involved

• Membership and Appointees