AGENDA #5a

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:      Follow-up Report on the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy

DATE:            May 22, 2006

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to provide follow-up information about the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy as requested by the Council Committee on Sustainability, Energy and Environment.

BACKGROUND

On October 3, 2005, the Council received a petition from Ms. Julie Vann requesting that the Town adopt an Integrated Pest Management Plan. On November 21, 2005, the Council received a report from the Town Manager in response to Ms. Vann’s petition.  At that meeting a Council Member raised concerns about the Town’s use of contracted landscape maintenance companies to apply pesticides at Town maintained Bermuda grass ball fields and at the Strowd Rose Garden.  At that time the Council also requested that the staff contact Mr. Allen Spalt, former director of the Pesticide Education Project, and seek his advice for possible improvements to the Town’s landscape maintenance practices.

On January 30, 2006, the Council received a letter from Ms. Fawn Pattison, executive director of the Pesticide Education Project, identifying concerns she has with the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Program.  On February 13, 2006, the Council directed that the staff meet with the Council’s Sustainability, Energy and Environment (SEE) Committee to review Ms. Pattison’s concerns.

On March 16, 2006, the staff provided the SEE Committee with a report providing responses to each of the concerns raised in Ms. Pattison’s letter to the Council.  This report, including the two previous Council petitions and related support documentation as attachments, is included as Attachment 1.  During the March 16, 2006 presentation, the SEE Committee requested additional information about three specific issues related to how the staff implements the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy and on April 21, 2006, the staff returned to the SEE Committee with a follow-up report.  This follow-up report is included as Attachment 2.  At the conclusion of the staff’s April 21, 2006 presentation, the SEE Committee requested that the staff provide a report to the Council summarizing the measures the staff is undertaking to meet the objectives of the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy

DISCUSSION

The Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy was developed in an effort to minimize the use of pesticides on Town-owned properties and assure that when pesticides are deemed necessary to address pest problems that they are applied appropriately.  An essential component of the policy is the designation of an Integrated Pest Management Coordinator responsible for determining what pest management strategies should be employed to address pest problems and, if it is determined that pesticides are to be applied, keeping detailed records of these pesticide applications. Robert Minick, the Town’s Landscape Superintendent, is the Town’s designated Integrated Pest Management Coordinator.  The Integrated Pest Management Coordinator also maintains technical information about all pesticides considered for use on Town-owned properties, to assure that when pesticide applications are deemed necessary, the least toxic effective pesticides are used. 

The fundamental issue that the Integrated Pest Management Coordinator must address is determining when pesticide applications are the most reasonable method of addressing pest problems.  This issue is a complex one that requires maintaining a commitment to minimizing pesticide exposure to Town employees, the public and the environment while understanding the relative cost and effectiveness of different pest control strategies. In light of recent concerns raised about pesticide use, Town staff has sought advice from a number of horticulture and pesticide experts to assist us in responding to these concerns.  Detailed information that the staff obtained from these experts is provided in the attached March 16, 2006 report to the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Committee.

In response to the information received, the staff undertook a detailed review of how the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy is implemented, and developed some recommended clarifications and revisions to these implementation practices to better meet the objectives of the Policy.  The key recommendations, as presented to the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Committee, are:

• With the exception of wasp sprays applied to problem nests, no pesticides of any type will be applied in Town-owned playgrounds.

• With the exception of pest control measures at the Strowd Rose Garden, no insecticides or fungicides will be applied to any plantings on Town-owned properties.  Any Town-maintained plants that die or are disfigured by insects or diseases will be removed and replaced with more insect and/or disease resistant species.

• Insect control in Town-owned residential properties will be limited to the use of bait systems employed on an as needed basis.  No preventative pesticide sprays will be applied in Town-owned residential properties.

• Prior to future contracting with any pest control service, all potential contractors will be provided with a copy of the Town’s Least Toxic Pest Management Policy and instructed to propose pest management service contracts that reflect the Town’s objective of minimizing conventional pesticide applications.

• Prior to contracting for pest maintenance at the Strowd Rose Garden for the upcoming growing season, Town staff will meet with potential pest management contractors to redefine the proposed scope of work.  Specifically, we will negotiate an extension in the standard interval between preventative fungicide applications and a change in the method of insect control to include insecticide applications only when and if insect infestations are serious enough to significantly reduce the vigor of the effected plants.

• Town Landscape Division staff will apply Milky Spore, a biological Japanese Beetle control measure, to the Strowd Rose Garden and surrounding turf areas, and install a system of Japanese Beetle traps in strategic locations at the Community Center property to reduce possible rose damage done by Japanese Beetles.

• Consistent with current practices, the Town will erect temporary signs at the entrance to the Strowd Rose Garden on days when pesticide applications are deemed necessary.  In addition to this current practice, the Town will negotiate with the pest management contractor to schedule all applications on weekdays prior to 9:00 am, and then chain the garden entrance closed for staff to reopen later in the day once all applications are dry.

• Preventive pre-emergent herbicide applications on the Bermuda grass ball fields will be limited to one spring application to control crabgrass and one fall application to control annual bluegrass.

• Control of broadleaf weeds will be accomplished through a combination of manual weeding and, if deemed necessary by the Integrated Pest Management Coordinator, spot applications of herbicides rather than the use of preventative pre-emergent herbicide applications.

• The Town will erect temporary signs at the Bermuda grass ball fields on days when pesticide applications are scheduled.  In addition, the Town will negotiate with the pest management contractor to schedule both yearly applications on weekdays prior to 9:00 am, and then the staff will lock the ball field gates until all applications are dry.

• In the upcoming year the Town’s Landscape Division will set a goal of reducing the amount of glyphosate (Round-up) herbicide applied to Town owned property by 10 percent.

SUMMARY

We believe that the above recommended clarifications and revisions to the Integrated Pest Management Policy implementation policies will reduce the amount of pesticides used on Town-owned properties and decrease pesticide exposure to the public and the environment.  We believe that these proposed recommendations can be accommodated with only a modest impact to the Town’s maintenance resources and represent a significant commitment on the part of the Town to protect its citizens while providing adequately maintained fully functional landscape areas.

ATTACHMENTS

1. March 16, 2006 IPM report to the SEE Committee (with attachments) (begin new page 1).

2. April 21, 2006 IPM follow-up report to the SEE Committee (p. 27).