The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About6A - Consideration of the Environmental Advisory Board Resolution and consideration of motion to appCITYOFBOULDER '~~ PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA ITEM MEETING DATE: May 20, 2002 (Agenda Item Preparation Date: May 7, 2002) AGENDA TITLE: Public Hearing on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board's Consideration of the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) Resolution and Consideration of a Motion to Approve the Parks and Recreation Integrated Pest Management P1an REQUESTING DEPARTMENT: Jan Geden, CPRP, Director of Parks and Recreation Kate Bemhardt, Acting Superintendent of Parks Planning and Construction Doug Hawthorne, Superintendent of Parks Teri Olander, Acting Superintendent of Recreation Ann Wichmann, Environmental Resources Manager Sarah DeSouza, Assistant to the Director Alice Guthrie, City Integrated Pest Management Coordinator ~..r FISCAL IMPACT: Current IPM activities are budgeted within operational divisions. The development of a Department Plan may include recommendations for further budget allocations PURPOSE: Tlus agenda item has been prepared to brief the Pazks and Recreauon Advisory Board on current efforts withm the department to implement the City of Boulder Integrated Pest Management Program and to develop a department plan BACKGROUND: The City of Boulder estabhshed an Integrated Pest Management Policy in 1993 Smce that rime, the Departrnent of Pazks and Recreahon subnuts detazled annual reports to track mtegrated pest management actions including mechac~ical, biological, cultural and chenucal treatments. The department adheres to the current IPM Policy in all of its operahons, and has spent sigmficant effort m explonng altematives to chemical usage to combat noxious weeds and plant diseases. The Pazks and Recreation Department was a participant m the Env~ronmental Management Audit "~' conducted m 2001, and is currently implementmg many of the recommendauons of that audit In ~"`' 2002, the position of IPM Coordinator was established m the office of Environmental Affaus to AGENDA ITEM # VI-A • PAGE 1 assist m developmg and implementing departmental IPM Plans and m coordmahng overall pohcies and goals throughout the crty '"~" ..~ On Apnl 16`h, 2002, City Council passed a motton estabhshmg a moratonum until June 4`", 2002, on chemical spray treatments wittun 50 fee[ of creeks and witlun the Civic Center Complex. This agenda item is mtended to update the Parks and Recreahon Advisory Boud on the department's commitment to ngorous adherence to the IPM Pohcy and cunent IPM related pro~ects ANALYSIS: Integrated pest management is a complex program Lands belongmg to the Department of Pazks and Recreanon currenfly host approximately 37 plant species, which are, listed m the State of Colorado Noxious Weed List, and wluch aze therefore mandated for control. In add~hon, due to the proxuxuty of parklands to pnvate homes and gardens, many other omamental and non-native species invade parklands To assist the Pazks and Recreahon Advisory Board m understandmg the mtegrated pest management ac[ivit~es m this department, we have placed our coordmated efforts mto the followmg categories: 1 Environmental Audit Implementarion • Pazks Drvision staff is currenfly implementmg the recommendation to upgrade the irngation system to a Motorola Master Computenzed Controller System. Over $350,000 is bemg spent m 2002 and and an addirional $19Q000 is pro~ected m the ~ 2003 budget. The audit recommendation for creatmg a new F'I'E to manage ttus w system is bemg researched given the new budget constraznts. Pazks mazntenance, forestry and planmng staffs aze mcluded m review of all new pazk pro~ects to ensure there is a communicahon Imkage between the planmng and mazntenance staff. The development of Valmont City Park, Footlulls Commuruty Pazk, Eaton Park, Lovers' Hill Pazk and the NoRh Boulder Recreat~on Center pro~ects have included coordmated reviews to address envuonmental sustaznability goals (energy and water conservaUOn, integrated pest management). Pazks staff is working with Environmental Affaus staff to develop standards related to an IPM agpmach to muntenance of different types of pazk landscapes. Staff is reseazctung methods to implement tree prunmg and replacement recommendahons • The Pazks and Recrea[ion Department is a full par[icipant m the IPM Hofline that advises the public of chemical apphcahons 2. Integrated Pest Management on Natural and Urban Pazklands • Forestry ' • An extensive GIS tree mventory has been completed of all 1Q000 trees on urban parklands This aids staff m monrtonng and respondmg to threats to our mvaluabie urban forest m a t~mely ma~ner ~ • The department has developed and provided pubhc mformat~on on [ree pests at the ~/ AGENDA TTEM # VI-A ; PAGE 2 department web-site to azd home-owners m recogmzmg and treaung problems as they '~' develop '`" • Forestry prachces all types of IPM control and embraces a"Plant Health Caze" approach wluch mcludes proper species selechon and species diversity, proper tree placement and systematic prunmg that helps avoid potential msect and disease problems • If chenucal treatments aze requued, tree m~ections aze used whenever possible, or the least toxic sprays aze applied Over the last three yeazs, forestry has reduced chenucal usage by almost 90% • Natural Lands • The Environmental Resources staff has been workmg wi[h the City GIS Coordmator to develop a GIS and GPS system to acwrately map weed mfestations and the treatments apphed to those areas. This effort was begun m 2001 and will be contmued in 2002 and mto the future. We now have accurate maps of most of the Boulder Reservoir azea and will be expandmg our effort into other natural lands. In tlus way, staff can track progress and success of different IPM treatments over time. • Due to past disruprion of the landscape (construction, over-g~azmg), approximately 50% of the natural lands of the department have senous populations of state I~sted noxious weeds, and the other half has less senous infestatrons Staff is usmg mechanical, cultural, biological, and chemical treatments to hmit spread of noxious weeds and eradicate small populadons _- • Staff provides informahon to other city staff and the pubhc through contacts, .,,,. envuonmental education programs and web-site mformahon. Staff provides specific hikes and talks on weed idenhfication and management Staff acuvely partic~pates m traznmg, semmazs and forums to ensure state-of-the-art knowledge • Urban Parks • City Pazks staff utilizes a decision Fuerazchy, which mcludes optimizing plant health through proper selechon, organic soil amendments, and fer[ihzahon as needed Chenucals are the last alternadve, and most checxucal use is spot treatments - the Department does not apply chenucals to lazge azeas Staff has not apphed broadleaf herbicides to turf azeas m urban pazks (golf course and athleUCS fields aze not included m ttus) for the past 10 yeazs. Hand-pulhng, hoeing, tnmmmg, mowmg and mulclung is heavily utihzed to control weeds A pilot horticultural mazntenance program in the north zone is approaclung a chemical free status, and is entenng a second yeaz • Staff conrinues to expenment wrth biological controls, flamers, msecticidal soaps, beet molasses, horticultural vmegaz, corn meal gluten, and other newly emergmg strategies to control noxious weeds. • Conservauve irngahon practices, mcludmg zone management, dnp systems, and hand watering aze coupled with soil amendments, regulaz aeration and adequate ferhlizauon to mazntam turf azeas. • Staff has drafted mazntenance standazds for urban parks that address turF, irrigation, '"~' horticultural, trash and snow removal There aze at least three classifications of parks ~"' and the standards will be different for each classification. Included m the standards AGENDA ITEM # VI-A : PAGE 3 will be thresholds for weed and pest populations and whether or not herbicides would be considered as control treatments The standards will be presented to the Pazks and ~A* Recreation Advisory Board at a future meet~ng for their considerahon and approval `~" • City Pazks staff co-sponsored the Boulder County Green Industry Short Course and the Sustamable Landscape Design Workshop m 2001 • Parks Planning and Construction • New park construchon pro~ects often occur on properties that have been lughly disturbed and wkuch contazn a healthy crop of noxious and non-noxious weeds Mechanical weed removal is utihzed pnor to mstallahon of sod, seed, or plantmg beds Cazeful apphcation of chemicals is infrequently used where mecharucal methods would no[ succeed m eradicaUng the noxious weeds Thorough noxious weed removal pnor to seedmg and during the mitial gemvnation and estabhshment penod, especially when trymg to estabhsh a new native grass stand from seed, is cntical to the success of the pro~ect and will sigmficantly reduce the weed removal efforts required to mazntam that pro~ect. 3. Development of Matnx of Envu~onmental7ssues on Department Lands • The Environmental Resources staff has been developmg a matnx of all parklands to ud in the future management of all natural resource issues Topics of reseazch include noxious weeds, wildlife habrtat, native vs non-native plantmgs, and connechvrty with other city lands and wildhfe corndors Management plans for all the pazklands aze planned to be wntten m 2002 to guide the resoludon of long-term resource issues, mcluding noxious weed population ~ ident~ficat~on and management strategies ~~. 4. Cooperahve Efforts with Greenways and other Departments • The Department contnbutes to city-wide trazmng and fomms, including a Mazch 12, 2002 IPM Group Roundtable on best management practices for pnonty noxious weeds • Staff is worlung closely with the new Greenways effort to manage noxious weeds along the urban trails of the City through cooperative utilizahon of equipment, storage azeas, and knowledge of weed treatments and pnonty azeas. We are uhhzmg the Vegetauon Study conducted by Mazk Gershman to identify issues m adjommg pazklands. For further mformation on ttus study, go to http //www ci.boulder.co.us/Qubl~cworks/depts/utihties/proiects/ egr enways/npanan htm 5. The Pazks and Recreation Department is a full partner with azea reseazchers, cooperatmg with the Umversity of Colorado, Colorado State University, the Natural Resources Conservahon Service, [he Bureau of Reclamahon, and other city departments. We have expenmented with prescnbed fire, flame-throwers, goats, and biological control, and will conhnue to implement every avazlable alternauve to chemical control of noxious weeds. The Department is also fully committed to controllmg noxious and mvasive weeds to protect the present and future wildlife and habitat values and human uses. All of these efforts will contnbute to the formauon of an Integrated Pest Management Plan for the Department of Pazks and Recreation. Included withm ttus document will be best .~, management pract~ces gleaned from field expenence, reseazch, and successes m reducmg or ....- AGENDA ITEM # VI-A : PAGE 4 eradicatmg noxious weeds The City IPM Coordinator, Alice Guthne, will lead the effort to }--~ develop these plans for all city departments m 2002 Another ma~or azea of focus for the Department of Pazks and Recreauon is to contnbute to mcreased educat~on efforts with the ciuzens of Boulder so that there is better understandmg of mvasive weed issues. The correlation between public land weed treatments and pnvate land weed treatments must be reseazched and better coordmated so that we, as a commumty, can develop the very best mtegrated pest management program PUBLIC COMIVIENT AND PROCESS: 7ntegrated Pest Management has been discussed m multiple forums of the City of Boulder. The Pazks and Recreahon Advisory Boazd toured cIIy pazk azeas on the topic of mvasrve weeds on Apnl 25, 2002. City Council will consider an agenda item on mtegrated pest management m June of 2002. STAFF RECONINIENDATION: The Department ongmally recerved a recommendahon (mcluded as Attachment A) from the Environmental Advisory Board to impose a moratonum on spraymg chemicals m the Civic Center On Apnl 16, 2002, City Council passed a mohon (mcluded as Attachment B) placmg a """' moratonum on the ground use of pest~cides and herbicides at the Civic Center Complex and ~-- within 50 feet of creek comdors unul June 5`~ As part of our ongmal plan, the Department of Pazks and Recreation was not mtendmg to use pesUCide sprays in Civic Center Complex for the rest of the 2002 season. To further address the Environmental Advisory Boazd's resoluhon, the Department recommends conduchng a comprehensive study session to be attended by members of the Pazks and Recreadon and Envuonmental Advisory Boazds, the City's IPM coordmator and representahves from the City's other land managing departments, to address the feasibihty of developmg and conduchng a pilot program at Civic Center Complex for the purpose of eliminahng the use of peshcide sprays In addihon, staff recommends that both Crty Council and the Boazd endorse the DepartmenYs conhnued efforts to reduce chenucal usage m the control of noxious weeds and pests. The least toxic methods of control should contmually be researched and apphed to department lands We also recogmze that the application of herbicides, cazefully and thoughtfully apphed after exhaustion of other strategies, is a realiry m the difficult battle to reduce the impacts of noxious weed mfestahons on city lands. Staff requests the Boazd's opimon on these recommendations. ATTACHMENT: A. Environmental Advisory Board Resolution (April ll, 2002) '"~ B. City Council Motion (Apri116, 2002) ~.r AGENDA ITEM # VI•A : PAGE 5 ~*-~ w..- ATTACIiMENT A Environmental Advisory Board Resolution A resolution of the Environmental Advisory Board of the City of Boulder asking the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to consider a moratorium on pesticide use in the Civic Center Complex area. The Environmental Advisory Boazd hereby requests that the Pazks and Recreation Advisory Boazd consider imposmg a moratonum on the use of pesticides m the Civic Center Complex; defined as the azea bounded by Arapahoe Avenue, Canyon Boulevazd, 9`" Sueet and 13`~ Street, as soon as possible Tlus resolution is to be commumcated to the Pazks and RecreaUOn Advisory Board for their considerahon. Date: April 11, 2002 AGENDA PPEM # VI-A : PAGE 6 ~^`~ a.. ATTACHNIENT B City Council Motion - Apri116, 2002 ~ ~ Councilmember Morzel moved, seconded by Havhck, to place a moratonum on the ground apphcahon of pesucides and herbicides witlun 50 feet of creek comdors and m the Civic complex (bounded by 19~' and 13th and Arapahoe and Canyon) until the IPM update comes back to Council on June 4`h and evaluated potential pesticide apphcations that would be impacted AGENDA ITEM # VI-A : PAGE 7