HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 5/29/2018 - Memorandum From Mike Calhoon And Drew Crecca Re: Council Meeting May 15Th Follow Up On Pesticide Use In ParksParks Department
413 South Bryan Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221-6660
970.221-6849 - fax
parks@fcgov.com
Date:
To:
Thru:
May 21, 2018
Mayor and City Councilmembers
Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Kelly DiMartino, Senior Assistant City Manager
Wendy Williams, Assistant City Manager
From: Mike Calhoon, Director of Parks
Drew Crecca, Parks Crew Chief
Re: Council Meeting 5/15/2018 Follow up on Pesticide Use in Parks
Introduction
During the City Council meeting of 5/15/2018 Councilmember Cunniff requested information
regarding the extent and nature of pesticide use within the City’s Parks.
Response
The City’s Parks Department is charged with providing safe, esthetically pleasing and
sustainable spaces for the public to recreate and enjoy as well as maintain landscapes for
numerous Facilities owned by the City of Fort Collins. In addition, the Colorado State Noxious
Weed Act requires land owners to manage specific noxious weed species. To achieve
desirable results, the Parks Department employs a variety of methods anchored in the
integrated pest management approach. Pesticides are one of the tools and almost all of the
pesticides being exclusive to the herbicide category with the exception to a few fungicides. All
applications are made using EPA registered products, by licensed applicators under the
regulation of the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
IPM
The Parks Department adheres to an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach when
dealing with pests. Processes used include mechanical (mowing and pulling), cultural
(fertility, irrigation, compaction) and chemical (application of herbicides).
We target species on the State of Colorado Noxious Weed list such as Leafy Spurge and
Canada Thistle in our undeveloped and native areas as well as a variety of other nuisance
weeds in our landscapes.
We also adhere to established thresholds of nuisance species in our turf grass which is
mapped out into three specific management levels.
Table 1 lists criteria for management levels in Parks as well as actions taken and pest
thresholds.
Image 1 is an example of IPM mapping for each park.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2718844F-F9EF-4851-8B11-DC63B4EED460
Table 1
IPM
Management
Level
Management Practices
Level 1 2x/year fertilizer application (2#n/year), ,
2x/year aeration
1x/year top dress (soil depending),
weekly irrigation inspection,
spot spray at greater than 5% infestation levels, broadcast spray at
greater than 21% infestation levels
supplemental fertilizer applications, amendments, wetting agents
Level 2 2X/year fertilizer app (2#n/year)
1X/year aeration
weekly irrigation inspection
spot spray, broadcast spray at greater than 21% infestation levels
Level 3 2X/year fertilizer
No spray: cultural practice
Image 1
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2718844F-F9EF-4851-8B11-DC63B4EED460
Herbicide
Herbicides are used by the Parks Department in a variety of settings to aide in achieving
management goals.
• Medians- to control unwanted vegetation and minimize re-entry into hazardous work
sites and minimize lane closures.
• Ornamental beds- to control unwanted vegetation and enhance the esthetics of our
landscaped areas within parks and facilities.
• Turf- to control unwanted species competing for resources with desirable grass species.
Also, the safety and high demand of our athletic turf fields require the use of some
herbicides as a part of our IPM plan.
• Trails and Native areas- to control noxious weeds as a part of our management plan
mandated by the Colorado State Noxious Weed Act.
Fungicides
Fungicides are used on limited specific sites to mitigate turf disease that can result in the loss of
turf grass or have a negative impact on the playability of athletic fields.
Table 2 is a list of the most common pesticides used by Parks.
Table 2
Active Ingredient Trade Name Target Pest
glyphosate Glyphosate 4
Purpose
Post emergent vegetation control grasses and broadleaf weeds
2,4-D Cornbelt Amine 4 Post emergent broadleaf control in turf and native thistle, dandelion, all dicots
Dicamba Banvil Post emergent broadleaf control in turf and native C Thistle, Leafy Spurge, Kocia
aminopyralid Milestone Broadleaf weed control native and trails Canada thistle, many others
imazapic Plateau annual grass control Cheatgrass
triclopyr Garlon Woody plant control Russian Olive
triadimefon Fungicide VII Control plant disease in ornamentalturf grass Dollar Spot, Anthracnos, Rust
propiconazole Propiconazole Pro Control plant disease in ornamentalturf grass Brown Patch, Dollar spot, Fusarium
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2718844F-F9EF-4851-8B11-DC63B4EED460