By Shannon Sessions
For The Herald
LYNNWOOD — After a year-long ban on pesticide use in Lynnwood, the parks are looking a little shabby and tent caterpillars are more prevalent, parks officials say.
But that’s just fine with those who packed the Lynnwood City Council chambers recently to speak about their concerns of pesticide use in parks.
"When they spray it doesn’t just go away, and usually it’s mostly for aesthetic purposes," Trudy Bialic, a Lynnwood resident, told the council.
"It’s about priorities — health or weeds. The point is, when there are alternatives — why not use them?"
A draft pesticide and fertilizer use policy was recommended for adoption by the council from city staff and the parks board.
The council didn’t take action and has allowed for more public comments at council meetings before the year-long moratorium ends June 1, Mayor Mike McKinnon said.
Previously the city went by state laws and didn’t have a written policy of its own.
Bialic, who pushed for the moratorium a year ago, hasn’t seen the new draft pesticide policy, but said she hopes it doesn’t include approval to use the most dangerous pesticides.
Bialic said she isn’t calling for no pesticide use — just a ban on the worst ones. She wants a five-year phase out for most of the others.
Some at the meeting wanted no pesticide use. Others offered the city several alternatives to rid some pest and noxious, toxic weed problems.
Several of the alternatives have been used by the city with varied success, Lynnwood parks superintendent Bob Colinas said.
He said the new policy does include 10 of the 65 "Tier 1" insecticides and eight of the 105 available herbicides. But they would be used in a "limited and targeted fashion."
Tier 1 pesticides are considered the most hazardous and either contain known cancer-causing agents or are labeled as toxic to animals. The city would post signs at every entrance of the park for 48 hours after the chemicals have been used. State law calls for 24 hours.
"I believe the draft that Lynnwood has drafted is a happy medium," Colinas said, adding pesticides are to be used as a last resort.
Bialic isn’t satisfied.
"Cities argue some (pesticides) are necessary; it would be interesting if they surveyed the citizens and ask what they want," she said.
Shannon Sessions is the editor for the Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace editions of the Enterprise Newspapers. Call her at 425-673-6531 or email at sessions@heraldnet.com.
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