Oops: Calgary Sprays Pesticide Free Park
June 14th, 2007 posted by Mtbrider
In a twist of irony that’s almost typical of Calgary, the city declared Killarney Park as it’s most recent pesticide free green space. And then it applied herbicides.
Under a seven year pilot program, Killarny was one of five parks chosen to be pesticide free. The program was developed to reduce chemical usage in Calgary’s parks. The chosen few were picked based on community interest and volunteer level for maintenance.
Chemicals are replaced with natural measures: composting, aeration, and turf maize are among the natural remedies to dandelion infestations, according to Robin McLeod, the president of the Coalition for a Healthy Calgary.
The Coalition and the pilot program do have an uphill battle. Pesticides are cheaper than the cleaner, natural fixes. As such, chemical treatments will probably never be completely eliminated.
“It’s kind of a mockery that we celebrated with a healthy parks party and tried to bring the community out to celebrate this great event,” said McLeod “And the next day, it’s been sprayed.”
“There are always going to be things in the city which we have to control,” Simon Wilkins, co-ordinator of pest management, said. “So there is always going to be some use of pesticides.”
Wilkins acknowledges the unfortunate timing of the spraying and has gone to a Killarney community meeting to apologize.
Source: Calgary Herald
