Dear Councilmembers, While you have many hard budget decisions to make, please do not approve the reintroduction of herbicides as a way to cut costs for landscape maintenance. I believe the city's Environmental Quality Commission put some effort into making the case for natural weed control, and many community members have likewise advocated for this. For instance, in response to concerns loudly voiced by parents, the Menlo Park City School District developed an integrated pest management (IPM) plan that relies on physical removal of weeds and was able to avoid using any pesticides in 2019 ( https://district.mpcsd.org/Page/1308 ). Reintroducing herbicides, even temporarily, feels like a step backwards; as a culture, we've become aware of the environmental toll it takes to create a pristine, monocultural lawn. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/more-sustainable-and-beautiful-alternatives-grass-lawn If the city needs help with weed removal, I'd be happy to coordinate a volunteer group that could "adopt" various parks and help with maintenance, at least for the short term. Lydia Lee Received on Thu May 21 2020 - 15:11:59 PDT
