Title: Interactive technology helps people find an outdoor area that is herbicide free
Washington: Last September, the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, WA launched an interactive online map detailing outdoor recreation areas in the county where land managers are beginning to think through issues related to pesticide and herbicide use. Beginning with five initial areas, the on-line interactive map has grown to include hundreds of areas that are marked as either a "pesticide-free place" or a "pesticide-reduced place". As we have noted in a previous news item, these classifications are not condition free. A pesticide-free place, according to the King County web-site is a place where, "No EPA-registered pesticides are used in the normal maintenance of the park or recreation area. Special exemptions are given for limited IPM (Integrated Pest Management) based use of an herbicide to remove noxious weeds as mandated by county-wide noxious weed policy, or in the case of an insecticide used to remove dangerous insects (wasps, hornets) as long as adequate notification or signage is used to warn the public." Read the signs to be sure is the take away message. Along similar lines, a pesticide-reduced place is an area where, "Children’s play areas and lawns are pesticide free. In outlying areas of the site: flower beds, fence lines, natural areas and playing fields, grounds managers use their own IPM (Integrated Pest Management) policy to determine pest control needs and minimize use of pesticides." The project is currently seeking to recruit new areas that fit these limited criteria, such as parks, private gardens, trails, arboretums, and campuses. Developers are also in the process of writing a comprehensive companion web page that will offer more resources for those seeking to minimise or eliminate their chemical use. If you are the manager of a pesticide-free area in King County and are willing to accept the conditional classification 'pesticide-free', you can request that your location be added to this map. Contact Julia Singer: julia.singer(at)kingcounty.gov or visit the King County 'Pesticide Free' Places Map.
