ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) - Four years ago, Ashland parks workers got the word to use chemical herbicides only in rare instances, so they switched to organic weed-killers and the good old-fashioned work of pulling them out by hand.
And how’s that going in the Southern Oregon city known for environmental consciousness and new age thinking?
“We are losing a battle,” Parks Director Don Robertson said.
Workers have now asked the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission to expand the areas where they can spray chemical herbicides to include city properties they maintain, such as street medians, parking lot landscaping and the Ashland Municipal Airport.
Among other difficulties, the parks department is under pressure from state and county officials, who have sent a letter urging more work combat the invasive species Japanese knotweed and leafy spurge.
Robertson said residents, business groups and service organizations have stepped forward to help weed the parks themselves.
But, he says, volunteers aren’t as eager to work outside the parks, and there are safety questions associated with having volunteers pulling weeds from median strips amid vehicular traffic.
Already, one of the places where parks workers are allowed to spray herbicides is a Main Street median strip.
Dirt infields at a ball park have also been sprayed, and earlier this week, the parks commissioners granted further exemptions for the bullpens and dirt warning tracks in the outfields designed to alert players chasing fly balls that a fence is near.
The department has also been tried to reduce the areas that need weeding by paving beneath bleachers, park benches, fences and other areas.
Commissioners are seeking public advice on the herbicide question at a number of venues, including a May 19 meeting.
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Information from: The Ashland Daily Tidings, https://www.dailytidings.com
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