FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, February 24, 2004

CONTACTS:
Pollyanna Lind (541) 344-5044 ext 17 - Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
Jim Middaugh (503) 823-7032 - City of Portland Endangered Species Act Program
Travis Williams (503) 223-6418 - Willamette Riverkeeper
Joe Keating (503) 234-2613 - Oregon Wildlife Federation

Portland, Oregon - On February 25, 2004, from noon to 2pm two of the Northwest's best resources on pesticide free green space programs will be speaking at a free informal presentation for Portland City staff and the public in the 2nd floor auditorium of the Portland Building. Barb Decaro, Resource Conservation Coordinator for Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, and Carrie Bowman, Gardener for Seattle's Public Library, will be sharing information about the benefits and challenges of developing and maintaining pesticide free parks and landscapes.

"Human and environmental impacts of pesticides in urban areas are a growing concern in the public and private sector as more research about the risks associated with them is released every year," said Pollyanna Lind, Clean Water for Salmon Campaign Coordinator for the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. "The City of Seattle's pesticide free parks and landscape programs are an excellent example of what innovative cities are doing to protect human health, water quality and wildlife."

The City of Seattle's Pesticide-Free Parks is a joint project of Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Office of Sustainability and Environment. Fourteen pesticide free parks have been established throughout the city. This program is part of the City of Seattle's overall effort to reduce the use of pesticides by using integrated pest management (IPM) techniques. While Portland Parks and Recreation has a long standing IPM policy, they do not have any designated pesticide free parks.

"If you think about who benefits from pesticide free parks - children, pets, birds, butterflies, salmon, etc - it is easy to imagine why cities are establishing them and communities are asking for them. It is just a common sense quality of life issue," added Joe Keating, Issues Coordinator of Oregon Wildlife Federation. "Its high time that Portland looks into establishing a program similar to Seattle's pesticide free parks and landscapes programs."

Jim Middaugh, the City of Portland's Endangered Species Act Program Manager added, "We are excited about the opportunity to learn from Seattle's pesticide free parks and landscapes experience first hand. Having this information will assist the City of Portland in making decisions about how to improve our programs for the residents of the city and the wildlife we share it with."

"Pesticide free parks in Portland would reduce the risk of further contamination of our waterways," said Travis Williams, Director of Willamette Riverkeeper. "We are lucky to have the experience of Seattle's very successful program at our fingers tips so that we won't have to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak."

Public pesticide free parks and green spaces are growing in numbers across the west. Just last month the City of Santa Barbara, CA passed a city wide integrated pest management policy that included the establishment of fifteen pesticide free parks and pesticide free zones around playgrounds and picnic areas. A few other examples of city policies that include designated public pesticide free areas include Bainbridge Island and Lynnwood in Washington and San Carlos, Fairfax, Arcata, and San Francisco's Presidio Golf Course in California.

City staff, the public, and conservation organizations from Portland, Salem, Eugene and other municipalities in Oregon will be attending the presentation. The presentation is co-sponsored by the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services and Endangered Species Act Program as well as a collaborative group of conservation organizations called Pesticide Free Partners.

Pesticide Free Partners include: Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides; Oregon Wildlife Federation; Willamette Riverkeeper; Oregon Sierra Club; Oregon Center for Environmental Health; Portland Audubon Society; Xerces Society; and Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs.

Seattle's Pesticide-Free Program: http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/Horticulture/pesticide.htm

Santa Barbara's IPM policy: http://www.santa-barbara.ca.us/public_information/pdf/IPM-Strategy-Final-Version.pdf

For additional links to other pesticide free programs, contact Pollyanna Lind, NCAP, salmonpesticide.org or (541) 344-5044 ext 17.