Volunteers are needed to spruce up Arbor Lodge Park Saturday.
The work party will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the North Portland park, located at North Bryant Street and North Delaware Avenue. Upkeep allows the park to maintain its chemical free/no spray status.
Last year, an Oregonian article explained that efforts to maintain chemical-free parks in Portland were hit or miss depending on volunteer participation.
In 2004, the Bureau of Parks & Recreation began a three-year trial to make several parks pesticide-free: Lair Hill in Southwest, Sewallcrest in Southeast and Arbor Lodge. Volunteers weeded by hand, mulched shrub bed and planted pest-resistant species. Herbicides and insecticides were used for the city’s remaining 10,000 acres of gardens, trails, open spaces and neighborhood parks.
After the pilot ended in 2007, the bureau added Midland Park in Southeast and Hillside Park in Southwest to the pesticide-free list. Budget cuts have impacted the program leaving less money for supplies and a coordinator.
City administrators expressed concern about the project.
“It’s in doubt unless we see an expansion of the number of community volunteers,” said city manager, Eileen Argentina, in last year’s story.
