Highland Park cancels weeding effort at Danny Cunniff Park
BY CHARLES BERMAN cberman@pioneerlocal.com November 10, 2011 6:08PM ReprintsUpdated: November 11, 2011 11:27AM
The Park District of Highland Park has cancelled Friday’s volunteer weed-pulling effort at Danny Cunniff Park because of sloppy field conditions.
Recent heavy rains have created pools of standing water, which have attracted large gatherings of geese, district officials explained.
“The Park District is not abandoning its manual turf-management plan and will not be spraying (chemical turf-care treatments),” stated District Executive Director Liza McElroy, in a news release announcing the weed picking cancellation. “In response to community interest in a volunteer weed pull, we planned this date in order to take action as soon as possible before the weather turned too cold.
“We want to thank everyone who had planned to attend for their willingness to be a part of the solution.”
Park officials reported previously that Cunniff, West Ridge and Larry Fink parks have become overrun with more than 60 percent weed coverage. Cunniff was selected first because it’s Highland Park’s largest athletic venue, with three soccer fields and two baseball diamonds.
While more than 575 residents signed an online petition lobbying the district against chemical weed treatments, district officials also reported Thursday that there wasn’t a swell of volunteers that notified the district of plans to take part in the day of manual labor.
The Park District will set a weed pulling date in the spring. A Parks Advisory Committee also will meet during the winter to assess the district’s organic turf-management programs and later make official turf-management recommendations to the Park Board.
Park District Commissioners Lori Flores Weisskopf and Brian Kaplan have been tapped to serve as liaisons to the advisory committee.
via Highland Park cancels weeding effort at Danny Cunniff Park – Highland Park News.
Another DISMAL FAILURE for the NIGGER WORK of WEED-PICKIN'
In 2004, the City of Portland CAPITULATED under pressure from the Anti-Pesticide Organization called Northwest Coalition For Alternatives To Pesticides ( NCAP ).
Both Portland and NCAP recognized that so-called Green Alternatives were BOGUS, and almost TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE.
The ONLY solutions were the HUGE COST in paid labour and volunteer work as BACK-BREAKING WEED-PICKERS, and potentially hazardous FLAME-THROWERS.
Ultimately, the city was only able to afford PESTICIDE-FREE PARKS through the use of Anti-Pesticide Volunteers.
Originally, 244 volunteers put in a combined 1,374 hours removing weeds at three parks.
However, the availability of Anti-Pesticide Volunteers was UNRELIABLE, and SEVERELY DECLINED over a three year period.
In the first year, turn-out was low, but peaked 60 hours for one work party.
By the third year, the most attended was a mere 12 hours.
When using conventional, scientifically safe, and effective methods of weed control products, NCAP estimated that an average five-acre neighbourhood park in Portland cost 371 dollars per year to keep the weeds out.
PESTICIDE-FREE PARKS, on the other hand, came with the EXORBITANT COST of 3,621 dollars in annual maintenance costs, and 9,455 dollars in start-up costs for each new park.
High costs were required to pay parks department employees to HAUL weeds collected by volunteers, and to inspect the parks to make sure weeds were under control.
WILLIAM H. GATHERCOLE AND NORAH G
National Organization Responding Against HUJE that seek to harm the Green Space Industry ( NORAHG ).
NORAHG represents the VAST SILENT MAJORITY of people in the Green Space Industry who are OPPOSED to Anti-Pesticide PROHIBITION.
NORAHG is a NATIONAL NON PROFIT NON PARTISAN organization dedicated to reporting the work of RESPECTED and HIGHLY RATED EXPERTS who promote ENVIRONMENTAL REALISM and PESTICIDE TRUTHS.