Missoula is the first, and only, city in Montana to manage parks without the use of pesticides. While the city has piloted this approach in several parks, some residents would like to see the efforts expand.
Alison Reintjes founded Grow Safe: Non-Toxic Missoula, which has been pushing the city to cut back on its use of pesticides, an umbrella term that includes herbicides. Reintjes says she wants the city to keep the chemicals in mind when it comes to climate and environmental health.
“That is our goal, is to see Missoula undergo a complete culture change,” Reintjes says.
The city is taking steps toward that change. It’s not spraying herbicides in a dozen parks. In others, it’s applying them only around infrastructure like fences and benches.
And McCormick Park along the Clark Fork River is going all-organic this year: natural fertilizer and no herbicides. Dandelions abound in the park, but the city is now reporting real benefits to soil health, like deeper grass roots.
As Missoula explores whether to broaden its list of parks managed without weed killers, parks director Marina Yoshioka says the main factor at play is money.
“Being herbicide-free is possible, it just requires a high level of investment,” Yoshioka told city council members at a recent meeting.
Anti-herbicide advocate Alison Reintjes says there are even bigger costs to consider.
“We’re missing a big part of the picture, because so many of those costs, whether they’re health or environmental, are borne by individuals and families and future generations,” Reinjes says.
It’s uncertain how much it will cost Missoula parks to go fully herbicide-free. The city hasn’t run a full estimate. But Boulder, Colorado manages fewer acres than Missoula without using pesticides, and its parks budget is a million dollars more.
