Members of the Snowmass Village Town Council voted 4-1 last week to temporarily stop using pesticides and herbicides to mitigate weeds on town property.
The moratorium comes as residents decry what they see as the town’s “aggressive” use of chemicals that are banned as public health threats in other states and countries. Such chemicals, town staff told council members, are occasionally used in town parks and along trails.
Council members left room in their decision for town staff to ask for exceptions to the pause if they find a weed situation that calls for pesticide use.
Staff will spend the following months studying the chemicals, weighing the benefits and safety of their use and talking with residents, recreation companies and homeowners associations.
Council members didn’t commit to an end of the pause, although they expressed hopes that a long-term plan could be found before weeds start to grow next spring. Ideally, that plan will rely on organic compounds and other forms of mitigation.
“I just don’t think we gamble with people’s health,” said council member Britta Gustafson. “If there’s any inkling that we’re not feeling good about the decision-making, we should stop, think, and decide before we continue.”
Municipalities are required by state law to manage noxious weeds like thistles, said assistant town manager Greg LeBlanc.
Historically, Snowmass Village’s method of weed management has gone unwritten, LeBlanc said. But it follows a general framework of identifying weed problems, trying to stop their spread, evaluating if chemical treatment is avoidable and, if it is not, if it can be targeted.
“Pesticides are one tool, and their use is based on needs, effectiveness and site-specific circumstances,” LeBlanc said.
Snowmass Village uses pesticides and herbicides for two programs: turf management — which manages grassy spaces outside town buildings and on public parks — and noxious weed control, which sees chemicals sprayed on public rights-of-way and trails, said Andy Worline, parks, recreation and trails manager.
Worline said targeted chemical treatment is a last resort in turf management. Other lawn maintenance methods like mowing, irrigation and fertilizing play a major role in mitigating weeds on town property, he said.
Tim Spitler, whose business works with the town to mitigate weeds, said the toxicity and safety of pesticides and herbicides are the first things he looks at when deciding whether or not to use the chemicals. He said the herbicide Milestone is a primary chemical he uses against thistle, and Escort XP is an herbicide often used along trails.
Both of those are legal in Colorado, but Milestone is restricted in California, and Escort XP is restricted in the Northeast, council member Cecily DeAngelo noted.
“I'm wondering why we have to be using the more toxic of the batch, and if there’s any way that we could look at maybe using ones that don’t seem to carry so much concern,” DeAngelo said.
Several residents spoke in support of the moratorium, urging council members to prioritize the safety of the children playing in town playgrounds and soccer fields, as well as the pets walking on the side of trails.
Among the speakers was Morgan Fixel, chair of Snowmass Village’s environmental advisory board, which asked the council to explore cutting back pesticide use in December.
Fixel helped lead the residential charge against the town’s pesticide use. With the town’s moratorium and future actions, she hopes Snowmass Village will set an example of limited pesticide use for HOAs, municipalities and companies across the Roaring Fork Valley.
