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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-12-2020 IPM MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING UPSTAIRS CONFERENCE ROOM 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FL FEBRUARY 12, 2020 I. Call to Order Mr. Benton called the meeting to order. He identified himself and his position as Leisure Services Director with the City of Sebastian. He reviewed that the reason for this meeting is for this sub -committee as a branch of the Natural Resources Board to devise an Integrated Pest Management Plan for the City's parks and their facilities. This direction comes from City Council. These meetings are open to the public. There will be dedicated Public Input to be held as is stated on the Agenda. If any public attend the meetings, they can present their input, and after every New Business item there will be other public input offered at that time. He directed both the public and members of the committee that there is not to be any back -and -forth dialog. It is to be treated like every other meeting of the City for the various boards and commissions. II. Roll call Present: Ms. Kim Haigler Mr. Brian Benton Dr. Graham Cox, Advisor Mr. Thomas Carrano Mr. Brian O'Neill Ms. Kathy Brothers Also Present: Janet Graham, Technical Writer III. Announcements A. Statement of Sub -Committee's Purpose Mr. Benton reviewed the purpose for which this sub -committee was formed. He stated Kim Haigler will present a PowerPoint presentation which describes the concept and process. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12, 2020 B. Introduction of Sub -Committee Members Mr. Benton called for introduction of the members. Ms. Haigler introduced all members and advisors who were present. She also identified Ms. Ruth Callaghan, who is an environmental chemist who is working in Australia this month, and staff and this sub- committee will appreciate her input. For scientific consultants, there is Christine Kelley- Begazo, who is the Director of the US IFAS extension office, and Dr. Graham Cox, from the Pelican Island Audubon Society. Ms. Kelley could not be at this meeting, but she has reviewed the entire presentation and taken notes. IV. Public Input Mr. Benton opened the meeting for public input. Dr. Cox asked for clarification about back -and -forth during these meetings. Mr. Benton explained that, if members of the public have finished their input and members of the sub- committee have questions or comments, those can be discussed among the sub- committee members. Mr. Benton stated the Florida Sunshine Laws will be adhered to during these meetings. It was also clarified that if any members have anything they would like to discuss outside of these meetings, the member(s) can send those items to Ms. Haigler, and she will disseminate them to all sub -committee members. V. New Business A. Explanation of the IPM Process and Regulation I. Community IPM Cycle Ms. Haigler conducted a PowerPoint presentation (SEE ATTACHED). She emphasized that this sub -committee's goal is to develop a printed pest management plan. She pointed out the cycle that will be implemented. She stated the focus is on planning and prevention, with the use of chemicals as a last resort. Explanation of each step in the cycle was covered. It was pointed out that proper identification of the pest or weed will be the most important thing. Mr. Benton reviewed that there are two City employees who are certified applicators who are out in the field addressing the pests and weeds. He stated that as this process goes forward, it will be necessary to identify which pests/weeds are present in which parks/facilities. He emphasized the need to be proactive rather than reactive, and that can be accomplished by using a multitude of different methods. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12, 2020 He presented a list of all City parks and their classifications: Athletic Fields, Active Parks, and Passive Parks, and explained the differences. Dr. Cox mentioned the boat ramps and the possible number of items that will need to be identified and addressed. Ms. Haigler stated that that is managed by the Aquatic Preserves Program. If they determine that there is an invasive plant that is entering through boats or could enter through boats, or is becoming a problem, they will determine that and will decide how to address it. It is not in the City's purview. That program is handled by Emily Dark, who is based in Stuart. Methods of controlling pests/weeds were described by Mr. Benton. Ms. Haigler then addressed chemical control. She emphasized it is important to carefully weigh the environmental costs and benefits, then choose the least -toxic option that will do the job. Along with that, accurate record keeping is a must. Ms. Haigler described that the IPM sub -committee meetings will be held every Wednesday for the next six weeks, beginning today. The meetings will be held at the upstairs conference room of City Hall at 3:00 p.m. Official Minutes are being recorded. At the April 8th meeting of City Council this committee will present its completed IPM plan. Mr. Benton encouraged members to present input at the City Council meetings if they have ideas to present, but it is not necessary for them to attend those meetings. Mr. Benton suggested that testing of products can be done at Friendship Park, as all the weeds/pests that exist at the athletic fields are present at Friendship Park, where the impact on the grass/turf would not be as severe. Dr. Cox reviewed the tour of the Barber Street complex and Friendship Park that Mr. Benton conducted for Dr. Cox where he could see what was taking place in both areas. He suggested that it might be useful for all the members to go to those areas and see the conditions for themselves. Dr. Cox brought up the product called W.O.W. He could not find an MSDS sheet on that product. Mr. Benton produced one and stated copies will be sent out to all sub -committee members. He also stated he does not know if this product is permitted to be used near aquatic areas. Ms. Haigler reiterated that this committee is not to address aquatics. That is a different department and different process. Mr. Benton stated that, even though the parks are INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12, 2020 being addressed at present, he is certain the aquatic questions are going to be addressed in the future. For now, this committee is to address the parks and their facilities. Mr. Benton stated that he and his certified applicators applied the products at the test site, and the site has been monitored. Over four months from the time of application there are some weeds popping up, but where the application was done is still visible. The W.O.W. product was applied side -by -side with Roundup. The last time he checked, a couple days ago, there is more greenery showing in the Roundup plot than there is in the W.O.W. plot. ii. Florida State Statutes, Title XXXII, Chapters 482 and 487 Ms. Haigler stated that all chemical products that are applied by the City are required to be labeled as specified per the above statutes. For the protection of the public, the City is prohibited from using any products that are not correctly labeled for use as a pesticide, with accompanying application instructions. There must also be an ingredient statement and, if necessary, a warning or caution statement. The pesticide product label is a binding legal agreement among three parties: The US Environmental Protection Agency, the product registrant, and the product user. The label is the law, and the City's certified applicators must follow the instructions on the labels of all pesticide applications. Mr. O'Neill inquired as to the cost. Mr. Benton said a 55-gallon drum of W.O.W. costs in the range of $2,500.00. He will have to get the numbers for a comparable amount of Roundup. He opined there is not too much difference in the cost of the two. Dr. Cox asked about the role of a citizens' advisory group on the whole process, not just presently, but over an extended period of time. Mr. Benton stated the IPM is going to be a working document. What is presented to City Council in April will need to be revisited from time to time, because new ideas and new products will surface that will need to be considered. It will be the job of this sub -committee to research and study those new products and new ideas. There will not be weekly meetings, but it will be a work in progress. Dr. Cox suggested getting the people involved who use the parks. Mr. Benton stated he will send out invitations to have the user groups of these parks and facilities come to these meetings and City Council meetings to voice their opinions. In that way, the community can get involved. Seeing no members of the public present, Mr. Benton moved on to the next item on the agenda. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12, 2020 B. Summary of the City's pest management program on parks and properties i. Summary of standard pest management activities prior to current moratorium Mr. Benton gave a summary of the products and how and when they are used at the City parks and facilities. These products include Topchoice insecticide, Lesco Crosscheck Plus Multi -Insecticide, Advion Granular Fire Ant Bate, EcoMight W.O.W. Non -Selective Herbicide, Dimension Selective Pre -Emergent Herbicide, Revolver Post -Emergent Selective Herbicide, Q4 Post -Emergent Selective Herbicide, Speedzone Post -Emergent Selective Herbicide, and Mansion. Ms. Haigler further explained the difference between pre -emergent and post -emergent products. Staff members follow the labels for all applications. Best -management practices are followed by all City staff. Each staff member went through the University of Florida IFAS Green Industries best -management practices class last summer, including Ms. Haigler and Mr. Benton. The goal is to achieve preventive maintenance. Ms. Haigler stated the products that will be used will depend on the space needed to cover and what extent the population is at. Right now things are growing up in some areas. It may take one thing to get things under control but a different product to prevent the problem. Mr. Benton stated he has a pesticide report that gives what the active ingredients are, etc., and he will send all the members copies. Mr. Carrano inquired whether there is any artificial turf used by the City. Mr. Benton said there is not. There are facilities in other communities which have artificial turf installed. The major issue with artificial turf here in Florida is how hot it gets in the summer. There are also some concerns about the chemicals that are used in producing artificial turf. Dr. Cox stated he has the MSDS sheets on all the products that Mr. Benton had mentioned. Mr. Benton stated if Mr. Cox would provide them to him, he would see that all the members get copies. ii. Update on current extent of pest populations and related concerns Mr. Benton stated that the Barber Street complex is showing signs of all the pests that are listed in the PowerPoint presentation. There is not a major issue with fire ants only because Topchoice was applied last year around March. There are fire ants at most of INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12, 2020 the City parks. Mole crickets are beginning to be seen at Barber Street. Sod webworms are an issue on the football field. There is also a fungus on the football field. There is crabgrass, dollar weed, etc. on the football field. The baseball fields for the most part are holding up, but the weeds are beginning to come back there. iii. Assign specific pest species to sub -committee members for research. Mr. Benton stated the thought was to assign pests to different members, and those members can do the research, which includes options on turf grass and Bermuda turf. Ms. Haigler suggested the members begin with one pest this week, and then as they have more experience in doing the research, that number can be increased. She added that each method that is put into the IPM plan must be backed by research. It will need to have research cited. She noted that the first place to start would be EDIS. This is the IFAS publication, and that is the University of Florida Extension Office. They have a sheet for every pest, ornamental, and native plan with all the information on one item and treatment methods that have been researched for it and are accepted. Another source is Google Scholar. When this website is accessed and a pest name is entered, it will only return peer -reviewed research. Mr. O'Neill will do the research on fire ants. Mr. Carrano will research mole crickets. Dr. Cox will research sod webworms. Ms. Brothers will research crabgrass. Mr. Carrano asked if there is a big problem with mice. Mr. Benton replied there is right along the riverfront area. Ms. Haigler added, if you have garbage and water, you are going to have mice and rats. Mr. Benton stated the goal is to maintain their population at a certain threshold, as it is very hard to completely rid these areas of mice and rats. Mr. Benton stated the reason Ms. Haigler and he did not take on a pest is because they want to get feedback from the committee. Mr. O'Neill stated he understands there are different kinds of sprayers or applicators. He inquired what type the City has. Mr. Benton stated there was in the budget this year the purchase of a new applicator for spraying and granular. It is a new machine called the Z- Max Z-spray that would assist in controlling the applications more efficiently. However, that purchase has been put on hold because of the moratorium by City Council. That will be addressed going forward. He described the equipment that the City desires to purchase once the decision has been made on extending the moratorium or not. If the go-ahead is given to purchase this machine, Mr. Benton does not foresee that it will take INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 12, 2020 very long to obtain it. He added that any of the products mentioned can be used with this machine. Ms. Haigler added that it must be kept in mind the size of the areas to be treated. Some of the suggestions made at past City Council meetings just would not be practical when talking about the size of the areas that need attention. Mr. Benton stated he will be making this same presentation at the next City Council meeting. VI. Old Business — None VII. Items for Next Agenda A. Each subcommittee member presents IPM research on assigned pests for discussion and adoption into IPM Plan It was decided by all members and staff to meet at the Barber Street complex an hour before next week's meeting, after which they will proceed to Friendship Park in order to see for themselves what the conditions are at those locations. Vill. Adiournment There being no further business, Mr. Benton adjourned the meeting at 4:20 p.m. By:,/ �� Date: 6//1/2010 Brian Benton 19