CLIMATE ACTION SUBCOMMITTEE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTEGRATED
PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY
October 4, 2023
1 Sean McNeil and Jen Santos
City of Santa Rosa
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
• The goal is to develop a City-Wide Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) Strategy
• This plan will provide guidance to staff and contractors working for the City to ensure landscapes are designed and maintained in a manner that reduces the need for fossil fuel powered equipment, herbicides, insecticides, and other
anthropomorphic inputs that have an ability to exacerbate climate change.
2 RELATIONSHIP TO
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
• Integrated Pest Management is a programmatic approach to protecting human health and the environment.
• Healthy vibrant landscapes are greater carbon sinks and help provide relief from heat island effects in the urban
environment.
3 OUTLINE
• Definition of IPM
• History of IPM in the City
• IPM Requirements
• Types of Landscapes Managed
• Discussion of desired IPM Policies
4 DEFINITION OF IPM
• Integrated pest management is a process to address pests • Goal of IPM is to minimize risks to people and the environment • Pests are unwanted fungus, plants, or animals
• Practices include biological control, habitat manipulation, cultural practices, pest resistant varieties
• Pesticides used only after evaluation according to established guidelines • Pest controls applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health and the environment
5 IPM IN THE CITY
There are two main efforts that guide the City’s direction with regards to pests:
• Parks Department has an IPM Departmental Policy
• Water Department has taken a Russian River Landscape
Friendly approach to developing guidelines for the
Landscape contract that maintains Santa Rosa Water
owned properties
6 PARKS DEPARTMENT IPM POLICY
• Policy is written for Parks staff and contractors working on properties managed by staff
• Solely an IPM policy developed with guidelines from the UC Agricultural Extension Office
• Excellent policy for pest management activities
• Only applies to the Parks Department and its
contractors
7 SANTA ROSA WATER
LANDSCAPER GUIDANCE
8 • Developed an RFP for landscape
services based on Russian River
Landscape Guidelines
• Wholistic approach to landscape
management
• Has IPM as a component as well as
reduced organic waste, support onsite
composting and other activities to
mimic natural processes
CITY REQUIREMENTS FOR AN
IPM POLICY
• The City’s Storm Water Permit requires that
the City have an IPM policy
• Prohibit use of Diazinon
• Report the use of all pesticides by city staff
and contractors in the Stormwater Annual
Report
9 TYPES OF LANDSCAPES
MANAGED BY THE CITY
• Parks: Ball fields, playgrounds, storm water features, naturalized areas, ponds and lakes, levees
• Roadsides and medians
• Wildlands/natural areas
• City owned institutional landscapes
• City owned farms
10 BALL FIELDS AND PLAYGROUNDS
Community feedback:
• Weed free infields
• Resilient fields
• No ground dwelling rodents in turf fields
• Minimal use of pesticides
11 NATURALIZED AREAS
Community feedback:
• Ability to walk on trails
• Protection from wildfire
• Native plant protections 12
PONDS AND LEVEES
Community feedback:
• Minimal invasive pond weeds
• Safe well-maintained levees
• DSOD requirements 13
ROADSIDES AND MEDIANS
Community feedback:
• Clean and healthy landscape/weed free
hardscape
14 CITY -OWNED FARMS
Community feedback:
• Ability to raise crops free of weed seeds
• Places for ecological restoration
15 CITY -OWNED INSTITUTIONAL
LANDSCAPES
Community feedback:
• Aesthetically pleasing landscapes
• Places for community gathering
16 REQUESTED FEEDBACK
• What elements are most important to be included in a
City-wide IPM policy?
• How should operational impacts be considered?
NEXT STEPS
• Take feedback from this discussion and draft
a city-wide IPM policy
• Bring draft policy back to the Climate Action
Subcommittee for recommendation to City
Council
• City Council considers adoption of a City-
Wide IPM policy
• Add IPM policy into all contract bid
documents and Departmental procedures
18 DISCUSSION & QUESTIONS
Sean McNeil, Santa Rosa Water
[email protected]
Jen Santos, Parks and Recreation
[email protected]
Paul Lowenthal, Fire Department
[email protected]
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