Pesticide-Free Parks—Safe for Kids and 4-Legged Companions

By Michael Wade

What strange smells propel our faithful 4-legged friends along the paths we walk? There are many we don’t even know are there, among them the sweet odors of pesticides and herbicides. While not usually harmful after they have been applied and dried, when encountered in an active state these substances are linked to a variety of ailments in dogs and should be avoided.

Better yet, don’t use pesticides at all. That is the objective of a contingent of Portlanders in several pesticide-free parks in the city. The Pesticide-Free Parks program, begun several years ago, officially covers five parks. At these parks, under an agreement with the city, citizens weed and mulch for a couple of hours each month to make application of pesticides and herbicides unnecessary. If you walk your dog in Sewallcrest, Lair Hill, Arbor Lodge, Midland, or Hillside parks, your dog is pesticide free (at least while in the park).

The Pesticide-Free Parks volunteers are always looking for help and to expand their reach into other parks. If you would like to connect with them, write to [email protected] or to Steve Pixley of the City of Portland’s Volunteer Services at [email protected].

Come on out, meet some great people, and help them make your park Pesticide Free!

Emergency Preparedness Committee and NET Need Stuff

By Lee Greer, SNA Emergency Preparedness Committee Co-Chair

This month, instead of a preparedness tip, we have a request. The SNA Emergency Preparedness Committee, together with the Sunnyside Neighborhood Emergency Team, now has a space to store supplies and equipment to use to help our neighbors in an emergency. Now we need supplies and equipment to put in it. Before we look for monetary donations or other funding sources, we are asking Sunnyside residents what kinds of things you can share with us.

Here are some of the things we can use:

  • Bungee cords to secure the lids of totes that have already been donate
  • Storage shelves
  • First aid supplies (Do you have some bandaging material or other supplies left over from a past surgery or illness?)
  • Clean 5-gallon buckets and lids for them (these are good for many things, including hauling water and use as toilets)
  • Things with wheels that we can use to move things to the staging area: (hand trucks, dollies, garden carts)
  • Water containers of a size easy to move when filled
  • Hand tools, especially pry bars
  • Tarps
  • A canopy
  • A large tent
  • Clipboards
  • Nylon cord or rope
  • And, of course, that all-purpose essential, duct tape (masking tape, too)

Check your garage or basement to see if you have anything you’re not using that you think we might use. If you’re not sure, check with us. You can bring things to a meeting. SNA next meets on November 14 at 7 p.m. at Southeast Uplift, 3534 SE Main Street. The Emergency Preparedness Committee meets on November 18 at 7 p.m. at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer in the deli seating area. Or fill out the form below and we’ll arrange a drop-off or pick-up. Thanks!

Go back

Your message has been sent