Hi all:
For some reason, I got an e-mail from Mr. Chance off-list, instead of from Tony
West, who had made the initial offer to fill people in on the details of the
application of Roundup in Clark Park. Members of the listserv can decide for
themselves whether they are satisfied with Mr. Chance's account of Roundup's
safety, and of when and in what quantities it is used in the park. I suspect
that neither he nor Tony know the facts about its application and that to learn
them, one would have to go to Parks and Rec, or UCD, or this newly-formed Clark
Park oversight organization, or whoever the heck is responsible for the park at
this point.
I made no inquiries about Mr. Moyer, so I am really at a loss as to why
referencing him represented half of Mr. Chance's reply.
Mary
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank L. Chance <chanc...@sas.upenn.edu>
To: mcgettig <mcget...@aol.com>
Cc: Brian Siano <briansi...@gmail.com>; Glenn Moyer <glen...@earthlink.net>;
Tony West <anthony.abbott.w...@gmail.com>; Ed Halligan <edwardhalli...@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, Jun 10, 2011 11:45 am
Subject: Roundup in Clark Park
Dear Mary--
First off, let me apologize for not posting to the email list. I am not a
member of that list, but if you wish to forward this to the list please feel
free to do so.
Roundup is a chemical herbicide which is not harmful to mammals, including
humans. It is used by many gardeners and landscapers as a means of removing
undesirable plant material. If used responsibly, it is not harmful to existing
plants, and if used in appropriate quantities and concentrations it does not
result in chemical runoff or environmental damage.
Generally speaking, landscape maintenance crews in Clark Park do not use
Roundup on a regular basis. During the recent revitalization, it was used in
the closed-off section of the park, in limited quantities, to prepare the soil
for new plantings of such beneficial plants as grass, shrubs, and flowers. The
alternative would be very expensive--your city does not have the resources to
pay workers to hand-weed the whole of Clark Park. There was no opportunity for
(legal) contact between the general public and the herbicide, and it was a 2%
concentration, the kind available over the counter of your local hardware
store. (This is important because much of the web chatter about Roundup misuse
is actually about the agribusiness use of concentrations as high as 40%.)
Moreover, Mr. Moyer greatly exaggerates in his posts in many ways. He is wrong
about the quantity of Roundup used on this occasion--it was not "gallons" pr
"barrels" of the chemical, butt a reasonable and proper amount. Secondly, when
organic fertilizers have been applied to Clark Park in the past he has claimed
that they were Roundup or other herbicides--a claim which is simply false. So
despite his claims there is no "decades-long history" of Roundup application to
the park, and certainly no history of "dumping" of this or any other chemical
in Clark Park. Third, Roundup is not even classed as a toxic chemical--it is a
herbicide that is toxic only to broad-leaved plants, not to human beings or our
mammalian pets. Fourth, the Friends of Clark Park have never applied any
chemicals to the park--they have been applied by contractors hired by the
owners of the Park (the City of Philadelphia) or by the University City
District through their agreements with the City of Philadelphia.
In general, Mr. Moyer has an eccentric view of the importance of the Friends of
Clark Park in the maintenance of Clark Park. The park is owned and operated by
the City of Philadelphia under the auspices of the Parks & Recreation
Commission. All construction projects in the park, even the planting of a
single tree, need specific permission of Parks & Rec. Any acquisition or
de-acquisition of land for Clark Park (or any city park) requires legislation
by City Council. All large events in the Park must get permits from Parks &
Rec, a process in which FoCP has some advisory input, through which we attempt
to communicate the will of the community to the City officials. As you can
imagine, however, the will of the community is rarely clear--some people want
more concerts, some want fewer; some neighbors hate flea markets, some love
flea markets; some of us enjoy wide expanses of well-groomed grass, others want
to play in meadows of wildflowers or dance in the shade of trees. In the end,
FoCP spends more time reporting issues to the city--a fallen limb, a dead tree,
a broken swing in the playground--than it does advocating for or against any
given event proposed for Clark Park. Mr. Moyer has chosen not to be a
participant in FoCP, so of course he is not very well informed on the actual
activities of the group.
While I do not claim to be a horticulturalist, a biochemist, or even an expert
in this field, I hope this information is useful to you. Please feel free to
contact me at chanc...@gmail.com if you would like more information. Better
yet, please visit our web site and become a member of the Friends at
www.friendsofclarkpark.org.
Please join us in the celebration of the re-opening of the northen section of
Clark Park this coming Thursday, June 16, from approximately 4 PM at the new
Central Plaza.
Frank L. Chance, Past President
Friends of Clark Park
Po Box 31908, Philadelphia PA 19104
http://www.friendsofclarkpark.org
chanc...@gmail.com
