Community Members Voice Their Concerns Over Pesticide in Public Areas

The Cass Clay Food Commision held the monthly meeting where they discussed ways to inform the public. on pesticide use.

FARGO, N.D.- “I’ve been out riding my bike through Lindenwood Park, and gotten caught in a cloud of chemicals cause you can see off in the distance they’re spraying,” Julie Brumund says.

She came to the Cass Clay food commission meeting to voice her concerns about the use of pesticide in public places.

“We don’t have anything that necessarily says hey, we’re spraying this chemical or that chemical. So, there’s no warning and you’re riding to it or you’re walking to it. Maybe you’re with your kids and now you’re breathing in those chemicals. And I can’t see how that can be good for my health,” she says.

Brummund says she would like to see a more environmental approach to reduce pesticide use.

“I’d like to see more pollinator, pollinator lawns, that are using less chemicals, less resources to grow, less mowing, less gas,” Brumund says.

Although she says it’s all one step at a time, she was pleasantly surprised by the willingness of the Cass Weed Control to work with the public.

“He seems very knowledgeable and very cooperative to make sure that he’s controlling as much as he can to avoid causing negative impacts to anyone who is in the area surrounding where he’s doing what he feels he needs to do, to do his job,” she adds.

The commission has been working to compile a document with information on the use of pesticide and other chemicals.

“Reaching out to each jurisdiction. Cass, Clay, Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo, Dillworth and Horace. So, to the local jurisdiction, asking their weed control individuals what is happening, where and when. We just want to put an informational document together, to notify citizens, so that they know,” says Blueprint Writer, Cass Clay Food Partners Whitney Oxendahl.

They say before this meeting, there was not a place where people could easily go to find all the information.