Explanation:

Naturally Stoughton is a group of concerned citizens who would like to see the city develop creative and sustainable solutions for park maintenance as alternatives to herbicide use. 

We believe that the decision to use herbicides in public parks is a public health and environmental issue, and the cost to public and environmental health needs to be taken into consideration. We also believe citizen input is vital in the decision process. Many people do not want to have these chemicals sprayed where children and pets play and would be disenfranchised by blanket spraying of the parks. There are many alternatives to blanket spraying: spot-treatments for weeds, biologic build up of natural ecosystems to promote healthy soil with specialized compost applications and aeration, over-seeding of grass and proper mowing practices. Several other local communities are making efforts to transition toward organic/biologic methods, and many do not spray all of their parks. The city could work with the school district, citizen groups, FFA, booster clubs, athletic clubs, and scout troops to pool resources, provide community service and stage fund-raising efforts to get the help they need with labor, machinery and supply costs. Finally the city could also consider alternatives to grass that would increase the beauty and utility of the parks, such as community gardens, urban fruit tree gardens and edible landscapes, prairie and no mow areas with pathways. If the city blanket sprays herbicides this year, what will they do next year and the year after that to combat weeds? Let's work together to create healthy and beautiful parks that we can all feel good about and be proud of. Chemical maintenance is not the only answer!

Natually Stoughton citizen group