Missoula residents raise questions about pesticides in public spaces

Missoula, Mont. — Questions about pesticide use in public spaces were getting more attention in Missoula as people looked more closely at how shared areas were maintained and what products were being used.

Rain could do more than soak into the ground. It could also move whatever was already on it, which added to a growing conversation about pesticide use in places people passed through every day.

From parks to playing fields, shared spaces drew more attention as people weighed how those areas were cared for and whether some products could be harmful.

Alison Reintjes, director of Grow Safe: Non-Toxic Missoula, explained that pesticide was a broad term that covered several kinds of products.

“Pesticide is an umbrella term, which means it includes everything from insecticides to fungicides to rodenticides to herbicides. And herbicides are the most widely used pesticides around the world and most likely here in Missoula as well,” said Alison Reintjes.

“Many herbicides are highly toxic, not just to the plants they're intended to kill, but also to you and me and to the entire ecosystem. Everything from the water to the soil, microorganisms, to all the living creatures from insects on, on up the food chain,” she said.

Supporters of pesticide use said those products helped manage weeds and pests efficiently. Advocates for alternatives said they wanted more awareness about how and where those products were applied in the community.

As that discussion continued in Missoula, it was bringing more focus to how public spaces were cared for and what options communities might want to consider moving forward.