Council Appointee Sub-Committee — Portland, ME
Date: 2019-08-06
Time: 18:30

City of Portland
 Pesticide Management Advisory Committee

 City Hall
 Room 24
 6:30 PM

1. Welcome and Check In
2. Review and approve minutes from June 4
 a. Minutes from June 4
3. Reports and Updates
4. Discus future meeting agendas
 a. Invasive Plants
5. Educational Discussion: Soil Biology
6. Next Meeting: DATE
7. Adjournment

City of Portland
 Pesticide Management Advisory Committee

 City Hall
 Room 24
 6:30 PM

1. Welcome and Check In
2. Review and approve minutes from June 4
 a. Minutes from June 4
3. Reports and Updates
4. Discus future meeting agendas
 a. Invasive Plants
5. Educational Discussion: Soil Biology
6. Next Meeting: DATE
7. Adjournment
 CITY OF PORTLAND, MAINE
 Pesticide Management Advisory Committee



 Draft Minutes June 4, 2019

Members Present:​ Avery Kamilla, Karen Snyder,
Staff Present​:​ Troy Moon, Ashley Krulik

Meeting was called to order at 6:44 PM by Troy Moon.

Welcome and introductions ​- information sharing among the group
  ● Troy - update on legislation in Augusta, solar, bags, foam
  ● Avery - City budget included position for maintenance to implement organic fields, has
 gotten calls from residents in other communities who would like an ordinance.
  ● Karen - three new bee packages in hives, so far so good.
  ● Priscila - working on the Global VoC issue.

Review and approve minutes from May 7, 2019
 ● Avery moved to accept, Karen seconded, all in favor 7-0.

Brown Tail Moth Treatment
Ask Jeff if there are BTM issues elsewhere
All agree that Parks Department approached the problem very well. Would like to hear the
analysis of how successful it was.

Report on contacts with members of the public regarding the ordinance
 ● Can we do training for retail staff?
 ● Troy to follow up with CCSWCD to see if they have sent material to Maine Hardware
 ● Troy had calls from applicators about fire ants
 ● All agree the brochures look great

Defer discussion of soil health until a later date

Discussed that committee members could work with retailers what resources they could use.
Karen and Avery to begin working. Will check in with Maine Hardware.

Future meeting: will poll people

Adjourn 7:55
 ○
Invasive Plant Discussion with Nancy Olmstead
Maine Department of Agriculture



Here is a brief bio:
Nancy Olmstead is an Invasive Plant Biologist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and
Forestry. Nancy coordinates the iMapInvasives online mapping program, conducts outreach to raise
awareness about invasive plants, documents invasive plant infestations, makes recommendations for
invasive plant management, and helps manage invasive plants on state of Maine lands. She has
previously worked for Maine Audubon, Bowdoin College, and The Maine Chapter of the Nature
Conservancy. Nancy received her BA in Biology from Cornell University and her MS in Plant Biology from
the University of Vermont.



Discussion

Plants Out of Place: Invasive Plant Ecology and Management

Invasive plants can displace native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, change soil ecology, reduce the
abundance of food for beneficial insects, degrade or eliminate wildlife habitat, create thickets which favor
disease-carrying ticks, and cause injury due to thorns and skin toxins. These aggressive plants can also
be a safety hazard along roadways, and crowd and overgrow trails and recreational areas. Nancy
Olmstead, invasive plant biologist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry,
will discuss the top invasive plants, why they are so harmful, and what can be done about them.

CITY OF PORTLAND, MAINE
 Pesticide Management Advisory Committee



 Minutes August 6, 2019

Members Present:​ Avery Kamilla, Karen Snyder, Jesse O’Brien, Tim Lindsey, Priscilla Skerry,
Carol Laboissonniere
Staff Present​:​ Troy Moon, Ashley Krulik

Meeting was called to order at 6:32 PM by Jesse O’Brien.

Welcome and introductions ​- information sharing among the group
  ● Jesse - shared ​Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast
  ● Priscilla - talked to Maine Audubon about putting brochures in store
  ● Karen - Maine Hardware frustrated by CCSWCD educational efforts, would like further
 education on alternative land care practices, Karen created one-sheet and will send file
 to Troy/Ashley to review
  ● Avery - pollinator populations are looking good

Review and approve minutes from June 4, 2019
 ● Add missing PMAC members who were in attendance. Tim moved to accept, Carol
 seconded, all in favor 7-0.

Reports and Updates
 ● Cushings Island Conservation Corporation waiver request, 1-1 rejected, filed appeal,
 Lena Geraghty is appeals officer and is reviewing application now
 ○ OK to grant 7 year waiver if approved?
 ○ Avery - felt application was incomplete and answers from CICC during hearing
 were unclear
 ○ Troy - feels that application was sufficient
 ○ Jesse -
 ■ Unlicensed people can apply pesticides on conservation land but area
 needs to be closed 7 days after application
 ■ Containers must be triple rinsed before being thrown out
 ■ Leftover material must be used up on labeled uses or disposed as
 hazardous waste
 ■ Need to monitor process to ensure that CICC is informed on proper
 application and clean-up
 ○ Tim -
 ■ Moving forward, can we require applicators to read guide book and make
 sure they read the label
 ■ Would you (Troy) have approved this waiver if it wasn’t a conservation
 organization requesting it? Troy - yes, based on background, level of
 knowledge, experience with the land.
 ○ Troy - if we make any amendments to the ordinance, recommend adding a third
 person to the waiver committee
 ○ Carol - important to preserve ecosystem that invasives can destroy

 ● Performing outreach (sending letters) to residents who may have applied pesticides
 ○ Keep a log of letters sent
 ○ Many cases have been applications for carpenter ants which is exempt
 ● Jeff Tarling - City may be getting a steam weed killer - follow up to learn more
 ● South Portland Art in the Park event - conducting survey about ordinance
 ○ Jesse working with Fred Dillon on survey
 ○ See if South Portland would be open to including Portland ordinance in survey

Discuss Future Meeting Agendas
 ● September 12 - invite Nancy Olmstead, Maine state biologist
 ○ Invite South Portland and Falmouth PMACs
 ○ Will be beneficial to learn about treatments for invasive species
 ○ Important to also hear from experts in organic land care in the future
 ○ Avery - expects that we will receive some pushback from the public on invasive
 species exemption within ordinance
 ● Bring in someone to speak about how to find a balance with invasive species
 management
 ● October - Browntail moth - Jesse to reach out to UMaine to find a speaker
 ● Ticks and mosquitos

Educational Discussion: Jesse presented on Soil Biology

Next Meeting: September 12, 6pm

Adjourn 8:04