New Rules, New Look for Campus Grounds

Grounds manager George Van Keulen talks about the new
wood chips that were spread on the beds over the summer.

LBCC student and part-time grounds crew Andrew Larson
lays wood chips in the beds by Calapooia Center.

LBCC grounds maintenance is in transition - to become as organic as possible.

This past summer, grounds manager George Van Keulen has been busy figuring out how to take care of the 104-acre Albany campus, the Benton Center campus and the horse center grounds with a staff of two full-time people, himself and fellow grounds employee Mick Clark.

And he has to do it all while keeping in mind the new legislative policy, Senate Bill 637, which took affect July 1 and applies both indoors and outdoors on public campuses.

The new Integrated Pest Management legislation, or IPM, requires the following: excludes the application of pesticides on a routine schedule for purely preventive purposes, other than applications of pesticides designed to attract or be consumed by pests; excludes the application of pesticides for purely aesthetic purposes; provides for a proactive strategy that focuses on the long-term prevention or suppression of pest problems through economically sound measures.

The bill also states that all Oregon public schools have an IPM in place that includes ways to reduce pesticide use and considers human health and ecological impact along with feasibility and cost effectiveness.

LBCC has always had an IPM in place, says George, but the new rules have required the plan to be much more specific.

“LBCC is in transition to becoming organic in its methods for controlling weeds, fungus and insects,” said George. “My philosophy has always been not to spray for insects unless absolutely necessary, because you kill the good insects along with the bad.”

Conventional methods include applying fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides to keep lawns green and kill the weeds and bugs, says George.

With LBCC's new IPM, grounds staff will be checking the health of the soils regularly, then will apply organic fertilizers, lime or sulfur as needed, and only spray for insects in certain high-traffic areas.

“In areas where we find clover that is in places that people use, such as the sports fields, and where there’s the potential that someone might get a bee sting, we will continue to spray,” said George.

The difference with the new IPM, says George, is grounds staff are required to notify campus 24-hours in advance of spraying, and set up notification signs in the area being sprayed. Records must be kept of what was used, when and how much.

To help mitigate the need to spray for weeds, over the summer George had 400 yards of wood chips delivered to campus, which were then spread on the bed areas in front of the buildings and on the parking lot berms. The blonde-colored chips were applied in thick layers to help keep weed seeds from germinating.

Another change to note is the areas around the lampposts, the corners around parking lot entrances, and walkway areas in the parking lots. These areas are being covered with paver stones, which will help keep weeds down and make mowing around posts easier.

In some places, like parking lot berms, grounds will spray weeds when needed to mitigate fire danger.

“It’s an investment of time and money now, but it will pay off later in time spent maintaining these areas,” said George.

How can you help? Don’t allow food in the classrooms. Food left behind, even crumbs, attracts critters, ants and pests which often requires pesticide use. Pick up litter when you see it. Oh, and don't walk by that weed, reach down and pull it.