Tam Valley boy puts brakes on spraying at Eastwood Park

Mark Prado, Marin IJ

say no to pesticides: Albie Brown, 11 - with his friends and dog, Rusty, at Eastwood Park in Tam Valley - helped stop the spraying of Roundup to kill weeds at the park.

An 11-year-old Tamalpais Valley boy has almost single-handedly halted chemical spraying on a half-acre section of park where he plays sports and walks his dog.
Albie Brown, a sixth-grader at Marin Country Day School, his mother and about 15 others who gathered in Eastwood Park in Tam Valley early Monday heard the news they hoped for: Roundup will not be used to clear weeds for a new field.
"Yeah, I was surprised that they didn't use it; it kind of seemed hopeless," Albie said after getting home from school Monday. "I didn't like the idea of them using pesticides. I didn't want anyone getting sick."
Last week, Albie noticed signs posted in the park of plans to spray Roundup as part of a $500,000 project for a new field, trails, picnic tables and restrooms set to open in June.
The field has divots and is pocked with weeds, and the Tamalpais Community Services District hired a contractor to spray the chemical to get rid of the weeds before the new field is put in.
Albie researched the chemical and was concerned it could make people ill or get washed into creeks during rains and affect fish.
He then wrote letters to the editor of local papers, including the Independent Journal, voicing concern, and his mother contacted neighbors and Marin's Pesticide Free Zone Campaign. Word spread over the weekend and got to the Tamalpais Community Services District board, which agreed to halt the spraying.
"He deserves a lot of credit," said John Elam, general manager of the district.
Elam met with Albie and his supporters Monday morning in a light rain at the park to tell them there would be no spraying.
"He has a lot of energy and is a positive kid," Elam said. "He called us on it and we could not defend the use of Roundup."
The district will now use a rototiller to rip out the weeds, Elam said.
"I'm proud of him," said Jan Waldman, Albie's mother. "These kids grow up with environmental education and we see that it has an impact and pays off."

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