Birding group split on ban, petition being sent to council

The Tuesday morning birding club can’t agree on whether to ban pesticides or not.

Gathered as they do every week at 9 a.m. at the west end of Bowker Place, they are exclaiming over a rare willet near Willows Beach. Native to California, it’s one of a pair of dirt birds seen around Oak Bay waters the past few weeks. But activities like this might be curtailed if there were fewer birds to watch, a situation some members worry might happen if pesticide use continues in the municipality.

Of the 30-plus birders at the beach, about a third have signed or say they will sign a petition to Oak Bay council asking that the use of cosmetic pesticides be banned.

Lawns and gardens don’t need pesticides, said Oak Bay resident Tom Lane, who drafted the petition. “Cattle Point is a very rich place for birds and you almost invariably see small birds on the grass.”

“What do you think their reaction is to lawns with pesticides? It’s likely to kill them in the end,” he said.

But the birders’ leader, Bill Dancer, disagrees. More interested in noting that he’s spotted 33 birds this morning, he adds that a total ban on pesticides is not necessary. “A ban is great if you want a yard full of weeds,” he said.

Tara Ney encounters this debate all the time. As an Oak Bay councillor she pushed this year to introduce a ban on pesticides. But Oak Bay’s parks and recreation commission has stalled the process, even though Victoria and Esquimalt have bans in place and Saanich is discussing the topic.

“My sense is that most people would rather live in a chemical-free world if we’re able to,” Ney said.

“There are alternatives to using pesticides to get rid of weeds. We just need a shift in thinking in how we respond and relate to our environment.”

Her request was stalled last spring when Oak Bay parks and recreation commission said it wanted to study the issue and see what kind of bylaw Saanich drafts.

Ney wonders why Oak Bay has to consider Saanich’s strategy. “Saanich is more complicated, with farms and agriculture. Oak Bay is much more straightforward. Why are we waiting for Saanich? We should be taking our lead from Victoria and Esquimalt, communities similar in makeup to Oak Bay.”

Back at Willows Beach, Gordon Head resident Margie Shepherd said she hasn’t yet signed the petition, but plans to. Pesticide ban doubters should read Silence of the Songbirds by Bridget Stutchbury, she said.

“You will never touch a non-organic banana again or ever let pesticides touch your own garden.”

vmoreau@saanichnews.com