correction: meant to say that the hedge was trimmed, but the poison ivy was NOT eradicated...

Thanks for reporting this. I'm working on getting this removed.

Justin Elicker
justin.elicker@gmail.com
Ward 10 Alderman

Thanks Justin!

Department of Public Works assigned this issue to LCI Citywide Helper

LCI will investigate

Thanks LCI. I just got off the phone with Carmen Mendez (who is great!) from LCI and she'll be reaching out to the property owner today.

Justin Elicker
justin.elicker@gmail.com
Ward 10 Alderman

Don't thank LCI. I sprayed the poison ivy with a mega[death] dose of Roundup and cut and sprayed the small tree that was growing out of the hedge and over the sidewalk. As you can see, from the chronology below, LCI was contacted two months ago. Was there any action? No. Poison ivy can grow several feet (at least) in two months.

Not so fast! Who's going to remove the toxic Roundup from the air, water, soil, food? Roundup causes cell death such as is found in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. Trust me, Parkinson's makes poison ivy look like a walk in the park. Read more: http://www.infowars.com/roundup-herbicide-linked-to-parkinsons-related-brain-damage/

Is there another good way to kill the poison ivy? This is a recurrent issue, happening every year, and the poison ivy vine has reached a 6ft height where it can now gently brush a bald passerby's head. Mmm, poison ivy on your head. I also feel badly for the person who is hired to trim this bush as it would potentially infect the trimmer as well.

The least toxic way to remove poison ivy is to find someone, who is not allergic to poison ivy, who will remove the plant, from the root (sounds like that could be a small business...).
I would rather not use any herbicide, but that seemed like the best choice in this circumstance.

Well, I just learned that Yale hosted the 30th National Pesticide Forum in March 2012. It was called Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments. There may even be videos online by now! Here are some of the organizations that were involved:

Beyond Pesticides
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
Watershed Partnership, Inc.
Audubon Connecticut
Citizens Campaign for the Environment
Common Ground
Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA)
Ecological Health Association, Inc.
Grassroots Environmental Education
Rivers Alliance of Connecticut
Safelawns.org
Sierra Club-Connecticut Chapter
Toxics Action Center
Yale Student Environmental Coalition

Also, the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, has an article up about poison ivy: http://www.pesticide.org/solutions/phase-2-solutions-for-consumers/poison-oak-and-ivy

Another thought is to speak with some of the longtime gardeners at New Haven's thriving community gardens.

Meanwhile, I'd keep the neighborhood's toddlers away from that hedge; pesticides have been shown to lower IQ by an average of 7 points. Yikes!

That's all I've got for now, but hey, it's a place to begin.

Here is link to the 30th National Pesticide Forum videos that I mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=beyond+pesticides+forum+2012&oq=beyond+pesticides+forum+2012&gs_l=youtube.3...11309.13756.0.15116.6.6.0.0.0.0.69.373.6.6.0...0.0...1ac.1XGrqTk7x3s

Pesticides 101. Caroline Cox, Center for Environmental Health; Bill Duesing, CT Northeast Organic Farming Association; Nelson Carrasquillo, CATA.
Keynote: Essential Lessons from Pesticide History. John Wargo, PhD, Yale University.
Health and Science Panel.
Part 1: Children's Health. Routt Reigart, MD, Medical University of South Carolina.
Part 2: Federal School IPM. Andrea Kidd Taylor, DrPH, Morgan State University School of Public Health.
Part 3: Breast Cancer. Julia Brody, PhD, Silent Spring Institute.
Part 4: Antibacterial Triclosan. Allison Aiello, PhD, University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Part 5: Neonicotinoid Pesticides and Bees (Forum video not available, watch similar lecture). Christian Krupke, PhD, Purdue University.
Part 6: Discussion. Facilitated by Caroline Cox, Center for Environmental Health.
Pesticides and Federal Policy. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Working Effectively with EPA. Curt Spalding, EPA New England Regional Administrator.
Poisoning of the Bees. David Hackenberg, Beekeeper to first discover CCD.
Organic Lawns and Landscapes Panel.
Part 1: Pesticide Mixtures & Health. Warren Porter, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Part 2: Organic Is Possible. Chip Osborne, Osborne Organics.
Part 3: National Park Pilot Project. Carol DiSalvo, National Park Service.
Part 4: Organizing for Success. Patti Wood, Grassroots Environmental Education.
Part 5: Connecticut Policies. Nancy Alderman, Environment and Human Health, Inc.
Organic Food Security. Martha Page, Hartford Food System.
Keynote: Inventing the Future of Food. Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Farms.

I like the goat idea - anyone know someone who keeps goats?

Yes, you are right that the hedge was trimmed but the poison ivy not eradicated. It's tough to get rid of and I agree that the best way to get rid of it is to pull it out. I'll reach out to our LCI rep Carmen again and we'll work with the property owner to get this taken care of.

Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com

Put the goats back in Goatville! LOL
Thanks, J.

Thanks Justin!

If it returns in the spring we can reopen, but it's gone for now.