The county's Department of Recreation and Parks will limit the use of neonicotinoids — a class of chemicals linked to the steep decline of bees and other pollinators — on county parkland, joining a rare crop of jurisdictions in the country that have adopted similar policies.
The move comes as Maryland becomes the first state in the country to ban certain consumers from using neonics, the chemical found in some pesticides. The state bill, which passed with a 98-39 vote in the House of Delegates, will go into effect in 2018, but does not apply to farmers, veterinarians and certified pesticide appliers.
The county's ban "goes one step further" than the statewide policy by restricting the chemical's use on certain county-owned properties, said Meagan Braganca, legislative chair of the Sierra Club for Howard County.
Last year, Maryland lost more than 60 percent of its bee hives as commercial beekeepers — of which there are more than 1,800 statewide — tell a similar storyline across the country: dying bees and less honey.
Jason Ellis, president of the county's beekeepers association, said people often remark about the disappearance of bees and butterflies in the county.
Ellis, 39, began beekeeping as a hobby in his backyard after listening to a presentation about the association at the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum in West Friendship. Now, Ellis is president of the club and is entering his fifth year of tending to six of his colonies at his home in Sykesville.
"Our main goal is to promote honey beekeeping within the county. The more people that we can get to become beekeepers and stewards of beekeeping, the better off pollinators are in general," said Ellis. "We need everything we can get to help these honeybees."
A mounting body of evidence suggests neonics harm pollinator species by jolting insects' central nervous system. In its first major study of the chemical in January, the Environmental Protection Agency found the chemical can harm pollinators when it's lathered on certain crops.
Although the ban applies to all county parkland, the policy carves some exceptions that exist simply to "leave some tools in the toolbox just in case," said Dan McNamara, superintendent of natural and historic releases for the department. "We've always had a really restricted policy and never used [neonics] in large quantities. This policy is our way of at least putting a stamp in the form of a formalized policy to say this is what we stand for."
With permission from the department's director, the county can use the chemical if an alternative pesticide isn't effective in controlling pests, if the parkland is under agricultural lease or if the chemical is essential to control future infestation of invasive pests.
Last year, the Columbia Association began a temporary ban on neonics as scientists research whether the chemical is responsible for the declining population of pollinators, according to Nick Mooneyhan, the association's director of golf maintenance. In October, Montgomery County became the country's first major locality to ban cosmetic pesticides — including neonics —on private lawns.
Braganca said the Sierra Club and County Council Chairman Calvin Ball began a grassroots push for the pesticide restriction in July. The Kittleman administration met with environmental advocates in the fall last year and incorporated feedback from the Recreation and Parks Board, the Howard County Bird Club and other entities.
"Howard and Montgomery County are leading the way for other counties in our state for safer pest management and protection of pollinators," said Ruth Berlin, executive director of the Maryland Pesticide Education Network, an advocacy organization that pushed for the statewide restriction. "Thankfully there are safer alternatives to neonics for pest problems, as proven by organic lawn care companies as well as organic farmers, negating need for their use."
Calling the policy "practical," Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said he hopes the new policy "will encourage the entire community to use alternative means to control pests."
Ball said the ban is a reminder that the county remains "a champion for our environment and a dedicated advocate for all wildlife."