When spring arrives, Pleasant Valley Park in Bernards Township will be a green suburban oasis, with a playground and walking trails; baseball fields and picnic pavilion; acres of lawns and a fish-stocked pond.

This year, township officials said, the goal is to keep the park and others in Bernards green without chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Bernards Township last week joined a growing list of New Jersey towns to announce it is going “pesticide-free,” by eliminating the use of chemical pesticides in parks and using them minimally on other township land.

Part of a statewide effort spearheaded by the New Jersey Environmental Federation, the change is intended to reduce pesticides’ impact on the environment and the public.

“We feel that from a health standpoint, it would be better off for our residents,” said Bernards Mayor Carolyn Kelly. The township in December adopted an “integrated pest management” policy that calls for things like manual weeding; aerating soil; and letting grass grow taller as a way to maintain grounds.

The change was formally announced last month at Pleasant Valley Park, where a “pesticide-free zone” sign was installed.

“We should take the lead by showing private homeowners that a town can do away with chemicals on the lawn and still have beautiful parks and recreation areas,” Kelly said.

The New Jersey Environmental Federation several years ago began encouraging local governments to stop the use of chemical pesticides, which include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides. Some 26 towns from Clifton to Raritan Township have done so, along with two counties and one school district, according to Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator for the federation.

The idea is to “reduce toxic exposure to public health and our waterways,” said Nogaki, who said that about 4 million pounds of pesticides are applied each year in New Jersey, about half of that for lawn care by homeowners, commercial applicators and others. The chemicals break down and cause increased risk of cancer, asthma, learning disabilities and other ailments, especially in children, she said.

Pesticide-free park maintenance may mean added costs. In Raritan Township, where Mine Brook Park and Morales Nature Park are to be maintained without pesticides, it will mean more weed-whacking.

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