In a move designed to please even the most finnicky of deer, the Washington State Department of Transportation began a pilot program designed to reduce the amount of herbicides used on roadways.

Native plants and grasses will occupy the sides of the roads known for unsightly brown grass and roadkill. Last week, crews cleared a patch of road and laid down a fresh layer of bark and mulch.

At a cost of approximately $50,000, the one-mile stretch of SR 525 north of Greenbank Farms was plowed and coated with mulch to cover the old soil. Native shrubs, grass and trees will be planted in the fall, Roadside Maintenence Manager Ray Willard said.

“This is sort of an attempt to look at an example of how to do roadside maintenence,” Willard said. “Hopefully, this will show this is a much better way to do roadside management.”

The pilot program comes as a result of years of efforts by conservationists to reduce the amount of herbicides used to keep weeds down at the side of the road, said Mark Wahl, acting president of the Whidby Island No Spray Coalition, or Winds Coalition.

A series of meetings failed to produce a definate solution that both sides could agree on, Wahl said.

“What they did to mollify us is to declare the experimental zone,” he said. “It certainly has cut down on spray in those areas, and we’re happy about that.”

The reason for the change stems from the coalition’s concern for critical care areas. These are areas that have a significant role in the island’s ecosystem. Areas such as wetlands and runoffs are crucial to the water table, Wahl said.

The maintenence of the road sides traditionally are lower on the DOT’s priority list, Willard said. It was only recently that it jumped.

“The roadside is a lot of times put off as something we can deal with later,” Willard said. “As a result of concerns at the local level, I’ve gotten a bit more support. I’m just now getting the support I need.”

The reason the DOT has used herbicides as a means of control is due to budget constraints, Willard said. A lot of the times, the DOT is left to simply maintain the patch of grass alongside the road.

Under the trial plan, the costs will shift from long-term maintenence costs to a large up-front cost. Once the planiting is finished, the roadside would remain largely untouched, Willard said. Long-term results of the pilot, including costs and benefits will not available for three or four years, he said.

“Once (the plants are) established, maintenence won’t do much besides trimming,” Willard said.

The method of upkeep the coalition prefers is similar to the pilot program Wahl said.

“We want a lot of emphasis on the use of different alternative method of non-toxic roadside maintenence,” he said. “One of the best methods is to salvage native plants. Native plants know how to combat noxious weeds.”

Plants such as Salal, which helps bind the soil and grows low to cut off light for invading species, would help replensih the roadsides, Wahl said.

“If Salal was promoted, it could promote beautiful roadsides that will be weed free,” he said. “You’ve got to use he right grasses, you can’t just use any old grass.”

Wahl said the coalition is happy to see the DOT try something different. It is reserved at what will invade the cleared site between now and planting, he said.

The issue will be discussed at a July 27 meeting at a location that has yet to be announced.

You can reach News-Times reporter Eric Berto at eberto@whidbeynewstimes.com.