Local gardener leads Fort Bragg movement against artificial turf on field for kids. Effort continues after fact correction, apology.   Stop by and chat with them on Saturday!  

A century from now if anybody is left to watch Fort Bragg City Council meetings, those who do might say, who was Christopher Cisper and did he know he was ahead of his time?

And why did nobody listen when people talked about the incredibly important subject of those deathly plastics everybody used unthinkingly back in the 21st century?

Fort Bragg neighborhood farmers Chris and Jacquelyn Cisper, who run the Toad and Frog Farmstand and are involved in educating new farmers, have energized a movement in Fort Bragg, objecting to the use of artificial materials in artificial grass being put down for a new soccer field at Bainbridge Park.  They want your ideas and suggestions on Saturday. They invite anyone interested to stop by and talk on Saturday at the farm stand location.

Cisper had 130 signatures by the Sunday before Monday’s Fort Bragg City Council meeting, when he stopped gathering them to do research and preparation on the topic.

A series of speakers at Monday Night’s Fort Bragg City Council meeting accused the city of pushing artificial turf over natural grass at the youth soccer fields at Bainbridge Park. 

“I’ve lived here 30 years, and I know most of you. I’m here to alarm you, wake you up,” Cisper said.

“Recently, it was brought to my attention that there was crumb rubber in a trailer that had been sitting in front of the park.  I went down and investigated. I saw what was going on, and I was quite alarmed, and I went into a deep dive.  

Cisper’s deep dive revealed that he was incorrect about some of the points he made at the meeting, such as that it would become illegal on Jan. 1 for citiies to install “astroturf.” Not true.

He apologized for that but still believed the money being used for the soccer fields was an inappropriate way to use state grant monies, at a time when increasing awareness of the dangers of artificial turf is rising. 

The sudden barrage of criticism caught the city off guard and Chantell O’Neal, newly certified as a project manager gave a rundown of the lengthy process used by the city to get input and to select the safest and best artificial turf for the project.  The turf project had been planned for year and funded by a competitive state grant from a recent ballot proposition. (full info from her at the end of the story)
Youth sports advocates also appeared at the meeting, which went on for more than four hours. They said soccer fields are desperately needed and talked about how soccer has kept many kids from falling into gangs and keeps them healthy.

This was supposed to be the big moment of achievement, when the fields everyone worked so hard for were about to become reality.

But at the last minute, just when the contractor arrived to instll the turf a “grassroots” movement for natural grass erupted.

Having followed this issue for two weeks now, we can say the arrival of the rolls of turf is what set people off. Several people walked by and the turf looked like something artificial and something that might be bad.  Then came Google Search being wrong. Try it. The internet was full of wrong and confusing information that stated that there was such a law coming, but also had lots and lots of newer science about why kids and plastics are a bad combo.

It’s not surprising Cisper  and several others who spoke got confused about whether it would soon be illegal in California to install artificial turf. Figuring out for sure what a 2023 law on this subject read took this reporter more than an hour. The legislature passed a bill that allowed cities to ban artificial turf.  The law also enacted a complete ban on artificial turf, to go into effect January 1, 2026.  However, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill later so it never became law. Using Google search and even the legislature’s information search creates the impression that this is the law. And to make matters even more baffling, part of the bill was brought back, the part that allows cities to say no to artificial turf. And the confusion should not hide the fact that the majority of both houses of the California Legislature thought banning artificial turf was a good idea and many places have banned them.  Traditional plastics that we all have grown up with have been proven to be the cause of many illnesses, especially for children.  Those are called PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The materials in the turf selected by the city are not per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, but it is possible that the polymers in that turf could have residual PFAS.  But likely not enough to exceed the background of all the pollution we already live with. That’s what my research shows. I have spent a week already on this whirlpool of a story, which Cisper and the city have both backtracked on while working on it. For me, its a much more important topic than most and worth the work. It’s also thrilling to see Democracy work like this, where people can talk something through and not be strident and angry about their points, and even back off and apologize like Cisper did. 

Gov. Newsom, who vetoed the bill, did not do so because he thinks the legislature was wrong about artificial turf being bad for kids and needing to be nixed. 

He vetoed it because he said the state had no mechanism nor agency to regulate the law should he sign it. That’s why he brought back and signed into law the part of the bill that allowed local governments to figure this out, just as is happening here. True the city team worked very long and hard only to be ambushed at the end. That’s just Democracy.

The New Republic authored this story titled How artificial turf is tearing towns apart

After the California Legislature made it legal for cities and counties to ban artificial turf, and several did.  The Department of Toxic Substances Control put out a fact sheet about the dangers of artificial turf that might make you think twice about supporting it. What DTSC says about artificial turf.

Cisper has said he is doing this more for his own son, Julian and the youth of the town, being exposed to artificial turf to be put in for a soccer field at Bainbridge Park.  He is willing to continue to learn and spread his educational work around.

If you read any recent science it is a clarion call to reduce the exposure of children to all plastics Check out this one from UNICEF

Plastics have been proven to cause cancer and a host of other illnesses. They also release hormones when broken down in the environment. It’s marching up the food chain like army ants setting upon the body of a dead anteater. Recent studies off Monterey found microplastics in the bodies of 68 percent of anchovies and 100 percent of the murres that eat them. In 25 percent of the anchovies sampled, the microplastics had caused the fish to react by secreting a substance that in murres, or mammals, is just like an injection of estrogen. This disrupted the mating and nesting of the critters up the food chain. Chemicals get worse and worse as they move UP the food chain.  Who is at the top of the food chain?

This issue will hopefully make people think about their own household and farm plastics. Years ago, I used carpet pad to kill weeds out back till I realized that stuff breaks down into tiny pieces and gets into the roots of the garden plants! Gack!  What an awful thing to have done. I dug up all the soil and put it in cans to watch on higher ground. Years went by and it seill smelled that carpet pad smell. It went to the dump, which is really not that cool either.

Cardboard too in your garden is a horrible idea. I believe it was Chris who told me to stop doing that, and I researched and it was right. Now I’m wondering about using plywood to kill weeds. Maybe I just need to pull them!

So even if the city is on solid ground, this is a good time to think. And the three soccer dads who spoke in favor of the field were right, too. Soccer is great for kids. Cisper and others are willing to join a movement with other parents or whoever for more natural fields. Many people lamented the loss of a huge girls’ soccer tournament that used to be held annually in Fort Bragg. It was a victim of the pandemic. If you know who they were and how we get them back, lets use the momentum of this story to get them back.

Real grass or some relative of Astroturf at Bainbridge? 

Get involved! 

The trouble with everything made in this age of lies and marketing is that the sales pitch overwhelms everything for a very long period of time. You might not think so, but the EPA and OSHA and the other acronyms also fall for the sales pitch. Companies spin their science and endow scientists with university teaching jobs. You get mostly lies about everything made.

For example, the real Astroturf was sold as the best thing ever, but later turned out to cause severe turf toe to athletes, and it was yanked up, and natural grass returned to many professional fields. I have landed hard on both natural grass and old style astroturf and let me tell you, despite the lies and all the PR, we all knew astroturf was horrible to land on from day one. When you have these kind of experiences, where you actually play on Astroturf and everybody in power reads the PR from the industry saying how wonderful and safe it is to fall on, you know the system is rigged. And its the kind of thing that has made society so crazy, all the lies of industry.

Here is what O’Neal said about the artificial turf. It’s all accurate based on available information and she was diligent in getting the best info. But remember, the money men have their fingers in everything, twisting everything they possibly can and making it hard for her , or us to get the full picture.

“About the artificial turf planned for the soccer courts in Bainbridge Park….Staff evaluated numerous turf systems and selected one with the most environmentally friendly reputation, including being LEED certified, non-toxic, and lead-free. 

Envirofill is naturally occurring, rounded silica sand that is coated with a polymer to enhance durability, resistance to elements, prevent dust, and provide the surface for the antimicrobial agent to bind to. 

With regard to the Environmental Impact Report EIR you requested, the Bainbridge Park enhancement project was deemed exempt from CEQA, and so did not include an environmental impact report.

The all-weather soccer courts originated from an enormous amount of community interest. It has been in progress for the last few years, with much public expression of support, particularly from the community of soccer players and coaches who will use the courts

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If you are interested in further documents around the project, you can also always do a Public Records Act request using the links below. It’s easy to submit a PRA request from home.”

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Here is what the Cispers have said about what they are doing Saturday”

“We need help. If anyone wants to lend a hand or some ideas in the fight against the toxic materials (artificial turf, crumb rubber and plastic and antimicrobial-coated sand) that are part of the Bainbridge Park project please come see us Saturday the 19th at 2 pm and let’s talk! 250 N Harrison, Fort Bragg.”

The city’s newly certified Project Director, Chantell O’Neal got the first word in at the meeting and offered the history of the project and all the hurdles and safety checks that had been surmounted. She said the city used the most environmentally friendly turf available. Turf was needed because grass doesn’t work well during the Coast’s rainy season, she said.  Her full comments follow here:

The Bainbridge Park enhancement project has been a priority for the city for several years. Community discussions date back to 2015 when we started the draft of the Bainbridge Park master plan, and in 2023 the project gained new momentum when the city was awarded a $2 million competitive Prop 68 state parks grant. The project’s purpose is to provide much-needed recreational amenities for youth and families, improve accessibility and create a safe, inclusive community space. The concept of enhancing the soccer courts has been part of the community discussions since 2021, when local soccer advocates began participating in city council meetings. they expressed concerns about the lack of reliable access to playing to playable soccer fields due to seasonal rains. Maintenance challenges, watering needs go for damage and so on, as it relates to natural turf. And in response to these concerns, the council earmarked, earmarked funding for the installation of all-weather surface soccer courts. That particular project was actually isolated, and it was put out to bid twice in 2023 and was unfortunately unable to proceed due to budget constraints. However, when we received the 2023 grant award, the project moved forward as originally planned and scoped as part of this larger project, which includes multiple other amenities, like surfacing at the playground, a new stage, landscaping, new trees and plants, some natural play spaces, and incorporation of art with local artisans helping construct benches. So overall, it’s a fantastic project. It’s there’s many elements to it, and so just kind of moving, moving on through here. As far as the material selection. Throughout project development, we prioritized safety, durability, and environmental responsibility, and we selected the surfacing specifically for the soccer courts. It’s not a loose or shredded crumb rubber, but it’s a bonded, poured-in-place rubber surface, and this is done on-site. And the selection of this particular turf was based on informed research into potential health and environmental impacts, which were extensively discussed at public meetings, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act. We conducted a thorough review, which culminated in a determination of an exemption approved by city council during those publicly noticed meetings, and the review included staff analysis, sequel guidelines, opportunity for public input, and all in accordance with local and state regulatory requirements. So over these past two years, where this project has had its most momentum, the city has held at least seven public meetings to discuss the various aspects of the project, including the material design, budget, and environmental considerations, as I’ve mentioned previously. And the project has been reviewed atthe  Public Works and Facilities Committee, city council and community workshops, and all approvals occurred during these open, publicly noticed meetings. And the information is available on the city’s website. So really, I just want to conclude this by saying that we lost my space here. So I just want to say that, you know, we’re we value and respect the community input, including any concerns that are raised about projects, and recognize that some residents may not have previously been aware of the project during its planning and inception phase, until recently, when you know, notably, the construction began. And so with that, I just want to make sure that you you know that you have access to me if you have questions specifically, you can you can utilize the city’s public records request option, or you’re welcome to call or email me if you have more specific questions about the project or the project’s progress.”

We all really are on the same team here and on that future distant day, maybe people will look back and see that our confusing meeting and frustrating process was the start of us thinking about plastics, which led to us thinking about how we simply have to end the throw away economy and live with less. Stop buying on Amazon and make and grow your own. Get out and coach kids, find places for sports and get them and you out of virtual reality onto nice, real grass. Movements have started with far less!

One more thing, I use Astroturf and artificial turf interchangeably.  I dont work for the company who sells Astroturf and couldn care a less that they don’t want me to use a common word because they have a registered trade mark. We worry about clarity for the readers, not copyrights.