The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed to apply massive amounts of pesticides to public lands in 17 Western states. The BLM claims these pesticides need to be applied to forests, rangelands and aquatic areas in order to reduce the risk of fire and slow the spread of invasive weeds. Under the proposal 932,000 acres would undergo chemical application in 17 western states, including National Monuments and National Conservation areas.
An integral part of this proposal involves aerial spraying of toxic pesticides, which increases negative impacts on non-targeted vegetation, wildlife, and people, including recreationists, tourists, and native peoples (pesticide application areas include Alaska, where native fishing and plant gathering is widespread).
I find the moronic, imbecilic, arrogance of this proposal hard to contemplate – please follow this link and take what action you can: http://tinyurl.com/exn4q
Thanks for the alert and the link.
Ah, but imagine what it will mean to sales and quarterly profits for the petroagrochemical giants! And that’s what America is all about really, isn’t it?
Another parting gift from the Bush administration before the 2006 elections, now that the writing is appearing on the walls.
All snark aside, thanks for the story and the link. I’m off to there now to do something productive.
Indiscriminate, massive spraying to “slow the spread of invasive weeds” – that’s the ecological equivalent of “destroying the village to save it.” About what we’ve come to expect. 😛
Additional detail – from the petition site:
Chopping and weeding = job creation. Sounds like a good option to me.
Full disclosure: After moving to the Kansas City area many years ago, fresh out of grad school but before we found jobs, the Mrs. and I were hired by a local organic farmer to “chop thistles” in a 40-acre pasture he had. Leather gloves were scant protection from the thorns, and it was miserable hot work in the midsummer sun, but we were happy for the money…
If the dept. is proposing spraying of PESTICIDES why does your diary title say HERBICIDES?
I about had a coronary. I don’t mean to imply that spraying pesticides is benign, but the implications of spraying herbicides in forests are entirely different.
Please change your title.
I have changed my title – I put herbicide originally as they are talking about weed control and I had understood pesticide to mean an agent which kills pests/insects. My mistake.
However, I find it hard to understand how any agent that is sprayed over an area can be selective enough to do no far-reaching harm.
Why would you spray a pesticide to control weeds. Looks like the person writing the article didnt’ have a clue.
Well, one poison, another poison — we’re all sitting ducks, anyway. That is, it’s crazy to spray either like t hat.
thank you so much! posted at acionalert.blogspot.com