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Alert: BLM plans to triple annual herbicide spraying! (updated 11/01/06)
CATs is actively opposing an ill-conceived Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) proposing massive herbicide applications in seventeen western states. Under the preferred alternative, the BLM will more than triple current annual herbicide use, raising spray totals to cover 932,000 acres of public lands with toxic chemicals. The deadline for public comments on this plan is February 10, 2006. Claiming that herbicides are needed to reduce catastrophic wildfires and protect ecosystems from invasive weeds, the BLM will apply eighteen different poisons onto public land types including forests, rangelands, and aquatic areas. These applications will include a heavy aerial spraying component. The herbicides include several persistent, mobile, and toxic chemicals, including known developmental and reproductive toxins. Included in the BLM proposal are herbicides that they admit put applicators at risk: 2,4-D, bromacil, chlorsulfuron, diquat, diuron, fluridone, hexazinone, teburthiruon, and triclopyr. Also included is picloram, which is no longer registered for use by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR). Three of the herbicides have not even been evaluated by the CDPR for registration of products. Negative impacts from toxic spray plan could including direct, indirect and cumulative effects to the environment and human health. Soil productivity and water quality may be reduced to unsafe levels. Non-targeted vegetation and wildlife (terrestrial and aquatic) will all suffer greatly from the proposed toxic dousing. Native peoples would be specifically exposed to risk during cultural plant gathering practices. Workers applying these hazardous chemicals would be particularly at risk. Recreationalists and other members of the public would also be at risk. The BLM states that the risks are worth the benefits, do you? The worst part is that the BLM can affectively manage and treat unwanted vegetation by a variety of non-herbicide techniques including, but not limited to, fire, mechanical, manual, cultural, and biological control methods. CATs' has long been advocating public land management agencies to utilize non-toxic vegetation management strategies and has information on controlling unwanted vegetation and invasive species without herbicides posted on our website. The BLM's Draft PEIS for Herbicide Vegetation Treatments is available in electronic form at http://www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/VegEIS/. The BLM is accepting public comments postmarked by February 10, 2006. To provide written The time is now to stand together in opposition to these hazardous and unnecessary toxic spray plans. We must let the BLM and our federal government know that we will not accept the poisoning of our public lands, our waters, our native vegetation, fish, and wildlife. We will not stand by quietly while our environment is poisoned and our families' health is jeopardized. Provide comments on the Draft PEIS. Also contact you local BLM field office. Let them know you oppose these spray plans and won't approve of the use of toxic chemicals locally on our public lands. It is also important to contact your representatives, especially federal ones, both members of the Senate and House of Representatives, call their nearest office and express your outrage regarding this proposal. Don't stop there. Tell your friends, neighbors, family and anyone else who may be concerned about massive toxics spraying and get them involved voicing their opposition. The more people who speak out against these proposed spray plans, the more effective our voice will be. On behalf of CATs, I commend you for your dedication to protect your health and environment from the unnecessary use of pesticides, and thank you for being part of our efforts to minimize pesticide use on our public lands. For more information regarding CATs' efforts to combat pesticide projects in our public lands and for updates on this and other projects visit our website again soon. Pete Harrison
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Reptile, Amphibian
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