Blog

Audio Released from PIELC Panel!

John Povolny — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:41:53 -0400

Click below to learn from NCAP's panel of environmental law experts!

Final Comments on NMFS' 5th Biological Opinion

Josh Vincent — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:54:05 -0400

Last month, we published a summary of what NMFS found in its latest evaluation of three pesticides, as well as some of EPA's regulatory shortcomings that stood out in the report.

Now you can view the full comments filed last Monday by NCAP, our partners at Earthjustice, and a long list of allied organizations.

Read the Response (PDF 68KB)

Footage Released from Toxics On Trial!

John Povolny — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:03:56 -0400

Learn from the experts at PIELC- click below for video of the panel!

Sustainable Landscaping Educational Series for McKenzie Residents

Josh Vincent — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:07:42 -0400

The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), together with the OSU Extension Service, the McKenzie Watershed Council, and the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) is hosting an ‘educational series’ on sustainable landscaping and home maintenance.

Three informational classes will be held in Leaburg during May and June on the following topics: creating healthy riparian areas, healthy lawns and weed and pest management, and home maintenance, septic systems and hazardous waste disposal. These classes are loosely based on the OSU Extension Service’s sustainable landscaping series but will be shorter and more focused on issues related to the McKenzie and on rural living. They will cover topics including learning about addressing invasive species on your property, planting appropriate native species, the importance of riparian buffers to water quality, reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, enriching soil quality through composting and mulching, weed and pest management, managing moss, creating wildlife habitat, properly maintaining septic systems, and how/where to dispose of household hazardous waste. More efficient use of resources can lead to lower power, water, and waste bills.

The schedule of classes is as follows:

Wednesday, May 16^th: Healthy Riparian Areas: where your land meets the water

Wednesday, May 30^th: Healthy Lawns; Weed & Pest Management

Tuesday, June 12^th: Home Maintenance, Septic Systems & Hazardous Waste Disposal

All classes are free of charge and will be held from 3pm to 5:30pm at the Leaburg Training Center. There will be a short open house afterwards where people can talk to staff from each agency/organization and obtain additional information. Pre-registration is requested but not required.

These classes are designed to promote sustainable landscaping and water quality protection throughout the McKenzie Watershed. Resources and financial incentives will be available to homeowners wishing to pursue these practices on their properties.

For more information, please contact Nancy Toth (541-685-7438) or Karl Morgenstern (541-685-7365).

A brief summary of the risks found in the Biological Opinion

Josh Vincent — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:40:00 -0400

TRIFLURALIN

Trifluralin is an herbicide registered for use in orchards and row crops as well as rights-of-way, lawns and home gardens. Trifluralin inhibits seed germination in plants. It is considered of "high" risk to 16 species of salmon and steelhead found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.

Trifluralin has been found in west coast salmon waters at levels that kill salmon outright by causing vertebral deformities. It also kills salmon food sources and dimishes the health of riparian areas by limiting plant diversity. (BiOp p 538-39)

ORYZALIN

Oryzalin is an herbicide registered for use in orchards and vineyards as well as rights-of-way, lawns and home gardens. Oryzalin inhibits seed germination in plants. Oryzalin is considered of "medium" risk to 10 species of salmon and steelhead found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.

While oryzalin is unlikely to kill salmon outright it jeopardizes their survival by killing salmon prey and dimishing the health of riparian areas by limiting plant diversity. NMFS saw clear lines where the loss of food and habitat would reduce fish reproduction. (BiOp pg 536)

PENDIMETHALIN

Pendimethalin is an herbicide registered for use in orchards and row crops as well as rights-of-way, lawns and home gardens. Pendimethalin inhibits seed germination in plants. Pendimethalin is considered of "medium" risk to 16 species of salmon and steelhead found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.

While pendimethalin is unlikely to kill salmon outright it jeopardizes their survival by killing salmon prey and dimishing the health of riparian areas by limiting plant diversity. NMFS saw clear lines where the loss of food and habitat would reduce fish reproduction. (BiOp pg 537)

People are also at risk from these three herbicides. The U.S. Environmental Protection agency determined that all three are possible human carcinogens.

Fisheries Service Finds Three Herbicides Imperil West Coast Salmon

Josh Vincent — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:29:19 -0400

Seattle, WA – A new draft biological opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service has found that three commonly used herbicides are increasing the chance of extinction for threatened and endangered Pacific salmon and steelhead runs. The assessment by the federal fisheries service reverses earlier assurances from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the three poisons were “not likely to adversely affect” these dwindling salmon populations.

The biological opinion prescribes measures to keep oryzalin, pendimethalin, and trifluralin out of salmon waters in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. It is the fifth such plan issued under a court settlement with fishermen and conservationists.

The new protections, which must be implemented within one year of a final Biological Opinion, include:

· Prohibiting aerial applications of the pesticides within 300 feet of salmon waters.

· Mandating a 10 foot vegetated strip or a 20-foot no spray zone between salmon waters and places where these herbicides are applied.

· Mandatory reporting of fish kills near where these chemicals were applied.

“This is a huge step forward for the health of our rivers,” said Aimee Code Environmental Health Associate at the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides. “These findings are a reminder that chemical pest control comes at a high cost. The true solution is to expand the use of non-chemical solutions.”

The 780 page assessment concluded that if these pesticides are used as currently authorized, they are “likely to jeopardize the continued existence” of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead populations.

“The federal government has just acknowledged that these three chemicals are washing off into our rivers and streams and harming west coast salmon runs and who knows what else,” said Steve Mashuda, of Earthjustice. “It is time for the government to stand up to pesticide industry and impose these much needed restrictions,” he concluded.

Fishermen are pleased by the proposed measures designed to help restore struggling salmon runs. "These pesticides are poisons and do not belong in salmon streams," commented Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), a commercial fishing industry group. "The bottom line for us is that poisoning salmon rivers puts our people out of work as well as creates a public health hazard. It is far more cost effective to keep these poisons out of our rivers to begin with than to try to clean up messes afterwards."

The three active ingredients are registered for uses both in agriculture and in urban areas. All three can be used in lawns and landscaping. Each herbicide is registered for weed control in a variety of crops. Some of the crops listed where these chemicals can be used include Christmas trees, vineyards, onions, potatoes, and dry beans. They are also all registered for use along rights-of-way.

This latest assessment was completed as part of an ongoing effort to address the harms from numerous pesticides. It was preceded by several years of legal wrangling by the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, with representation from Earthjustice. This effort began in January 2001, when some of the groups first went to court to force EPA to protect salmon in the Pacific Northwest from 54 pesticides that EPA approved for use without checking with federal fish biologists, as required by the Endangered Species Act. As a result of that lawsuit, a federal court ordered EPA to consult with federal fish biologists at NMFS on the impacts these pesticides have on salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest and California.

In 2007, NMFS settled a second lawsuit and agreed to complete the long overdue assessments over a four-year period.

Click here to read a summary of the risks found in the draft Biological Opinion.

Click here to read the draft Biological Opinion and see instructions for commenting online.

Click here to read how this Biological Opinion highlights failures in EPA's ecological risk assessment process.

Multiple Failings in EPA’s Pesticide Regulation Exposed by Analysis of Herbicides Risk to Salmon

Josh Vincent — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:24:58 -0400

A biological opinion released by the National Marine Fisheries service on the herbicides oryzalin, pendimethalin and trifluralin brings to light many areas in EPA’s current ecological risk assessment process that underestimate risk and fail to meet modern standards of analysis.

The biological opinion process began with EPA writing an “effects determination” or initial analysis of the risks these three herbicides – oryzalin, pendimethalin and trifluralin - pose to salmon. Those determinations are then turned over to NMFS to help them in completing the biological opinion.

EPA failed to provide any analysis of these chemical breakdown products or the other ingredients added to these chemicals before they are sold.

“No exposure estimates were provided for other identified stressors of the action including inert/other ingredients, other active ingredients with formulations, and for the toxic degradates of the active ingredients. These missing estimates introduce substantial uncertainty into the exposure analysis.” (5^th BiOp p 392)

“The pendimethalin and trifluralin assessments [by EPA] are silent on the issue of degradate toxicity. … we [NMFS] question the assumption that a lack of evidence regarding other degradates is sufficient to not consider them. We find it reasonable to assume degradate chemicals which retain the characteristic dinitroaniline structure may also be toxic in the same fashion as the parent.” (p 386)

“In most cases, any specific degradate produced falls below the 10% of applied threshold EPA uses to define a “major” degradate, which are often included in their analyses.” (5^th BiOp p 385)

NMFS's research also pointed out the failings of EPA's models to accurately evaluate risk.

"Recent formal consultation and reviews of EPA informal consultations by the Services found that concentrations measured in surface water sometimes exceed peak concentrations predicted with PRZM/EXAMS modeling (NMFS, 2007b, 2008c, 2009b; USFWS, 2008). These findings demonstrate that the EECs generated using PRZM-EXAMS can underestimate peak concentrations of active ingredients that occur in salmonid habitats. Consequently, underestimation of exposure and subsequent risk to species is likely. Below, we discuss the primary reasons why EPA’s exposure estimates do not represent worst case exposures to salmonid habitats." (p 397)

EPA did not evaluate all the ways salmon could be exposed to these herbicides

“EPA’s BEs mostly address the potential effects of exposure to the three dinitroanilines in the

dissolved phase. This is the compartment in which it is most bioavailable to aquatic organisms.

It is also the route of exposure evaluated by the guideline tests and the medium for which we

have measured and estimated exposure concentrations. However, there are other routes of

exposure not commonly addressed in the pesticide assessments developed by OPP.” (5^th BiOp p 390)

EPA’s labels, legal documents explain how these herbicides can be used, lack significant information which could lead to very heavy use of these chemicals.

“EPA-authorized labels contain language that frequently does not provide clear

distinctions on product use (e.g., many labels do not specify the maximum number of

applications, application interval, or maximum annual application rate)…”

(5^th BiOp p 424-25)

Healthy Harvest: NCAP's Annual Event 2012

Josh Vincent — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:26:22 -0400

The date for NCAP's annual event has been set for October 6th, 2012. It will be held at the Vet's Club Ballroom in Eugene, OR. Please save the date!

More details coming soon...

Farmers Speak Out On 2012 Farm Bill

Jennifer Miller — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:31:41 -0400

Even fourth-generation farmers need strong sustainable agriculture research and extension efforts to stay successful – just ask Jason Montecucco, of Montecucco Farms in Canby, OR.

Montecucco and his family raise diversified vegetables both conventionally and organically on 600 acres in the Willamette Valley. They work closely with researchers at Oregon State University to stay abreast of research that helps them farm more effectively each season.

“Several years ago, our farm was losing 70% of our turnip and rutabaga crops to cabbage maggot damage. Amy Dreeves, an OSU grad student at the time, conducted multi-year research on this pest in our region that led to an improved growing program that reduced our losses from 70% to less than 5%. Research like this at OSU has kept us relevant and in the game,” Montecucco said.

Earlier this month, Montecucco joined nearly 30 independent family farmers and ranchers from 17 states on Capitol Hill to share their stories and speak out for crucial farm bill programs that enable them to produce healthy food, build community, and sustain the environment.

As Congress continues work on the 2012 Farm Bill, farmers from Oregon to New York have their livelihoods at stake as the programs they use and value face grave budget cuts in Congress, including specialty crop and organic research block grants that fund crucial on-farm research. Montecucco and others offer a farmer’s perspective on why sustainable agriculture research matters.

Northwest growers see a pay off from the investment in agricultural research programs. NCAP is pleased to have Jason Montecucco speaking up for the multiple benefits as our nation prepares for the next Farm Bill.

His trip to Washington, DC was sponsored by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (Eugene, OR), an NSAC member organization.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

NCAP Turns 35: Check Out Our 35th Anniversary Website!

John Povolny — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:55:00 -0500

NCAP has put together a website celebrating the many wonderful years we have been fortunate enough to spend working together with our supporters to improve the health of our community and our environment. Take a moment to enjoy the pictures, video, and stories that commemorate this awesome journey on our new

35th Anniversary Website!

We'd love the 35th Anniversary site to include your memories! Click the links below to share stories and photos:

Tell Your Tale!

Send Your Photos to jvincent@pesticide.org

The School Environmental Protection Act (SEPA)

Josh Vincent — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:02:14 -0500

The School Environment Protection Act of 2012 (SEPA), which will be introduced by Representative Rush Holt in January 2012, ensures a healthy learning environment for children through the management of school buildings and school grounds without toxic pesticides. Please contact Rep. Holt's office and sign-on as an original cosponsor of this important legislation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Academy of Sciences, World Health Organization (WHO), and American Public Health Association, among others, have voiced concerns about the danger that pesticides pose to children. Children are especially sensitive to pesticide exposures as they take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults and have developing organ systems that are more vulnerable and less able to detoxify toxic chemicals.

Pesticide poisoning of student and school staff is not uncommon. A 2005 study published in the Journal of American Medical Association finds that students and school employees are being poisoned by pesticide use at schools. The study authors noted the lack of protection for school children and employees under federal law, pointing out that state laws provide some protection but are varied, thus leaving large gaps. SEPA would require all public schools adopt integrated pest management (IPM) programs that emphasize non-chemical pest management strategies and only use defined least-toxic pesticides as a last resort.

Please contact Rep. Holt or Aisha Morris in Rep. Holt's office to sign-on as an original cosponsor.

202-225-5801

aisha.morris@mail.house.gov

'Tis the Season...for in District Outreach

Josh Vincent — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:49:37 -0500

Here’s one very effective way to have a grassroots impact on federal policy:  hold meetings with key decision-makers right in your state (Senate) and congressional district (House). It makes sense. You don't have to fly constituents out to Washington, D.C.; they're nearby. The winter recess is coming up - January and February offer many opportunities to schedule a meeting (See the schedule below).

Why meet this winter? With Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow saying she wants to pass a Farm Bill by spring, this is the perfect time to set up meetings with House and Senate Agriculture Committee members. And with the annual agricultural appropriations process ready to start in early February for Fiscal Year 2013, it's also a strategic time to set up meetings with House and Senate Agricultural Appropriators. And it is useful to meet with your own representative/Senators, even if they're not on those committees or subcommittees, to urge them to sign onto marker bills (such as the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act) and familiarize them with who you are and why good food and farm policy matters.

A few basics tips to achieve successful meetings:

1) Set up your meetings early. Start now; it often takes weeks. Visit the Congressional Dictionary to find your legislators' district office phone numbers. Call and ask for the district scheduler. When they ask you about the topic, it's fine to keep it general: "2012 Farm Bill" or "Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations." Be prepared to nudge the scheduler every week or so until the meeting is set.

2) When they ask you who will attend the meeting, be clear, especially with House members, that these will be constituents. You may not know the names of everyone you will ask at the time you talk with the scheduler, and that's OK, but later you will have to tell them who will be there.

3) Try to meet with the member himself/herself if possible. Members' district staff are not as influential on policy issues as their Washington, D.C. staff, and as constituents, you are who your legislator wants to know.

4) Keep your numbers small (4-6 people) and choose your participants carefully to reinforce your message, dispel stereotypes, and demonstrate that important and varied groups of constituents care about your agenda.

5) Participants' power lies in their short, brief stories, illuminating key points of your agenda; you can be responsible for providing any reinforcing numbers, data, and one-pagers. Set up a quick call or pre-meeting ahead of time to identify who will cover which parts of your message.

6) See the attached sheet - A Few Lobbying Tips.

7) Let us know! If we at NSAC know you've had a successful meeting, this helps inform our work in DC! A simple email or phone call letting us know the meeting has been scheduled, and a quick recap after it occurs, is great.

8) Send a thank-you note. Thank your legislator for meeting with you, and restate your key message one last time.

Dates when members are likely to be in their state/district:

House: January 1-16, February 10-13, March 9-18

Senate: Jan 1-22, February 20-24, and weekends and Mondays in March

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Composting for Healthy Plants

Genealle Visagorskis — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:27:20 -0500

Keeping your plants healthy (and happy) is a great way to avoid pests and pesticides. Just like a healthy person, a healthy plant has a stronger immune system making them less susceptible to diseases and pests. It’s important to know then, that when it comes to plant health, it’s really all about the quality of the soil. That’s where composting comes in.

Composting is an easy, economical, and earth friendly way to get your plants the nutrients and organic matter they need to thrive. There are many books and online resources for starting and maintaining a compost bin. It can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be. It’s important to choose a good site; out of the way, but easy to get to. I’ve found a homemade 3-sided wooden bin works best for me. This makes turning piles much easier.

My compost recipe is basic and I liken it to my mom’s pancake batter - 3 main ingredients. For good compost you need carbon (brown material), nitrogen (green material) and bacteria (kitchen scraps). What is important though is the ratio: 2 parts carbon, 1 part nitrogen. A good source of carbon is leaves. Right now they are in abundance making this a great time of year to collect materials! Oaks are especially high in nutrients, but any kind works. For your green material use grass clippings, vegetable vines, garden debris. Your kitchen scraps (cantaloupe rinds, banana peels, etc…) become your beneficial bacteria. No meat or dairy though. Many composters recommend breaking down your materials. This makes more surface space available for the bacteria. Mulch up your leaves first or blend your kitchen scraps. I also add well-rotted manure (good source of Nitrogen) to my compost pile from time to time. You can buy this cheaply at most garden centers or get to know your local farmer.

The other 2 important ingredients are water and air. Your pile needs to be kept wet, but not dripping and air is absolutely necessary for the aerobic (oxygen-using) bacteria doing the hard composting work. This is where the fun begins. Once you’ve begun your pile, make sure to keep it moist and turned. A good turning fork is vital, and maintaining your pile’s temperature makes for quicker compost. This also helps with keeping out critters. If you’re worried about attracting rodents a few good tips include placing ¼” galvanized wire beneath your bin, turning your pile often, or adding alfalfa which helps with heating and breaking down materials.

There’s nothing more exciting then digging into your pile to find it alive with worms and your leaves have turned to crumbly black material. It’s magical (and addicting). Some folks cover their piles in winter to keep the temperature up (an old carpet works well, or a large tarp). If you don’t the pile will probably cool down and take longer to decompose, but once the summer heat kicks in and you start turning it again, it heats right back up.

As I work in my fall garden I become a part of the cycle. Leaf piles get raked up and dumped on my newly forming compost pile. I leave the small leaves and pine needles for my acid loving plants. I burn or toss out any diseased or infected plants and put a fresh cover of mulch or compost on my beds to tuck them in for winter. This gives my soil and plants a healthy, head start for the coming growing season.

Tug of War

Josh Vincent — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:03:20 -0500

Stepping back, the whole thing looks a bit like tug of war. On one side there are groups like NCAP demanding that the environment, wildlife and human health be protected. On the other there are pesticide manufacturers working constantly to undermine environmental laws and threaten the governmental authorities that attempt to enforce them. In the middle are groups like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), overworked, seemingly well intentioned, weakened by budgetary shortfalls, intimidated and swayed by political and corporate interests, and thus persistently unable to achieve real health standards or even meet the minimums required by law.

Failure to meet one such legal requirement – checking with wildlife experts before approving pesticides that could be harmful to endangered fish and wildlife - is what led us to first engage the EPA in a lawsuit years ago. We knew that certain pesticides threatened the survival of endangered salmon and we knew that consultations on the matter had not taken place as a part of EPA’s registration process. Demanding that the consultations be carried out, as the law requires, seemed a good strategy to call attention to the impacts of these chemicals and perhaps change how they are used. That was ten years ago.

Now, after much back and forth and dragging of feet, the first of these consultations have happened. The results: wildlife experts found that many common pesticides threaten the survival of endangered salmon. It’s been a long time coming, so here’s our requisite, “We told you so.”

The struggle became more compelling in 2011 as wildlife scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) entered the fray. In evaluating 12 pesticides, NMFS went beyond the comparatively superficial pesticide review conducted by EPA by also examining the risks of inert ingredients, synergistic effects from various pesticide combinations likely to occur in the environment, endocrine disrupting effects, and more. It was rigorous science, and promised to restore some faith in the integrity of the process.

Enter Goliath: pesticide manufacturers proved that they would stop at nothing to maintain sales of their products, no matter how harmful they proved to be. Throughout 2011, they stalled the process, flouted government attempts to limit how certain pesticides are used, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying Congress to create new loopholes in several major environmental laws, and attempted at every turn to invalidate the scientific findings that revealed how harmful their products were. When that all failed, they sued NMFS.

Thankfully, we shut them down there as well. With help from partner groups and very dedicated lawyers at Earthjustice, we refuted their untruths, protected good science, and successfully fought to protect an important process from overt corruption. On October 31, 2011, a federal judge ruled to uphold the new scientific findings, tossing out the claims made by companies who would sacrifice anything but their profits.

On behalf of the staff at NCAP, thank you greatly for supporting our work in this critical area. We couldn’t have done it without you. We urge you to continue with us as we move forward to help craft better policies that reduce the use of these toxic pesticides.

Sink or Swim

Josh Vincent — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:46:17 -0500

Times of relative hardship underscore the very reason why sustainable agriculture is important. Food systems that are environmentally responsible, local, and independent are better able to endure. That’s why it’s sad that programs designed to help farmers and communities achieve sustainability - conservation and organic programs - have been among the most heavily targeted recipients of budget cuts. Why throw the lifeboats of our country’s farming future overboard?

Thankfully, there are those out there who know how to swim.

Jim Bronec is a certified organic farmer from Canby, Oregon. His farm, named ‘Praying Mantis Farm’ after a friendly encounter with the namesake insect, has been in his family for three generations.

Like many organic farmers, Bronec got his organic certification with help from a USDA cost sharing program. He also does cover cropping studies with researchers from Oregon State University thanks to grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE). Since he uses some of the very programs at stake, Bronec knows firsthand how important they are.

That’s why last spring, when Northwest farmers were hitting the spinach fields, Bronec was on his way to Washington, DC to sow seeds of a different kind.

Working with our partners at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, NCAP sent Bronec on a Mr. Smith mission to help save organic and conservation programs. Bronec was eager for the opportunity.

“There are cuts happening all over the place,” he said. “So I wanted to make sure my legislators knew how people depended on these programs. I wanted to put a human face on it,” Bronec says.

In the months since his trip, he’s continued working with NCAP to reach out to other farmers and give them a voice on the issue. He spoke to one group of Oregon farmers in September at NCAP’s first ever Food and Fun in the Field event, and will present in February at our annual Grower’s Own conference in Twin Falls, Idaho.

“It’s all about priorities. What are we going to prioritize? Sustainable agriculture and land conservation? Poor farming techniques? War? The only way to set our national priorities straight is to contact your lawmakers. You don’t have to go to DC to do it, you can catch their ear any way you can, but they need our input.” -- Jim Bronec