(By Megan Dunn & Sharon Selvaggio, NCAP Program Directors) In the 1960s the bald eagle almost went extinct because of the pesticide DDT. Thankfully, scientists like Rachel Carson shared compelling evidence that linked the decline of bird populations with the use of certain pesticides. Local residents advocated for change, and over the years we’ve advanced new policies and restrictions that protect community and environmental health. The bald eagle has soared back from the brink of extinction. Continue reading

We put together some resources, using publications from our work and our partners' work, to help growers manage the risks inherent in farming and ranching. Although it's just a jumping off point into topics of soil health, business structure, consumer demand, pesticide exposure, and other important topics, we hope it will help with assessing risks and planning accordingly. Continue reading

This summer, NCAP partnered with several farms to to create or showcase beneficial habitat. Morning Owl Farm, nestled against the Boise Foothills just outside of Boise, Idaho, is creating more on-farm habitat for beneficial insects with the help of NCAP and the Xerces Society. Beneficial habitat is part of Morning Owl Farm's approach to integrated pest management (IPM).  Adult monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) sucking nectar from a common zinnia. Morning Owl Farms, August 14, 2018 Continue reading

By Megan Dunn, Health People and Communities Program Director After being diagnosed with terminal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Dewayne Johnson has won a $289 million court victory that will likely protect others from pesticide exposure. He has exposed a weakness in the multi-billion dollar company, Monsanto, and paved the way for more lawsuits to come. The jury verdict found that Mr. Johnson developed cancer because of a lack of sufficient warnings and that Monsanto knew or should reasonably have known that users would not recognize the danger [1]. Continue reading

(Photo by Claudine Lamothe)(Words by Gina Gervase, Communications Assistant) As dusk settles into night and cricket voices emerge to fill the quiet, the silent wings of a barn owl are lit by the light of the moon. Slow, steady wing beats propel the barn owl as it soars quietly, patrolling open fields using its impressively sharp hearing to locate the sound of scurrying rodents. Honing in on its prey, the barn owl swoops down, snatching a gopher in its talons, and returns to its nest where fluffy, noisy youngsters wait open-beaked for their meal. Continue reading