View from the uphill side of the logged area; the clearcut is to the left.
This is about 200 yards from our gate.
The logging operation, which involved
removing every single tree on both sides of the road, went on from
mid-November 2014 to early January 2015. Just like that, all those
acres of animal habitat, erosion control, oxygen production and beautiful scenery gone.
This is about 1/4 mile down from our gate, shortly after the clearcut.
The remaining trees are mostly 80' tall or more; as you can see, they are nearly all fir, not the alder or cherry trees targeted by the planned spraying.
Six months after the logging was
concluded, the area was just starting to look green again. Alder
stumps are sending out shoots, a favorite food for deer to browse on.
Lots of sword ferns are thriving. I have seen Red-Tailed Hawks,
American Kestrels, and even a Golden Eagle hunting over this ground
this summer. I have no doubt that many small birds and mammals have
moved back in, now that there is some cover and more food sources.
By the way, the eastern border of the
spray area runs very close to the Dungeness River and is less than a
mile upstream from the Dungeness Fish Hatchery. For those unfamiliar
with the Dungeness River, it is a major spawning ground for salmon
and steelhead, and we're rapidly approaching that time of year again.
This is all the notice we were given about the impending spraying. I actually never noticed it until David told me where to look for it, although I passed it several times on the road.
About a week ago, my husband David
noticed a sign posted on a tree at the northern border of the logged
area. The white 11" x 14" sign is on a tree at least 30 feet from the
road, and not at all easy to get to, which you have to do in order to
read the thing. It announces the impending aerial application of not
one but three horrible herbicides: Glyphosate (Roundup), Sulphometron Extra, and Clopyralid. When? Anywhere between August 24
and September 30!
Over to the right, just above center, you can see the sign as it appears from the road.
It is impossible to read unless you're within a few feet of it.
This area is quite hilly and frequently
windy; the winds are more noticeable since all those tall trees were
removed. Because of the terrain and the tall trees surrounding the
spray area, we believe that the helicopter will have to fly high
enough that it can't possibly confine the spray to the designated
space.
When we called Merrill & Ring, we
were told that the spraying is to control alder trees; around here
alders are considered weed trees by many, although many others
(including ourselves) rely on the fast-growing alder as an excellent firewood for
heating our homes. However, according to the sign, the “target”
vegetation includes salmonberries, elderberries, cherry, thistle and
(wait for it) grass. Presumably they are planning to replant the area
with fir and other non-weedy timber trees, and someone thinks it's a
good idea to prepare the ground by killing everything in or near it.
Incidentally, I see very little
evidence –and believe me, I have been looking– of salmonberries
and elderberries surreptitiously taking over the place. I grant you
there is grass. Are they seriously saying grass is going to impede
their efforts to plant trees here?
I didn't have to look far to find out
some very disturbing details about the herbicides. Take a look at the
Wikipedia page about Roundup (glyphosate). Or this fact sheet about sulphometron extra. The third chemical, Wikipedia page about chlopyralid, is just as bad. Here is a little of what its Wikipedia
page says: “... damaging to peas, tomatoes and sunflowers... may
make potatoes, lettuce and spinach inedible... known to persist in
dead plants [i.e. compost].” OK, you pretty much had me at Roundup.
Is that really all the notice that M &
R is required to give us, an inconspicuous small sign on a tree? Would
it have been so terrible to pick up the phone, let us know what was
happening, and give us an opportunity to ask questions and express
our concerns? How about an environmental impact statement, with notices in local papers? So far we've been unable to get a straight answer to
our question about exactly when the spraying will occur; presumably
there are possible weather issues when it comes to flying
helicopters, but still, the range of possible dates is ridiculous.
Merrill & Ring had better get used to hearing our voices on the
phone. Damn right I'm upset.
Like David said, every time we hear a
helicopter near us we're going to wonder if today is the day. Or one
of the days. At the moment, all we know is that sometime soon, they
will be spraying horrible, poisonous stuff on both sides of a road we
use daily, near our home, our food and water supply, our animals and
the local environment at large. It matters not a bit that we are the
only ones –at least the only humans– living near the area to be
sprayed. It is simply not right.
Posts
At least you are being warned ahead of time to take action. When Pope and Talbot sprayed the timber land behind us, with a helicopter flying over Snow Creek and dripping solution, the only warning I had was when it showed up. Unfortunately, my new video camera was not trialed and although I could see the spray not shutting off before the pilot turned around over the creek, I could not get it recorded. We called everyone from DNR to Fisheries and we had return phone calls that same day, plus someone out here the next day from Fisheries, I think. When the timber company called, he told me what they were spraying, and all were chemicals we would never use so close to our commercial row crop, especially with the possibility of molecule drift because it was very warm outside. Go on record now with the timber company, fisheries, DNR and your attorney, that if any damage is discovered over the next month, you will file charges. Don't forget your own health, most herbicides have distinct marker odors, as well. When you can smell them, you are breathing them in. Have your video camera ready for when you hear anything. Remember to have a reference point in the shot. Fisheries said they pretty much had to witness the helicopter over the creek (another salmon spawning channel, one of two "marker" streams for predicting fish runs) before they could do anything, but they wanted the video if I could have gotten it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this information! In one sense we did have notice, although we actually don't know when the spraying will take place within the range of dates given on the notice. I plan to call Merrill & Ring at least once a day, and gather more info in the meantime about the chemicals and the spraying operation itself. It's a good idea to safeguard ourselves as you said, letting them know we will hold them responsible for damage. On the other hand, if it gets to that point, the damage will have been done, do us, our garden, our forest and our animals, which seems unacceptable to me. We may ultimately lose this fight, but they will know they've had a fight! Thanks again for your reply, and I'm so sorry for what you've experienced.
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