Obama Administration Finalizes Stronger Stream Buffers to Protect Imperiled Salmon from Pesticides

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Al Bergstein

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/13/18759976.php

The Environmental Protection Agency today finalized an agreement to restore no-spray buffer zones around waterways to protect imperiled salmon and steelhead from five toxic pesticides.

A coalition of conservation organizations, advocates for alternatives to pesticides, and fishing groups cheered the victory. These groups brought a lawsuit to demand reasonable fish protections from the insecticides, some of which are derived from nerve toxins developed during World War II….

The buffers apply to salmon habitat throughout California, Oregon, and Washington to prohibit aerial spraying of broad-spectrum pesticides diazinon, chlorpyrifos, malathion, carbaryl, and methomyl within 300 feet of salmon habitat and prohibit ground-based applications within 60 feet.

 

The agreement provides detailed notice to state regulators, pesticide applicators, farmers, and the public about the required no-spray buffer zones. These buffers will remain in place until the National Marine Fisheries Service completes analyses of the impacts of these five pesticides on the fish. Then, the EPA must implement permanent protections grounded in the Fisheries Service’s findings. (Indymedia)

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Workshop on understanding environmental buffers along your property – April 4 – Port Ludlow

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Last Chance to ‘Live on the Edge’

The last in a series of workshops on critical areas and buffer management will be held Thursday, April 4 in Port Ludlow. The free workshop called “Living on the Edge – Protection for People, Property, and Habitat” workshop will be from 12:30 to 4:30pm at the Ludlow Community Center (Grace Christian Center) and will include a local fieldtrip.

The first two workshops in the series were held in Quilcene and Chimacum and were well attended. Content for all three workshops is similar but the field trips are different. The workshops are designed for homeowners or landowners who have property on or near a shoreline, bluff, wetland or creek.

Attendees will learn about different types of critical areas and how to best manage the buffers around them. Topics covered include how to use your buffer area without harming it or yourself, the role of native plants, tips on removing noxious weeds, how to enhance or restore a buffer, how to encourage birds and wildlife, and what resources are available to homeowners.

“Critical Areas” have important functions in nature; filtering and cleaning water, delivering sand to the beach, providing fish and wildlife habitat, or supplying our drinking water. Some areas may pose a potential danger including flooded creeks, eroding bluffs, and slopes prone to landslides. Areas called “buffers” are designated to ensure everyone’s safety, protect property from damage, and to keep these important places healthy. Buffers can be enjoyed, maintained, and even enhanced by the people who own them for better function, property values and aesthetics.

The Ludlow Community Center (Grace Christian Center) is located at 200 Olympic Pl. in Port Ludlow. This event is open to the public. Please reserve a space by emailing darcym@wsu.edu or calling 360/379-5610 x222.

The workshop is hosted by Jefferson County Extension, the Jefferson County Weed Board and the Watershed Stewardship Resource Center.

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