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Mystery of the disappearing bees: Solved!
Posted By Richard Schiffman On April 9, 2012 (10:37 pm).
If it were a novel, people would criticize the plot for being too far-fetched – thriving colonies disappear overnight without leaving a trace, the bodies of the victims are never found. Only in this case, it’s not fiction: It’s what’s happening to fully a third of commercial beehives, over a million colonies every year. Seemingly healthy communities fly off never to return. The queen bee and mother of the hive is abandoned to starve and die.
Thousands of scientific sleuths have been on this case for the last 15 years trying to determine why our honey bees are disappearing in such alarming numbers. “This is the biggest general threat to our food supply,” according to Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s bee and pollination program.
Until recently, the evidence was inconclusive on the cause of the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” (CCD) that threatens the future of beekeeping worldwide. But three new studies point an accusing finger at a culprit that many have suspected all along, a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
In the U.S. alone, these pesticides, produced primarily by the German chemical giant Bayer and known as “neonics” for short, coat a massive 142 million acres of corn, wheat, soy and cotton seeds. They are also a common ingredient in home gardening products.
Research published last month in the prestigious journal Science shows that neonics are absorbed by the plants’ vascular system and contaminate the pollen and nectar that bees encounter on their rounds. They are a nerve poison that disorient their insect victims and appear to damage the homing ability of bees, which may help to account for their mysterious failure to make it back to the hive.
Another study published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology journal implicated neonic-containing dust released into the air at planting time with “lethal effects compatible with colony losses phenomena observed by beekeepers.”
Purdue University entomologists observed bees at infected hives exhibiting tremors, uncoordinated movement and convulsions, all signs of acute insecticide poisoning. And yet another study conducted by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health actually re-created colony collapse disorder in several honeybee hives simply by administering small doses of a popular neonic, imidacloprid.
But scientists believe that exposure to toxic pesticides is only one factor that has led to the decline of honey bees in recent years. The destruction and fragmentation of bee habitats, as a result of land development and the spread of monoculture agriculture, deprives pollinators of their diverse natural food supply. This has already led to the extinction of a number of wild bee species. The planting of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops – some of which now contain toxic insecticides within their genetic structure – may also be responsible for poisoning bees and weakening their immune systems.
Every spring millions of bee colonies are trucked to the Central Valley of California and other agricultural areas to replace the wild pollinators, which have all but disappeared in many parts of the country. These bees are routinely fed high-fructose corn syrup instead of their own nutritious honey. And in an effort to boost productivity, the queens are now artificially inseminated, which has led to a disturbing decline in bee genetic diversity. Bees are also dusted with chemical poisons to control mites and other pathogens that have flourished in the overcrowded commercial colonies.
In 1923, Rudolph Steiner, the German founder of biodynamic agriculture, a precursor of the modern organic movement, predicted that within a hundred years artificial industrial techniques used to breed honey bees would lead to the species’ collapse. His prophecy was right on target!
Honey bees have been likened to the canaries in the coal mine. Their vanishing is nature’s way of telling us that conditions have deteriorated in the world around us. Bees won’t survive for long if we don’t change our commercial breeding practices and remove deadly toxins from their environment. A massive pollinator die-off would imperil world food supplies and devastate ecosystems that depend on them. The loss of these creatures might rival climate change in its impact on life on earth.
Still, this is a disaster that does not need to happen. Germany and France have already banned pesticides that have been implicated in the deaths of bees. There is still time to save the bees by working with nature rather than against it, according to environmentalist and author Bill McKibben:
“Past a certain point, we can’t make nature conform to our industrial model. The collapse of beehives is a warning – and the cleverness of a few beekeepers in figuring out how to work with bees not as masters but as partners offers a clear-eyed kind of hope for many of our ecological dilemmas.”
PHOTO: A bumblebee sits on a rhododendron bloom on a sunny spring day in Dortmund, Germany, March 28, 2012. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender
Article taken from The Great Debate – http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate
URL to article: http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/04/09/mystery-of-the-disappearing-bees-solved/
The 14th annual GreenCAPE meeting will take place at the Dennis Public Library on Saturday, May 12th at 1:00 PM. We’ll screen a film “The Vanishing of the Bees” and have a discussion afterward about BeeScaping your own yard or garden to encourage a healthy bee population. One out of every three bites of food we eat depends upon pollination by bees so a decline in the bee population equates to a decline in our food supply and all that may follow.
Download the poster by clicking on it — GreenCAPE_Vanishing Bee_Flyer_May_2012.pdf for details and to post in your local P.O., health food store, and library, or whatever creative places you can think of. Please forward this information to your lists and add to your Facebook page, blog, or other social networking to get the word out!
Our meetings are free and open to the public and everyone is invited. We will also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson. Annual elections will take place after the film and discussion.
Hope to see you all there!
Quotes from the Press on “The Vanishing of the Bees”–
“An essential documentary…If you like eating, see this film.”
Channel 4
“Verdict – Fascinating subject expertly covered.”
Empire
“A ‘bees knees’ of a film. Powerfully argued and very timely.”
Sunday Times
“Be advised, this is more than a documentary”
The Independent
“Alarming enough to convince you that this is an issue that needs action at the highest level.”
The Daily Express
“This Bee Movie has a real sting.”
The Times
To the Editor, Cape Cod Times
April 10, 2012
I write regarding your informative April 2 article on organic land management, [Cape Cod Times, April 2, 2012, see below] including Wellfleet’s laudatory leadership in becoming the first Cape Cod town to adopt an organic policy. I am hopeful that other Cape towns will soon follow suit, especially my town of Yarmouth.
The article quoted costs of various types of turf management practices. While I would question the validity of these numbers, I would instead like to remind all of us that the real issue here is health.
Using herbicides is dangerous to people, pets and wildlife. They infiltrate our bodies through our skin, our lungs and our mouths through direct contact, inhalation and contaminated water, which results from nonorganic turf management. Focusing solely on financial costs at the expense of health and wellness is not in our best interest. What is the true cost of environmental pollution when health care expenses and quality of life are factored in?
A free talk on organic land/lawn care will be held April 14, providing practical information for anyone wanting to maintain their health as well as their lawns. Call 508-362-5927 for information.
Amanda Murphy
Yarmouth
Another Response to “Cost the Major Factor” Cape Cod Times Article, from Sue Phelan, Director of GreenCAPE
Congratulations to Wellfleet’s Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Paul Sieloff
for their whole-hearted support for an organic land management policy for town-owned properties. Organic methods of lawn care significantly decrease nutrient loading into inland and coastal waterways –andgroundwater. Organic lawns and sports fields don’t use harmful and polluting pesticides, and conserve water– all of which benefit
residents, visitors, the Cape’s fishing industry, and tourist economy.
Emerging science that links exposure to turf pesticides with human health problems has increased the demand for non-chemical turf management solutions everywhere. Simple volume reduction of chemical fertilizers doesn’t accomplish these broader goals and is an inadequate solution. Chemical fertilizer recommendations have not adjusted to reflect our unique circumstances and reliance on a sole-source aquifer. Municipalities are stepping up and making significant improvements in their maintenance of public properties, limited though they are by current Massachusetts law that prevents towns from banning pesticides town-wide. However, nothing prevents homeowners and businesses from voluntarily adopting these same organic practices right now on their own property. Organic methods of lawn care are simpler, far safer, and more cost–effective than conventional chemical maintenance. GreenCAPE has offered trainings to municipal groundskeepers, professional landscapers, and homeowners alike so there is no lack of opportunity to adopt these simple
practices.
The April 2 article in the Cape Cod Times “Cape Towns Test Chem-Free Property Care” [reprinted below]- indicated concerns about the costs of transitioning municipal properties to organic methods of lawn care and included cost comparisons of a variety of maintenance programs.This study did not reflect the true cost of the organic program since the study was conducted when the cost of petroleum (the chemical source of both synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) was much lower(2005/2006). Additionally, the study (partially funded by a turf industry group with corporate contributions) reported results after less than 2 growing years-hardly an adequate trial. Both the conventionally treated and IPM grass plots used fast release nitrogen fertilizer which, according to a UConn study (Journal of Environmental Quality vol. 33 Sept. – Oct. 2004), leaches 13 times more
nitrogen to the groundwater than organic methods. The IPM plot also used 7 pesticides -so how exactly is IPM any improvement over conventional?
However, in 2010 the Long Island –based environmental health group Grassroots
Environmental Education released a report comparing the relative costs of maintaining a typical high school football field using a chemical-intensive program and a natural (organic) program over a longer five-year period. http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pdf/turfcomparisonreport.pdf
.The report, prepared for members of the New York State legislature, concluded that the annual cost of maintaining a field using natural products and techniques can be as much as 25% lower than the cost of conventional programs using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The report includes cost factors for fertilization, aeration, over-seeding and irrigation for both programs. The conventional chemical program includes additional costs for purchasing and applying typical herbicides
and insecticides, while the natural program includes costs for compost topdressing and natural soil amendments. Costs for the natural program are slightly higher in the first two years of the comparative report, and then drop significantly in years three and beyond. Once the soil biology is revitalized with organic materials, some dramatic and significant cost reductions are seen fairly quickly.
GreenCAPE and the Green Sanctuary/Social Justice Committees of the Barnstable
Unitarian Church are co-sponsoring a free natural lawn seminar featuring nationally renowned organic turf expert Chip Osborne in Barnstable on April 14th, 9:30-11:30 AM. Everyone is invited to learn the simple steps for growing a healthy attractive lawn without pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
For more information on growing organic lawns, landscapes, and gardens see: http://www.greencape.org/.
THE ARTICLE THAT RESULTED IN THE ABOVE RESPONSES:
Cape Cod Times, April 2, 2012
Cape towns test chemical-free property care – Challenging NStar – Patchwork of policies – Cost the major factor
Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, MA) – Monday, April 2, 2012
Author: MARY ANN BRAGG
WELLFLEET — Wellfleet is taking its opposition to NStar’s use of herbicides one step further.
The board of selectmen has adopted the region’s first organic land-management policy, although two other Cape towns are actively working on similar policies and several more have adopted some organic practices.
Wellfleet’s policy, adopted March 13, bans the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on all municipal properties including the town hall lawn, playgrounds and the school ball field, Town Administrator Paul Sieloff said. It does allow for a few exceptions, such as pesticides contained in traps for rodent control.
The selectmen say they adopted the policy because they believe chemical fertilizers contaminate groundwater, bays, estuaries and sources of drinking water, and because pesticides and chemical fertilizers can harm humans and animals.
“We’re using very little or none of these prohibited chemicals,” Sieloff said. “What we’re doing now is guaranteeing future activity and behavior.”
Wellfleet has been one of the towns on Cape Cod to challenge NStar’s efforts to maintain its power line rights of way with herbicides. The selectmen’s vote demonstrates to the utility company the seriousness of the town’s opposition and also provides a model for local property owners, Sieloff said.
The Wellfleet Department of Public Works maintains all town properties, including a school ball field. The total public works budget for fiscal year 2010 was around $1.7 million. Sieloff said the current cost for chemical fertilizers and pesticides is “minuscule” and that he has not yet calculated the cost of any organic replacements.
The state encourages towns to reduce pesticide use on municipal lands, particularly to protect children, but doesn’t have the money to develop further programs, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Ed Coletta said. In 2002, the DEP used a grant to produce a guide for towns on how to cut down on pesticides, through educating residents and adopting municipal pesticide reduction policies.
About 10 towns statewide have adopted organic land-management policies, according to consultant Charles “Chip” Osborne, owner of Osborne Organics and a member of the Marblehead Recreation and Parks Commission.
Locally, Eastham is developing an organic policy and also a town bylaw, Town Administrator Sheila Vanderhoef said. Eastham, like Wellfleet, fought NStar’s plans to use herbicides on rights of way. Both towns also rely heavily on private wells for drinking water.
Barnstable is documenting current land-management practices and determining how an organic policy could be implemented, acting Town Manager Thomas Lynch said. Eastham and Barnstable will work together on developing policies for each of the two towns, he said.
“You can’t invite people to your parks and put something down that might be injurious to them,” Lynch said.
Other towns have a mish-mash of informal organic policies and practices, and some are moving forward to formalize them.
Brewster, Orleans, Chatham and Harwich are working with the Pleasant Bay Alliance to adopt a plan to limit fertilizers on town fields and parks. Orleans has also informally adopted organic methods for its parks and lawns, with an occasional exception for roses, said Parks and Beaches Superintendent Paul Fulcher. An organic land-management policy will be proposed to the selectmen in the coming months, he said, most likely with a caveat that allows use of a pesticide through a public hearing process.
Falmouth, while not developing a policy per se, has eliminated pesticide use by the department of public works except to maintain Dutch elm trees, Public Works Director Raymond Jack said. Jack’s department is also working with GreenCAPE, a local environmental group, to fully eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers.
GreenCAPE, a nonprofit based in West Barnstable, encourages nontoxic methods of pest control and turf care, and helps provide training to towns on organic methods.
“It does make sense,” Jack said. “Organic fertilizers are slightly more expensive to use, and to be truly organic means it’s more manpower intensive. But we are working around that.”
Generally, schools in Massachusetts maintain playgrounds and fields under what are called integrated pest management plans, filed with the state Department of Agricultural Resources.
In Wellfleet, for example, the elementary school lawn doesn’t receive any turf treatment, Sieloff said.
At Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, an herbicide is used to prevent crabgrass.
“We try to use all means necessary without using chemicals and pesticides but they’re sometimes necessary and only after the pest has been identified,” said high school grounds foreman Steve Faucher. “It’s not like you can use it as a broad-brush killer.”
Cost, though, is the biggest factor for continuing to rely on fertilizers and pesticides, town officials said.
“We use ‘em,” said Steve Mann, golf course superintendent at the municipal Captains Golf Course in Brewster. “If we didn’t, it would be very labor intensive and very expensive.”
Turf management program costs will vary significantly from town to town, because of differences in grass species, types of soil, pest populations, use of turf, maintenance equipment available, maintenance budgets and “especially user expectations in terms of turf quality,” said extension education Jason Lanier of UMass Extension in Amherst.
“They don’t look like the golf course,” Harwich Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper said about town properties under organic management. “But they’re acceptable.”
In a study of turf management practices published in 2010 in HortTechnology, an all-organic program produced a similar quality of lawn as two alternatives that used fertilizers and pesticides. But the organic program was more expensive.
One of the alternatives was a typical consumer lawn fertilization program. The second alternative was an integrated pest management plan, which used fertilizers depending on turf growth and pesticides only as a last resort.
The tests were conducted from June 2005 through Oct. 2006 in West Lafayette, Ind., through Purdue University and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. The integrated pest management plan cost $1,989.34 per acre; the consumer plan $2,742.90; and the all-organic plan, $3,497.89.
Caption: Cape Cod Times/Ron Schloerb
Sandwich Cape Cod Academy girls tennis. The baseball fields at Wellfleet Elementary School are being treated without using pesticides or other chemicals, according to the town public works department.
Memo: Organic Turf Help
Guide to reduction in use of pesticides for citizens and municipalities: www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/hazardous/rpcguide.pdf
Pleasant Bay Alliance’s recommended policy for municipal turf management: www.pleasantbay.org/wp-content/uploads/Memorandum-and-Policy.pdf
On Thursday, March 15, a good crowd of members and supporters turned out at Barnstable Town Hall to receive an Official Citation from the MA Senate and Sen. Dan Wolf for our achievements in the environmental arena over the past years. It was great to hear the positive thoughts, and receive a standing ovation from the Barnstable Town Council. For the past few years, we have spent so much time spreading the word about about dangers to our water supply by pesticides, and hearing the assurances of some that the use of “Government Approved” toxic materials makes them OK to use, that it’s nice to know the message is getting through. Check out our Facebook page for pics and “like” us.
Earlier in the week, the Town of Wellfleet adopted (UUUnanimously!) our Municipal Organic Land Management Policy for all the town-owned properties. Wellfleet is the first Cape Cod town to commit to an organic policy but we are looking for others. We are encouraging other towns to transition to organic practices also.
Of course, we always encourage homeowners to adopt organic strategies for their home grounds and to that end we will be offering another lawn program for homeowners in April 14th from 9:30 to 11:30 am at The Unitarian Church of Barnstable in Warren Hall. This is how we lay the groundwork for your town to adopt organic practices — its citizens see the benefit of it, and want it in their town. Free and Open to the Public. GreenCAPE_LawnSense _Chip_Apr2012
Cape Cod Towns are not included in the 49 Massachusetts towns identified as locations for chemical spraying to defoliate right of ways in 2012.
WHAT does this mean??? Filed in the Environmental Monitor, it’s NSTAR’s state plan to manage vegetation in 2012 pursuant with their five-year vegetation management plan from 2008.
It DOES include herbicides as part of their “IVM” – Integrated Vegetation Management plan across the state BUT they DO NOT propose using herbicides in ANY of the towns that have passed non-binding resolutions on the Cape.
http://www.env.state.ma.us/mepa/mepadocs/2012/022212em/pn/8.pdf
This is NOT an extension of the moratorium and this much more tentative. We have also recently learned there has been and will be NO baseline water monitoring as anticipated earlier. Please notice how the responsibility falls on individual towns to notify NSTAR about sensitive areas and remember, a majority of towns have NSTAR easements around town wells!
We need to remain vigilant on all NSTAR work on the right of ways (ROWs). Please report any questionable happenings on the power line easements to us at 508.362-5927 or info@greencape.org.
The 2008-2012 Vegetation Managment Plan is on the state website at http://www.mass.gov/agr/pesticides/rightofway/index.htm It is well worth looking at.
NOTE: COMMENTS BY THE PUBLIC ARE DUE BY APRIL 6.
Comment on the MDAR Notice and Procedures established for the municipal review:
Michael McClean
Direcotr of Rights-of-Way Programs
Massachusetts State Pesticide Bureau
251 Causeway Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02114-2151
Comment or questions regarding the YOP:
William Hayes, Senior Transmission Arborist
NSTAR Electric & Gas Corp.
One NSTAR Way, SE-370
Westwood, MA 02090-9230
Phone: 781-441-3837
Article from Cape Cod Times, in which company spokesman Michael Durand says plans are not finalized for the Cape:
NStar forgoes Cape Cod spraying
By Patrick Cassidy
pcassidy@capecodonline.com
February 24, 2012
Herbicide spraying beneath Cape Cod’s power lines is on hold for now.
As part of an annual plan filed last week with the state, NStar officials listed 49 towns where they plan to use the chemicals to control plant growth under transmission lines. None of the Cape’s 15 towns are on the list.
“The herbicide (yearly operational plan) that we recently filed excludes Barnstable County this year because we’re still finalizing our vegetative management plans for the Cape,” NStar spokesman Michael Durand said Thursday.
It is too soon to tell if the company will follow up the Feb. 15 filing with another one that includes herbicide use on the Cape, Durand said.
State and county officials, however, said they believe NStar is unlikely to use herbicides here this year.
“Unofficially, I heard they weren’t going to be doing it,” Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Director Lee Corte-Real said.
NStar could file a revised yearly operational plan later in the year, but the plans are not typically submitted in multiple parts, Corte-Real said.
Once they receive a copy of the yearly operational plan, municipal officials have 45 days to correct maps of sensitive areas in their towns. NStar must alert communities 21 days before any planned herbicide application, according to state regulations.
Corte-Real said he is not aware of a utility ever filing a revision to its yearly operational plan.
NStar has voluntarily held off on using herbicides on the Cape for the past two years after opponents raised concerns that the chemicals could pollute the region’s water supply.
Every Cape town has now signed on to a resolution calling on NStar to permanently discontinue spraying.
The possible continuation of a moratorium on spraying by the utility is an opportunity to have a real discussion about alternative methods of controlling vegetation underneath power lines, said Sue Phelan, director of GreenCAPE, a local nonprofit organization that has focused its efforts on NStar’s spraying plans in recent years.
“We do need to be vigilant,” Phelan said.
“It’s possible for them to double back, but we’re not going away.”
NStar officials argue that they use very small amounts of herbicides in focused applications and that the practice will lead to even fewer herbicides being used over time. The amount of the chemicals used by NStar is far less than what is applied by homeowners and other users, according to state estimates.
Since the company stopped using herbicides, complaints have increased over mowing and other mechanical means of controlling vegetation beneath power lines.
Utilities are required to meet specific vegetative management standards by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to avoid major power outages.
In 2010, NStar agreed to hold off on herbicide spraying on the company’s rights of way on Cape Cod.
Last year, the company extended the voluntary moratorium for another year.
The Cape Cod Commission, which helped negotiate the initial moratorium, has since moved forward with plans to take inventory of the use of pesticides across the Cape, Patty Daley, deputy director of the regional planning and regulatory agency, said.
The commission already has mapped almost all of the drinking water supplies across the Cape and expects the inventory of pesticides to be complete by the fall, Daley said.
Once that is finished, a public education campaign will be launched, she said.
Although a pre- and post-herbicide application monitoring program was not funded last year by the Department of Agricultural Resources, the commission is continuing to work with the state to expand on monitoring wells already in place, Daley said.
In the meantime, the apparent continuation of the moratorium is an opportunity to make more progress on all fronts, Daley said.
“My understanding is that they will not spray on the Cape this year,” Daley said.
Barnstable County officials should include a policy on organic land management in the regional plan, Phelan said.
Although current laws make it difficult to force homeowners to eliminate their pesticide use and an exemption may be necessary for agriculture in the immediate future, municipalities could adopt an organic approach immediately, she said.
Sylvia Broude, organizing director of the Toxics Action Network, said she hopes a proposed $17.5 billion merger between NStar and Northeast Utilities is seen as an opportunity for the combined company to act as a leader in reducing the use of herbicides under power lines.
“We hope this 2012 plan brings us one step closer to a long-term no-spray commitment for Cape Cod that protects the sole-source aquifer from contamination,” she said.
Massachusetts officials announced last week that the merger had received conditional approval and would include an agreement by NStar to buy more than a quarter of the power from the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm.
The merger agreement is set to expire April 16.
Connecticut regulators have said they will make their decision on the merger before that date.
Related Stories
Cape Cod Canal rally decries NStar spray tactics
NStar chews on green alternatives
Cape Cod National Seashore using herbicide
NStar pesticide debate turns spotlight on homeowners
Cape towns join NStar spraying foes
NStar extends power line spraying moratorium
Cape lawmakers file bill targeting herbicide use
Interest Grows in Eastham Goat Project
by Marilyn Miller, Wicked Local Cape Cod
EASTHAM —
Neil Andres is the boss at the Department of Public works, but when it comes to the enclosed area behind the DPW, where the town’s four alpine goats are kept, Butt Head rules. She’s the boss lady of the goats.
“When you have herds, one is the dominant animal,” Andres said. “We had to make two stalls. Butt Head chases the others out, they go to the other stall, she chases them out, and they keep doing that until they are tired. There’s a divider, and they can see each other.”
The goats are part of a vegetation control experiment to see if the animals can be an environmentally friendly alternative to using herbicides at rights of ways under power lines and possibly to control invasive species in other areas of town.
Last week, Sue Phelan director of GreenCape in West Barnstable, and her friend, a goat herder in Oregon, visited the Eastham herd.
“Sheri wanted to make sure they were physically healthy,” said Phelan, who added that Sheri did not want her last name to be used. She herds 90 goats in Oregon. They are used for fiber grazing, and grazing to control fires.
“They have very rocky areas in Oregon that you cannot get to with a mower, but goats love climbing and can easily get to these areas,” Andes said.
Andres said Cape Cod National Seashore is interested Eastham’s goat project.
GreenCape, last June, held a demonstration goat walk on the Mid Cape to acquaint people with the idea of using goats to control vegetation. “This is done in quite a bit in other places, and there is no reason why it can’t be done here,” Phelan said. “Eastham has always had this poison ivy they at they want to deal with, and the goats did eat the poison ivy that was growing up the building at the DPW garage.”
The DPW staff built a mobile trailer from materials salvaged from the transfer station to transport them and has created an electric fencing system with solar panels, to keep them within a 25-square-foot area when they move them from one area of the landfill to another to graze.
They have to be kept in a contained area, or else they will roam and eat everything they come across, which could include endangered species of plants, Andres said.
“Both Sheri and I wee impressed with how much effort has gone into the care and tending of the goats in Eastham,” Phelan said. “I thought they would be more unsocial, but they were fine, not spooked at all.”
Wiley Park has a big poison ivy problem, but before the goats can be taken there, Andres needs permission from the conservation commission.
At GreenCape’s demonstration goat walk last year, Phelan said “The goats ate the worst things imaginable, briars and all. They were not the least bit daunted by any of the stuff they came across. They are wonderful for clearing difficult areas, and keeping them cleared. They can work in the most difficult places, whether rocky or completely flat.”
Andres said the goats’ hooves need tending, which something that will be done soon by the AmeriCorps volunteer.
“We are hoping that a local veterinarian will donate services for anything that needs to be done with them,” Phelen said.
The goats have gone from a diet of old Christmas trees, to one of grass, hay, grains and blackberries they find when grazing. Workers transport the goats to different areas of the landfill, where they set up the portable electric fence.
Andres is pleased with the first two months of operation of this demonstration project.
“I think we’ll look for a partnership as we move forward,” Andres said. “AmeriCorps will work with us and GreenCape. I’d like NStar to be a partner with us.”
Andres emphasized that the goats are not pets, and the town does not invite the public in to see them.
“We are not a petting zoo, but if people come near them, we don’t want them to be vicious, so we’re worked hard at making them socialized,” he said. “Right now, we are in the learning process.”
Read more: Interest grows in Eastham goat project – - Wicked Local Eastham http://www.wickedlocal.com/eastham/news/x1134098131/Interest-grows-in-Eastham-goat-project#ixzz1n6rBTMg6
To the Editor of the Barnstable Patriot:
In an article on Jan. 27th entitled “Clearing the Air about Clearing the Trees”, it was reported that “the electric company, when it does use herbicides, “is using things that you can buy” in a hardware store, and employs licensed people to apply them.” The aforementioned has been so frequently mis-stated by proponents of herbicide spraying that it brings to mind the old saw that if you repeat a lie often enough, eventually people will believe it. But has anyone seen these specific formulations that NSTAR sprays in the hardware store??? I haven’t- and I’ve looked. In fact, Krenite S, the herbicide NSTAR uses the most, is not even registered by the USEPA for any residential uses –though in this situation it is being used on residential properties that also have a utility easement. According to the USEPA, neither a residential exposure assessment nor an aggregate health exposure assessment has been performed on Krenite S since it was never intended to be used where people might be exposed to it. Significant sections of NSTAR’s power line easements are located on occupied residential properties and public lands, so perhaps those residents might like to know that they are the test subjects for Krenite. Relative to the application aspect mentioned– of course NSTAR uses licensed pesticide applicators– simply because it would be against the law not to. But the question should be—WHY are licensed applicators even required? –Because all pesticides (including herbicides) are toxic by design and their damaging effects are not limited to the target species. There is cross-over damage to other species, including humans. You and I would not be able to purchase those NSTAR herbicides AND we certainly wouldn’t be able to apply them on land that we don’t even own– as NSTAR does. It is unfortunate, and very telling, that a corporation such as NSTAR, which has made some positive contributions in other communities, is instead attempting to bully Cape communities with their irresponsible and overzealous cutting. Extremes of cutting and chemicals are unnecessary and ill-advised on Rights-of-Way on private property and above the Cape’s drinking water supply. Please direct your disapproval to the NSTAR CEO Tom May at (617) 424-2527 and Investor Relations at (781) 441-8338.
Signed,
Sue Phelan
www.greencape.org
GreenCAPE, Cape Alliance for Pesticide Education
In case you haven’t yet had the opportunity to view this film, please join us for this month’s potluck dinner and film, “Living Downstream” on Friday, January 27, at the Unitarian Church of Barnstable. The potluck dinner begins at 6pm and the film begins at 7pm, followed by a discussion led by Sue Phelan from GreenCAPE.
Living Downstream is based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. It is an eloquent and cinematic 60-minute documentary. This poetic film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links.
If you opt to attend the potluck dinner at 6PM, simply bring a dish to share – organic or sustainably grown, if possible.
The film is sponsored by the Unitarian Church of Barnstable Social Justice Committee and GreenCAPE.
You are welcome to invite others to this event. Please RSVP to JoAnn Kelley at jojolk@gis.net by Wednesday, January 25.
We hope to see you there!
Diane and Sue
Download Living Downstream_poster and information
Download Poster January 27th film and potluck information
GreenCAPE’s
BASIC ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT LIST FOR THE GARDENER
Least Toxic Options for Your Yard, Garden, Lake & You
www.GreenCAPE.org; (508) 362-5927
Most products listed are available at local nurseries including Country Garden (Hyannis), Matt’s Organic Gardens Dennis Port), or through the named web sources.
Following label directions gives best results and saves $$$. However, no product can substitute for siting plants in their appropriate environment, using disease-resistant strains where possible, and the creation and maintenance of a healthy soil with proper pH, good drainage and ample organic matter.
1-Liquid Seaweed/Fish Emulsion- for starting and all-purpose feeding: Squanto’s Secret, Neptune’s Harvest; Seacure and Seaplus from North Country Organics at Matt’s Organic Gardens
2-Rock phosphate (P) & Greensand (K) – for slowly available potassium and phosphorus with calcium & trace minerals resulting in less leaching of these nutrients into water bodies; Matt’s
3-Slow release organic fertilizers -Organica, Barnyard’s Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, North Country Organics Pro-Gro, Coast of Maine products, Maggie Pipkins Organic Fertilizers (www.capecodwormfarm.com)
4- Safer’s Insecticidal Soap & Sharpshooter Insecticide- for aphids, scale, whitefly, earwigs, mealy bugs, thrips and other insects (see label); also-Garlic Barrier insect repellent (Matt’s)
5-BT (aka Bacillus thuringiensis) & Spinosad- for caterpillar control (incl. Cabbage Moth & Winter Moth)
6-Grub Guard- beneficial nematodes for lawn grubs, cutworms, borers, maggots, flea larvae, flea beetles and worms. (Timing of applications is most important!!! Follow directions.)
7- Corn Gluten- a non-toxic pre-emergent weed control for crabgrass, dandelions, etc- as found in WeedBan; also included in Organica and Cock-A-Doodle-Doo fertilizers
8-BurnOut– vinegar/lemon juice-based non-selective herbicide of broadleaf weeds, grass
9-Neem Oil- insect spray for a number of insects including Japanese beetle, Mexican bean beetle, cucumber beetles, leaf miners, weevils, whitefly, lily leaf beetle and others
10-Serenade Garden- for various bacterial and fungal diseases incl. mildews, tomato blights, black spot;
or-mix 1 tsp. baking soda to 1 qt. water plus a touch of cooking oil as a spray for mildew and black spot
11-Surround- a kaolin clay-based crop protectant for barrier control vs. fruit and vegetable pests (apple maggots, codling moth, a variety of beetles, leafhoppers thrips)
12-Diatomaceous Earth- for leaf eating insects, flea beetles, grasshoppers; use in a band to deter slugs and snails. (NOT the same as the DE used in pool filters)
13-Floating Row Cover- for earlier crop yields, frost protection, insect barrier and season extension
14-A Generous Pile of Finished Compost from a reliable source that doesn’t include biosolids, sludge or pesticides- e.g. from Matt’s Organic Gardens, Coast of Maine, or make your own (easy!!)
15-An Even More Generous Pile of Mulch (e.g.salt marsh hay, seaweed, eelgrass, untreated bark, etc.) to deter weeds, hold in soil moisture and moderate soil temperatures. Know your source of supply for purity.
16-Cover Crop Seeds for late summer/fall planting (e.g. clover, vetch, rye, buckwheat, oats, etc) for rebuilding & conserving good soil structure and fertility; erosion control.
17-Earthworm Castings and/or a Bucket of Earthworms for soil enrichment from the Cape Cod Worm Farm (www.capecodwormfarm.com).
18-Bird Feeders-for serious insect control; Bee Hives-for serious pollination! Attract beneficial insects for bug patrol. It’s a bug-eat-bug world– let it work!
Download a one page printable Alternatives for the Gardener: greencape_basic_alternatives
Least Toxic Options for Your Yard, Garden, Lake & You
www.GreenCAPE.org; (508) 362-5927
What gift/legacy will NSTAR leave to Cape Cod? Will NSTAR give the gift of cleaner water and habitat-or not? In many ways, this depends on all of us and the efforts we are willing to make in the coming days. In this season of giving, please give a moment of your time to ensure the future health of the Cape community YOU are crucial to NSTAR’s decision! It has been reported that NSTAR has “heard” our hundreds of phone calls. Let’s make sure. The second temporary moratorium ends Dec. 31st.
Please call the NSTAR CEO, Tom May at 617-424-2527. If you are unable to speak to someone or leave a message at that number, try calling 781-441-8338 (NSTAR investor relations).
Let’s generate hundreds more calls! Tell Tom May you’re a resident (or tourist, etc.) of Cape Cod and ASK HIM TO COMMIT TO A PERMANENT NO HERBICIDE POLICY ON CAPE COD and the ISLANDS. Ask him to halt NSTAR’s pesticide spraying plans atop our aquifer- Cape Cod’s unique and only water supply- and commit to controlling vegetation mechanically e.g. cutting, mowing, or animal power or a combination of these.
PLEASE CALL THE CEO Tom May TODAY upon receiving this e-mail before all the inevitable holiday distractions take your attention elsewhere. Others to contact, the Governor, legislators and the press are listed in our website.
To follow is some background on the issue -
In 2012, as part of its five-year Vegetation Management Plan, the electrical utility NSTAR once again plans to spray five herbicides under 150 miles of power lines across Cape Cod. For decades, NSTAR used only non-chemical methods for controlling vegetation along power lines – using mechanical cutting and mowing exclusively. Our strenuous objections and compelling research brought about a moratorium of these questionable practices in the previous 2 years but the moratorium ends Dec. 31, 2011, and NSTAR has still not agreed to revert back to the safer method of cutting and mowing (or animal power) to control weeds, shrubs, and trees under the electrical power lines.
NSTAR’S PESTICIDE PLAN THREATENS OUR HEALTH AND OUR DRINKING WATER-it’s that simple. For more info on the chemicals NSTAR uses, please visit the NSTAR page on our website.
THERE ARE SAFE, EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES TO PESTICIDES – NSTAR HAS USED THEM FOR DECADES.
We are simply asking NSTAR to return to those safer, non-chemical methods of vegetation control that they used successfully for years. The use of herbicides to control vegetative growth along power lines on Cape Cod is an unnecessary risk for public health and the environment. We request that NSTAR abandon its plan to use herbicides along rights-of-way on Cape Cod and the Islands and commit to a no-spray, pesticide-free policy to control ROW vegetation.
Please forward this message to everyone you know that cares about the Cape and wants to ensure a healthy future for us all.
PLEASE CALL Tom May AND FORWARD THIS E-MAIL to your lists TODAY. Thanks for giving it more push !
Please sign our online petition to the NSTAR CEO, see Change.org/NSTAR.
We have almost two thousand signatures.
Follow our NSTAR campaign and others on the GreenCAPE Face Book. Sign up to receive the blog by email. We do not distribute our lists outside of the group.
For more information on pesticides and alternatives, visit www.GreenCAPE.org.
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