Mailbox: Oppose use of herbicides on Boulder County Open Space

EDITOR’S NOTE: When this letter was submitted to us for printing, we had two questions to ask the author: (1) You have already reached your goal of 500 signatures, why do you want more? and (2) You will be delivering the petition to the Commission on Thursday, so isn’t it too late for people to sign the petition? What is your goal. == this is their response: “Our goal is to inform as many residents as possible about this issue.  The map of the areas sprayed with pesticides has never been shared with the public. Because of Boulder County Open Space’s lack of transparency, kids are biking, hiking, running, and playing on Boulder County Open Space while their parents confidently assume these lands are chemical free!  We are also aware that Thursday’s Public Hearing is not going to immediately change the position of our Commissioners.  We will need more signatures for our future actions.” 

Local Residents Oppose the Use of Herbicides on Boulder County Open Space Natural Land
September 1st, 2022

Since 2014, as documented in the article “Spray to Play” by Rico Moore in the Boulder Weekly, Boulder County Open Space has been spraying toxic chemicals including Glyphosate (the active ingredient of Roundup) and Indaziflam (the active ingredient of Esplanade and Rejuvra) to control cheatgrass on Boulder County Open Space natural lands.

Concerned Boulder County residents are delivering today, September 1, 2022, over 500 signatures on a petition (https://sign.moveon.org/p/stopthespray) to the Boulder County Commissioners asking them to stop the spraying of these toxic chemicals.  

Glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor and is associated with a wide range of illnesses, including Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Indaziflam is a neurotoxin for mammals, an endocrine disruptor, and a toxin to fish.  Residents are concerned that the spraying, which is done with ground crews, with tractors, and from helicopters, will undermine human health and the health of the ecosystems.
 
Residents are asking Boulder County Commissioners for a public hearing for full transparency on the use of chemicals on Boulder County Open Space natural lands. Residents also want to push for alternatives to pesticides use, such as targeted goat grazing, a service offered by Goat Green LLC and successfully implemented elsewhere in Colorado.   Prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning, can successfully control cheatgrass at our altitude and within Boulder County’s ecosystem.  Finally, there is a growing and very successful movement to involve volunteers in restoring degraded lands by removing the invasive plants and planting native species on areas much larger than Boulder County.  

…………………Christel Markevich, concerned Boulder County resident.
For more information, contact Christel Markevich at christelmarkevich@gmail.com, — Click on the Petition page for more details.

Disclaimer: The opinions and alleged facts expressed in “letters to the editor” are not necessarily a reflection of the official policy or position of any staff member or contributing writer or that of the Lyons Recorder. The material has not been researched or confirmed by the newspaper staff.