Summary, timeline so far.
I have recently discovered that our national parks are using significantly more pesticides than I had assumed and I am deeply concerned about the impact on our native creatures. This could have impacts on endangered animals across the board; frogs, newts, their eggs and young, bats (have you thought about bat mother's milk?), and many, many others -- birds? Many biocides have an impact on animals far more than just the adults.
In my opinion it is _critical_ that this important data is made much more available to researchers and concerned citizens who are knowledgeable about specific endangered species or habitat. I am not convinced that the wonderful, hard-working people in the Parks Service can always be fully up on current research on the latest greatest neurotoxin or DNA regulatory system poison, and the impact these poisons will have on our endangered wildlife. Getting specific chemical names, the amounts used, and locations is vital for any intelligent analysis of pesticide use.
I initially assumed that pesticide use was a fairly reasonable amount - a couple of pounds here and there. I mean, after all they are protecting our natural lands right?.
But the longer time has gone on and the more resistance I have received to acquiring any information at _all_, the more concerned I have become. Our National Parks should not be Monsanto's, DuPont's, and Dow chemical's testing grounds or personal playpens.
This is a summary as of November 15th.
More detailed information than you would probably like is at.... https://www.puravidaaquatic.com/wordpress/our-national-toxic-parks/
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Current attempts at contacting Park officials and getting pesticide data....
Phone, Email, or web links contacted. Not in chronological order.
https://www.foia.gov/,Thursday Oct 19th 2023 freedom of information act FOIA filed asking for pesticide use information in three of the national parks Yosemite, Sequoia, and Everglades., No response yet but the FOIA site says that it can take up to a year.
Everglades 305 242-7700,October 17th,sent voice message, interested in pesticide usage in the park.
October 17?19th,reply,speak to Hillary Cooley 305-242-7875.
Hillary Cooley 305-242-7875,October 19th,sent voice message,I would like some information on pesticide use in the park. No response yet
Sequoia National Parks information 559-565-3341,October 17th,sent voice message, phone number before and after.... interested in pesticide use, no response yet
cs_envaudits@nps.gov,November 6th 2023,sent, National integrated Pest Management requesting information on pesticide applications in the parks....products used, amounts, locations, etc., No response yet
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,
Thursday Oct 19th 2023 filled out the contact form on Yosemite's website and sent it requesting information on pesticide applications in the park: products used, amounts, locations, etc., Responded 10/,31
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,10.31.2023,Received, email with link that doesn't work and junk.
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,Tuesday November 9th,sent,asking for the integrated Pest Management officer or office contact link.
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,Thursday November 14th,sent, link you supplied does not work. If you could please supply me a link that is publicly accessible (PUPS) database. And before you send it please check that it is publicly accessible
PUR.lnquiry@cdpr.ca.gov, Monday November 6th 2023,sent,PUR Pesticide Use Reporting (California) --unfortunately only by County data.... asking if they have any information on national parks.... maybe add California parks to their database., No response yet
CDPRWeb@cdpr.ca.gov, Monday November 6th 2023,sent,
PUR asking if they have any information on national parks.... maybe add California parks to their database., Responded November 13th.
CDPRWeb@cdpr.ca.gov, Monday November 13th, received, very nice response but National Parks are not required to and do not give them any data.
CDPRWeb@cdpr.ca.gov, Tuesday November 14th,sent, Thank you! It is nice to have anyone respond
contact@savethefrogs.com,Tuesday November 7th,sent, are you aware....
contact@savethefrogs.com,Wednesday November 8th,received,could you give us more information.
contact@savethefrogs.com,Wednesday November 9th,sent, potential issues with tadpoles.
contact@savethefrogs.com,Thursday November 9th,received, Kerry from save the frogs great response back but no unpublished the data about pesticide use
contact@savethefrogs.com,November 10th,sent, Thank you!
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1103/ipm.htm
And then down near the bottom: "Find a Regional IPM Coordinator" ...
And then: Pacific West Region (Unified regions 8, 9, 10, 12)
Brent Johnson, e-mail us....
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1103/ipm.htm
,Wednesday November 8th,sent,standard questions; for three national parks over 5 yrs. - what, where, and how much., No response yet.
communications@dc.sierraclub.org
I am interested in understanding if the Sierra club has any intent in publishing an annual report on the pesticide usage in our National Parks?....I'm sure you're aware that more and more people are becoming concerned about the amount of pesticides used everywhere.... and I am puzzled why large environmental groups such as yours have never, and are not now, including in their publications an annual report., No response yet
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Googling world wide Web for
Integrated Pest Management, National parks?
NPS IPM, mid-october, NPS integrated Pest Management IPM.... federal law., YES! Hmmmmmmm Why didn't Yosemite superintendent mention this?
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Search the National Park service database that the superintendent of Yosemite sent me in response to my question about pesticide use in the park.
https://irma.nps.gov/Portal
Link gives Error message....small link at the bottom to
https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Search/Quick
This is not PUPS but....Searched for:
"PUPS pesticide" in all national parks
4 integrated Pest Management articles oops :-) but they don't really say anything other than that they're using pesticides according to Monsanto and Dow chemical and Duponts PR departments
"Pesticide applied" in _all_ national parks., Most were meaningless for our purposes. There were some published reports that were obviously funded by pesticide manufacturing companies. But there were two pesticide use log(s) one for Pea Ridge National Military Park. 1991. Pesticide Use Log. Pea Ridge, AR and the other Pea Ridge National Military Park. 1994. Pesticide Use Logs. Pea Ridge, AR.... In both cases under "Permissions" "Permission to Download Files": " NPS Staff" the reports are supposed to be public and are on a public database but the permission to download any usable files is restricted to NPS staff. How awesome in our National Parks
The following searches were done for Yosemite specifically
"pesticide" ,only turns up a few links to outside projects analyzing chemical residue coming from sampling in the park.
"pesticide application",no results found.
For "application pesticide",no results found.
None?? Seriously 😃 and the IRMA searches supposedly include all of 'Park Science'
"glyphosate" ,no results found
"Roundup" ,1 result.
The Director’s Report; A Message from Director Roger Kennedy: From Here to Where We Want to Be Regional Roundup
.... Regional _Roundup_ 😆....So no pesticide results found.
"Round_up", no results found
"Round-up", no results found
"Rodeo: no results found
"Biocide: no results found
"IPM coordinator",no results found
"Integrated Pest Management", one result see next line.
"integrated pest Managements",Both gave one result. One!.. from 1914 😆....
Yosemite National Park - Superintendent Annual Report (1914)....
Several pages down....
Quote:
"INSECT CONTROL.
The work of felling and burning insect infected trees with the object of eradicating injurious
insects and protecting the remaining trees from other attacks has been continued this season under the direction of Mr. J. J. Sullivan, entomologist, of the Department of Agriculture.
Work has been done in the vicinities of Big Meadows, Little Yosemite, and the valley of
the Illilouette"
End Quote,
interesting if they had continued non-toxic methods we would probably all be better off.
Federal Pesticide Management",1result....Unpublished Report
Sierra Nevada-Southern Cascades (SNSC) Region Air Contaminants Research and Monitoring Report
Staci L Simonich, Leora Nanus....,
Obviously this report is _again_ not about pesticide application in the park.
"insecticides",one...
This link is only about pesticide drift from outside the Park....Summertime transport of current-use pesticides from California's central valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, USA, again they seem to be only worried about blaming outside the park. Not what they've been doing since the '50s
"herbicide",No results found
"application data",10 or so, None relevant except I enjoyed one which was bragging about an "application" for a cell phone tracking app. So they would have better data for Park sales points. 😆. One way of looking at it is that they would rather track you than keep you or our native animals safe.🥴🤔
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Take home point: The massive IRMA Park database which has tens of thousands of publications and supposedly includes all science being done in the parks does not include any reference to Yosemite's PUPS database or have a single word about pesticide _application_ in most of the parks.
This is going to be the start of a permaculture sustainability project to obtain access to the National Park Service (NPS) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Database. If you would like to be a part of this project please contact us
vidaaquatic@gmail.com
http://www.puravidaaquatic.com/
310-429-8477
http://www.puravidaaquatic.com/
http://www.puravidaaquatics.com/
310-429-8477