Virtually every stream, lake, and river in the Northwest that has beentested is contaminated with pesticides. Pesticide pollution of surfacewater in Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho exposes salmon andtheir habitat to harmful levels of contamination. The US GeologicalSurvey (USGS) detected at least 25 and as many as 50 pesticides ineach of the six major watersheds studied in the Pacific states.

Pesticides can kill salmon directly or cause damage that significantlyreduces their chances of survival. Pesticides can harm salmon byeffecting their behavior, depressing their immune and hormone systems,or impacting their food supply and habitat.

The pesticides found in our surface water are a result of run-off fromapplications to homes, parks, roadsides, businesses, schools, andagriculture. Most cities and counties in the Northwest use pesticidesin their parks, roadside vegetation management, municipal building andgrounds, and other properties. Municipalities use pesticides that harmnot only salmon, but can cause health problems for people includingcancer, neurological damage, endocrine (hormone) disruption, andreproductive impacts. Cities and counties are in a unique position toreduce their own use of harmful pesticides and to serve as a model fortheir citizens or other municipalities.

Report Shows Pesticides Can Be Eliminated Successfully

In the Northwest we have quite a few examples of municipalities thathave implemented salmon-friendly pest control methods. ThurstonCounty's pesticide phase-out policy, adopted ten years ago, broke newground in Washington. The county was the first government in the stateto adopt a formal policy ending the use of pesticides linked to healthand environmental problems. Since then, many other jurisdictions havejoined them in reducing or eliminating use of pesticides and adoptingstrong policies that follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM)principles. Strong IPM practices focus on preventing pest problemsthough good maintenance, monitoring, building plant and soil health,and using mechanical, biological, or cultural controls for dealingwith pest problems if they arise.

Thurston County has a citizen advisory board that helped todevelop their pest management policy in the 1980's and has sinceguided county departments in reducing their pesticide use by over 97%.
Both Seattle and San Francisco have eliminated the use of themost toxic herbicides and insecticides on all city properties.
San Juan County hasn't used herbicides in its roadsidemaintenance program for over 20 years, nor has Jefferson County.
Smaller cities, including Lynnwood and Oak Harbor, have recentlyadopted policies and practices that use only least-toxic controls.

Washington Toxics Coalition's new report, Growing Trends: SuccessfulStrategies for Reducing Pesticide Use in Public Places, outlines tencase studies of programs and agencies in the state that have reducedor eliminated pesticide use. Successful programs inlcude Thurston andJefferson Counties, the City of Seattle, Bainbridge Island SchoolDistrict, the Woodland Park Zoo, the Port of Seattle, and SeattleUniversity.

One of the longest-running programs is in Jefferson County, which hasmaintained its roadsides without pesticides for 23 years. Instead,Jefferson uses a variety of techniques that encourage low-growingnative plants, which need little maintenance, are attractive, andprovide habitat for wildlife.

Seattle University has also maintained its grounds without pesticidesfor a number of years. Instead, gardeners choose hardy, pest-resistantplants, plant densely to crowd out weeds, and mulch extensively. Theresult is an extremely attractive landscape that is clearly thriving. Each story is different, as each solution must be specific to thesites and problems faced. Information on transition away frompesticides, citizen involvement in the process, costs and practicescan be found in each story.

Many of the cities and counties in Washington that have switched awayfrom use of high hazard pesticides made the change because of pressurefrom citizens who were concerned about the negative health andenvironmental impacts of pesticides. Continued community support andinvolvement are crucial to make these programs successful in reducingpesticide use and putting safer alternatives in place.

New Kit Available Help Stop Pesticide Use

To better assist community groups and individuals interested indeveloping local IPM policies, a great new action kit is available.The kit contains information, resources, and organizing assistance,and should be the first step in protecting salmon and our communitiesfrom the harmful effects of pesticides. This kit is produced by the bythe Washington Toxics Coalition and the Northwest Coalition forAlternatives to Pesticides under the Clean Water for Salmon Campaign.Over 100 organizations are members of the regional Clean Water forSalmon Network, supporting pesticide-free streams to aid in salmonrecovery.

Despite the rampant problems associated with pesticide use, there arerays of hope. As more cities and counties change their pest controlpractices to least-toxic methods, our rivers and lakes will becomehealthier places for salmon to return to. Our ability to change ourindividual and collective dependence on chemical means of pest controlwill determine the fate of not only the salmon, but of ourselves.

For copies of the action kit or "Growing Trends" report, contactAngela Storey, Washington Toxics Coalition, 206-632-1545 ext. 11,astorey@watoxics.org, or www.watoxics.org

The Washington Free Press
PMB #178, 1463 E Republican ST, Seattle WA 98112 WAfreepress@gmail.com