Pesticide News
Have a green thumb, with a clean conscience. There are plenty of eco-friendly ways to keep your lawn looking lush. By Colleen Diskin, 06/24/08. Published in The Record.
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- You can live "green" and still have a lush green lawn, advocates say.
With lawn-care season in full swing, a number of eco-conscious organizations are trying to educate homeowners about ways to battle weeds and nourish grass without polluting the environment with pesticides, fertilizers and gas fumes from the lawn mower.
Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator of the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said many suburban homeowners wrongly think they can't have an attractive lawn unless they use a "four step" program of pesticides and fertilizers.
"I once heard someone say we need a 12-step program to get people off these step treatments," Nogaki said. "It's like a chemical addiction."
While many homeowners might think chemical pesticides are necessary to grow grass instead of weeds, Nogaki said they only kill weeds in the short term. She said the better method is to pull weeds or spot treat them with organic products, and then rake in more grass seed.
Lawn pesticides, which have been linked to increased risk of cancer, asthma and immune disorders, are particularly harmful to children. In addition, chemicals used on lawns can run off into streams that feed drinking water reservoirs.
Decision on gypsy moths still bugs Jackson residents, 06/09/08, by Keith Ruscitti. Published in the Asbury Park Press
For the first time in two years, a small crop-dusting plane hovered over portions of this municipality last month dispersing Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a bacterial species that has been developed as a microbial insecticide.
The purpose of the two-day flyover was an effort by the township and state officials to stem the infestation of the gypsy moths that plagued Jackson and its approximately 53,000 residents.
The Sierra Club, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the New Jersey Environmental Federation and other environmental groups have long opposed Dimilin as an alternative to fight the caterpillars.
The groups consider the pesticide a human carcinogen when it drips off from the trees and into the soil, eventually running off into bodies of water and water supplies.
Auriemma said Dimilin is also harmful to bees, crabs, shrimp and other species.
"On both sides of the issue, nobody has a solution to eliminate the gypsy moth problem," Auriemma said. "All the solutions being discussed are about suppression of the problem."
Gypsy moths could hit 45,000 acres of trees in state. By Jim Wright, 01/29/08. Published by The Record.
Gypsy moths could destroy 45,000 acres of trees statewide unless the state takes strong action, state Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus told an Assembly committee on Monday. The cost of fighting the pest in New Jersey could approach $9 million.
Environmentalists said they were concerned the state may try to use the pesticide Dimilin over 33,000 acres in the state.
Jane Nogaki of the New Jersey Environmental Federation said 36 environmental groups oppose this use of Dimilin, which she said has significant environmental and human health effects. "This chemical is too dangerous to spray over residential areas," she said. Nogaki said the DEP currently bans the use of Dimilin over residential properties, and that Bt is a "good enough solution" to the problem.
Gypsy moths could cause major damage. By Tom Baldwin, 01/29/08. Published by Courier-Post.
New Jersey is facing toward a devastating year for gypsy-moth infestations, state Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus warned Monday.
The state has a gypsy-moth spraying program, and some municipalities tackle the matter themselves -- or gamble and forgo spraying, assuming the upcoming season won't be bad. Skipping of seasons has worsened gypsy moth threats because municipalities that count on as so-so year allow the moths to keep proliferating, said David Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
Pringle and the Sierra Club's Jeff Tittel complained Kuperus may try to use a carcinogen against the moths. Spokeswomen for Kuperus and the state Department of Environmental Protection confirmed there was an ongoing dialogue on this issue, but Kuperus had not asked for permission to use the substance.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS01/801290369/1006/news01Gypsy moths could cause major damage. By Tom Baldwin, 01/29/08.
New Jersey is facing toward a devastating year for gypsy-moth infestations, state Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus warned Monday.
Calling last year "our largest outbreak since 1990" and pointing to scientists' examination of the density of egg clusters, Kuperus said, "The 2008 projections are for an even worse year this year."
The gypsy moths are expected to peak in the state in May and June.
The state has a gypsy-moth spraying program, and some municipalities tackle the matter themselves -- or gamble and forgo spraying, assuming the upcoming season won't be bad. Skipping of seasons has worsened gypsy moth threats because municipalities that count on as so-so year allow the moths to keep proliferating, said David Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
Gypsy moths could hit 45,000 acres of trees in state . By Jim Wright, 01/29/08. Published by Courier-Post.
Gypsy moths could destroy 45,000 acres of trees statewide unless the state takes strong action, state Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus told an Assembly committee on Monday.
Kuperus called gypsy moth caterpillars "an imminent peril to trees in our communities and forests."
The cost of fighting the pest in New Jersey could approach $9 million. He noted that the federal government appropriated just $4 million to address the problem nationwide this year.
The state Department of Agriculture plans to treat 112,500 acres in 100 communities and 17 counties this year. Paramus is the only municipality in North Jersey on the proposed list for aerial spraying this spring.
At the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee meeting on Monday, environmentalists said they were concerned the state may try to use the pesticide Dimilin over 33,000 acres in the state.
Jane Nogaki of the New Jersey Environmental Federation said 36 environmental groups oppose this use of Dimilin, which she said has significant environmental and human health effects.
"This chemical is too dangerous to spray over residential areas," she said.
Nogaki said the DEP currently bans the use of Dimilin over residential properties, and that Bt is a "good enough solution" to the problem.
State: Gypsy-moth outbreak could be "devastating" in 2008. By Tom Baldwin, 01/29/08. Published by Asbury Park Press.
New Jersey is heading for a devastating year for gypsy-moth infestations, and Ocean County will likely be one of the hardest hit counties, state Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus warned Monday.
Calling last year "our largest outbreak since 1990" and pointing to scientists' examination of the density of egg clusters, Kuperus said, "The 2008 projections are for an even worse year this year."
"Clearly the problem is growing. In 2008, based on egg-mass surveys completed late last year, we expect even higher levels of defoliation and tree loss," Kuperus told the committee, adding that worst hit will be Burlington, Ocean and Sussex counties.
The state has a gypsy-moth spraying program, but some municipalities tackle the matter themselves — or gamble and forgo spraying, assuming the upcoming season won't be bad. That skipping of seasons has worsened gypsy moth threats because municipalities that count on a so-so year allow the moths to keep proliferating, said David Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
Dennis Adopts Pesticide-Free Zone Policy. By Joe Hart, 01/17/08. Published by Cape May County Herald.
DENNISVILLE –– Parents that are worried about allowing their children to play in public parks here for fear of contact with harmful pesticides can rest easier now.
Thanks to the efforts of the township Environmental Commission, long-time resident activist Ruth Fischer and the New Jersey Environmental Federation, Dennis Township Committee adopted a restrictive pest management program at its Jan. 15 meeting.
The program calls for the use of natural organic methods or the least toxic methods available for treating public property, such as community parks, recreation areas, school grounds and municipal grounds.
Environmental Federation representative Jane Nogaki told the Herald that Dennis Township was following the lead set by the county, Ocean City and a dozen other communities throughout the state, which adopted similar measures in recent years.
A study of Cohansey acquifer, which supplies much of the township’s water, showed that 40 percent of the tested wells had some pesticide residues, Nogaki said.
Nogaki and Judy Gollatz-Morgan, chair of the Environmental Commission, thanked officials for adopting the pest management program and presented them with their first “Pesticide Free Zone” ladybug sign that Mayor John Murphy promised to post at township hall.
The signs, along with “Pesticide Free Zone” pamphlets, will be placed on municipal grounds throughout the township.
NJDA offers gypsy moth spray agenda with Dimilin. By William Persson, 01/01/08. Published by New Jersey Farmer Newspaper.
TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has announced its proposal for a gypsy moth aerial spray suppression program for 2008.
Addressing the consideration of the use of Dimilin, Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator at the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said, “Dimilin is a chitin inhibitor, a growth regulator that prevents insect larva from developing a normal exoskeleton. But that is not all it does. Some chemicals, like Dimilin, have secondary, sub-lethal, effects on organisms that were not the primary target. Effects that can alter reproduction, behavior, and normal development in plants, animals and humans.
“Also, children are especially vulnerable to the hazards of pesticides — and the effects can be lifelong,” Nogaki added. “The towns that seem the most vocal about, and the most willing to support, aerial Dimilin spraying, including Freehold, Jackson, Shamong and Tabernacle have offered no actual evidence beyond signed petitions that any real emergency exists.
“There is no evidence that indicates there is a public health (gypsy moths are not a known disease vector), agricultural or environmental emergency.
“Without a quantified justification for an emergency declaration, the DEP seems to be standing behind last year’s decision to decline a waiver for Dimilin,” Nogaki said.
Last year was the highest involved acreage, 320,000 acres, since 1990 when over 431,000 acres of trees experienced some defoliation.
“Yet, in those intervening 17 years, no Dimilin was used and the amount of involved acreage defoliated remained below the 1990 level,” said Nogaki.
NJDA offers gypsy moth spray agenda with Dimilin By William Persson, 1/1/2008. Originally published in the New Jersey Farmer Newspaper
TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has announced its proposal for a gypsy moth aerial spray suppression program for 2008.
At a meeting on Jan. 3, attended by about 125 people — twice the expected attendees — the program overview and the status of gypsy moth infestations in the state were presented.
When the podium was turned over to presentations from the public, it quickly turned into a back-and-forth discussion, mostly about the possibility of aerial spraying with Dimilin.
Addressing the consideration of the use of Dimilin, Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator at the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said, “Dimilin is a chitin inhibitor, a growth regulator that prevents insect larva from developing a normal exoskeleton. But that is not all it does. Some chemicals, like Dimilin, have secondary, sub-lethal, effects on organisms that were not the primary target. Effects that can alter reproduction, behavior, and normal development in plants, animals and humans.
“Also, children are especially vulnerable to the hazards of pesticides — and the effects can be lifelong,” Nogaki added. “The towns that seem the most vocal about, and the most willing to support, aerial Dimilin spraying, including Freehold, Jackson, Shamong and Tabernacle have offered no actual evidence beyond signed petitions that any real emergency exists.
“There is no evidence that indicates there is a public health (gypsy moths are not a known disease vector), agricultural or environmental emergency.
“Without a quantified justification for an emergency declaration, the DEP seems to be standing behind last year’s decision to decline a waiver for Dimilin,” Nogaki said.
Last year was the highest involved acreage, 320,000 acres, since 1990 when over 431,000 acres of trees experienced some defoliation.
“Yet, in those intervening 17 years, no Dimilin was used and the amount of involved acreage defoliated remained below the 1990 level,” said Nogaki.
State sets battle with voracious gypsy moth, by Richard Pearsall, 1/4/2008.
Originally published in the Courier Post
TRENTON
They're dormant now, resting in egg masses deposited on tree trunks last summer.
But come May, millions of gypsy moth caterpillars will emerge and begin chomping, first on oak leaves, if they're available, then on just about anything else they can find, including pine needles.
"I've seen them eat lawns when nothing else is left," said Joe Zoltowski, head of gypsy moth control for the state Department of Agriculture.
The plan calls for spraying 112,500 acres of forested, residential areas, 27,000 of them in hard hit Burlington County.
A little over 1,000 acres in five towns in Camden County (Gloucester Township, Pine Hill, Pine Valley, Waterford and Winslow) have been deemed eligible for spraying , and about 3,700 acres in four towns in Gloucester County (Clayton, Harrison, Franklin and Monroe).
In addition, the state's Division of Parks and Forestry intends to spray about 6,000 acres of public forests.
Jane Nogaki, of the N.J. Environmental Federation, and other environmentalists raised questions about dimilin's effect on, among other things, the human hormonal system and said that until such questions are answered, it would be wiser for the state to "stay the course" and stick with Bt.
Bt, she said, is "a good enough remedy to reduce defoliation" until the natural order of things -- the return of stronger populations of fungi and other parasites that prey on the gypsy moths -- restore order.
A ladybug signals town parks are safe, By Stephanie Akin, 10/27/2007.
Originally published by the Bergen Record.
FAIR LAWN -- The borough declared its parks pesticide-free Friday. As three women watched their toddlers play on a slide behind them, officials accepted the borough's first "pesticide-free zone" sign at Berdan Grove Playground. Park users can take the ladybug emblem as a guarantee that the area is safe for them and their children.
With the measure, Fair Lawn joined 11 other New Jersey boroughs in banning pesticides and herbicides from play areas. They will post the ladybug sign at every park in the borough. Volunteers from the New Jersey Environmental Federation canvassed borough neighborhoods last spring asking residents to support the program, spokeswoman Jane Nogaki said. Mayor Steve Weinstein said those residents sent him hundreds of letters. The borough stopped using pesticides in its parks in 1986, but the public attention showed him that many residents were unaware of the policy, he said.
Organizers of the pesticide-free park campaign are trying to rally support for a county- or statewide policy. The Assembly is considering a bill to limit the use of pesticides in state parks and forests. Nogaki said she hoped campaigning in residential areas would also make people reconsider the chemicals they use every day.
"When you knock on doors and say, 'Would you like your parks to be pesticide-free?' who's going to say no?" Nogaki said. "The message you would like them to take home is, 'What about what I'm doing on my own property.' "
Red Bank takes steps to 'go green' at parks, By Melissa Harsh, Staff Writer, 10/18/2007 Originally printed in the Hub
RED BANK - The borough made another stride toward "going green" by passing a resolution adopting integrated pest management (IPM) as the borough's pest control policy at the Oct. 8 council meeting.
The EC has been working with the New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF) on endeavors like using IPM in the borough since the summer.
NJEF director and Red Bank resident Amy Goldsmith made a presentation in July outlining three major ways for the borough to conserve energy and become more environmentally conscious.
"We want to encourage public institutions to use greener products," said Goldsmith. Among her suggestions to the commission were to establish pesticidefree zones, institute green cleaning and for the borough to participate in "Idle Free New Jersey."
"The idea is, turn your car off after 10 seconds, don't warm up for more than 30 seconds," said Goldsmith. "If a car idles for 10 minutes, it is equivalent to driving five miles," said Goldsmith.
EAST WINDSOR -- Continuing its tradition of open space preservation and other environmentally friendly practices, the township took a step few other municipalities in the state have taken when it adopted a resolution to make its parks "pesticide free zones."
East Windsor joined nine other municipalities in the state when it passed the resolution unanimously on Tuesday night, said Jane No gaki, pesticide program coordinator for New Jersey Environmental Federation, a nonprofit group that encourages towns in this regard.
The township also adopted a resolution encouraging the reduction of vehicle idling time and is doing research into environmentally friendly cleaning practices in township buildings, said Mayor Janice Mironov.
"People make individual choices on their own properties," she said, but pesticides from one lawn can wind up in another person's water supply. Nogaki explained that New Jersey uses about 4 million pounds of pesticides a year, split roughly in half between agricultural uses and lawn care.
"Those pesticides are showing up in every river in New Jersey and in our groundwater," Nogaki said.
Mironov said that the township is also looking into how it can use less toxic cleaning products to "make our approach greener and still be able to accomplish the necessary sanitary goals."
DENNIS TOWNSHIP - The temperature is rising, beaches are opening, cars are packing the Garden State Parkway and environmental activist Ruth Fisher is sounding alarms about herbicide spraying on the roadways.
It has become part of the season around here. As weeds start growing up around guardrails, utility poles and guidewires, crews blast them with herbicides. Fisher said they were out in force this past week.
Fisher responds by writing letters, making phones calls, attending Cape May County freeholder meetings, calling the media and convincing neighbors to put up "no spray" signs on the roads in front of their properties. Fisher has such a sign in front of her house next to a flower display.
Fisher believes the glyphosate-based herbicides kill more than just the unwanted vegetation. The state, which maintains 2,500 miles of roadway, uses three brands of herbicides including Roundup, Oust and Vanquish. She believes they endanger wildlife and people.
"We don't know the combined effects of any of these, nor is anybody studying it. We know the bees are dying, and that's a bad symbol that things are going bananas," Fisher said.
In 2004, Fisher and other environmentalists convinced local lawmakers to propose legislation banning the use of herbicides to control roadside weeds. The legislation stalled.
"The bill didn't pass. There was industry opposition," said Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator with the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
Nogaki said some of the glyphosate-based herbicdes have been linked to medical problems and scientific literature suggests it lingers in soil and water. Nogacki noted the Garden State Parkway is only using them in areas that are inaccessible to machinery.
"They have virtually eliminated it with mowing, weeding and installing asphalt," Nogaki said.
Nogaki also questions why the state doesn't follow the counties in having stronger environmental laws. She noted many counties have stopped using herbicides on the roads.
Neptune Declares Parks As Pesticide Free Zones, The Coaster, 04/27/07
The environmentally friendly ladybug is alive and well at Bradley Park Playground in Neptune, thanks to a township policy that declares parks and playgrounds as Pesticide Free Zones.
According to Neptune Mayor James Manning Jr. the integrated pest management policy for the township identifies key sensitive areas like parks to be managed without harmful chemical pesticides.
Integrated pest management calls for the management of insects, undesired plants, and plant diseases with tools that are least likely to impact human health or the environment.
"I commend the Neptune Township Environmental/Shade Tree Commission for being proactive and supportive of the pesticide free park initiative", Manning said. "I am proud to say that every time you see the ladybug signs in our parks, many of which have been recently upgraded, it means you can be rest assured that they are pesticide free."
According to Jenny Vickers, communications coordinator for the NJ Environmental Federation, New Jersey uses about four million pounds of pesticides annually for lawn care, mosquito control, agricultural production and golf course maintenance.
"We especially want to protect children because they are closer to pesticide applications on the ground. In addition, they are still developing and absorb more pesticides than adults," Vickers said.
TRENTON -- They are the worst uninvited guests. They eat your food and might even sleep in your bed. They are probably in your house right now -- and once you know they're there, you'll most likely do anything to get rid of them, even by unintentionally risking your family's health.
How you deal with your household mice, cockroach, flea, fly, meal moth and bedbug problems may be more dangerous than the pests themselves.
Potentially harmful residue may hang in the air long after ap plications of spray pesticides. Pesticides break down and disap pear more slowly indoors than outdoors. To protect yourself and your children, airing out the home after spraying or simply refraining from using spray pesti cides is the only option, said Jane Nogaki, the pesticide program coordinator for the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
"Kids exposed to pesticides are more likely to get asthma and even experience brain damage," said Nogaki. "Twenty-five percent of children in Trenton have asthma. That is double the rate than the rest of New Jersey..."
Environmentalist group urges less pesticide use, Ed Moorehouse, Burlington County Times, 03/07/07
SOUTHAMPTON - The Pinelands Preservation Alliance has offered the Pinelands Commission a list of recommendations for reducing the use of pesticides in the national reserve.
Jane Nogaki, an Evesham resident and pesticide program coordinator for the New Jersey Environmental Federation, has been advocating against the unnecessary use of pesticides in the state for 20 years.
"There's a lack of regulatory protection for the most vulnerable species in our ecosystem," Nogaki said.
Nogaki said 33 different pesticides were detected in a study of four locations along the Rancocas Creek. The pesticides detected were insecticides and herbicides primarily used in lawn care, golf courses and in agricultural production.
Nogaki said it is unknown what the combinations of multiple detections mean in terms of health and the environment.
She said about 4 million pounds of pesticides are applied in the state annually.
Municipalities can take the lead in incorporating integrated pest management practices and creating pesticide free zones in their communities, such as around parks, she said...
Groups: State Should Restrict Pesticide Use, Kirk Moore, Asbury Park Press, 03/08/07Pesticides and herbicides should be subject to new restrictions in the Pinelands because increasing use of the chemicals has put more of those chemicals into the region's streams and ground water, with probable adverse impacts to wildlife and native plants, two environmental groups said Wednesday.
Trace amounts of 9 to 13 pesticides were found in water samples during U.S. Geological Survey testing of southern New Jersey rivers in 1997 to 2000, and even at low levels those chemicals can have adverse effects on "small terrestrial and aquatic animals that are at the bottom of the food chain,'' said Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator for the New Jersey Environmental Federation.
The groups want a Pinelands ban on using a number of pesticides including atrazine, carbofuran, diazinon, malathion, and carbryl, an all-purpose insectcide marketed to homeowners as Sevin.
They also want a prohibition on glyphosate herbicides including the brands Roundup and Rodeo, which are widely used in residential landscaping for weed control. Industry spokesmen contend glyphosates are safe when properly applied, but Nogaki said increasing usage of those compounds leads to lingering effects on soil microorganisms and their appearance in water samples...
DEP rejects pesticide in gypsy moth fight, Courier-Post, 01/30/07
The state Department of Environmental Protection has rejected the use of dimilin, a "broad spectrum" pesticide, against the voracious, tree-killing gypsy moth. The decision pleased environmental groups in the state, who had raised concerns about using dimilin as an alternative to the bacterial pesticide Bt. "We're pleased that the governor and the DEP weighed in on the side of the public and the environment," said Jane Nogaki, the head of pesticide programs for the N.J. Environmental Federation...
DEP bans controversial pesticide, 01/30/07
A decision handed down by the state Department of Environmental Protection yesterday will prevent at least two Ocean County towns from using a controversial pesticide to control gypsy moth populations this spring. In a letter addressed to the state Department of Agriculture's head of Plant Pest and Disease Control, DEP Administrator Marcedius T. Jameson declined to grant a waiver allowing for the pesticide Dimilin to be dropped from the air over areas with a high concentration of caterpillar eggs. "For 20 years, its been Department of Agriculture policy to not spray Dimilin. I don't know why all of a sudden its acceptable," said Jane Nogaki, the Pesticide Program Coordinator for the New Jersey Environmental Federation. Nogaki said her group and others raised concerns about Dimilin and how it breaks down after being applied. There is data that shows the chemical can alter growth patterns and hormone levels, she said...
Gypsy moth pesticide worries environmentalists, Atlantic City Press, 01/03/07
New Jersey government officials may start killing gypsy moths with a pesticide that has drawn environmentalists' criticism. "This breaks the ban on chemical spraying that's been in place for 20 years," said Jane Nogaki, of the New Jersey Environmental Federation...
Environmentalists aim to make parks pesticide-free, The Hub, 07/27/06
As part of a community campaign, New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF) canvass staff are knocking on doors in Rumson, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls to raise public awareness that the use of pesticides on public lands is harmful to people who use the parks and to local waterways "They knock on doors, working on getting members and promoting concern about clean air and water. We urge people to write letters to the editors of their local papers about these issues," said Jane Nogaki, NJEF's Pesticides Campaign coordinator. She continued, "We're asking towns to designate playgrounds and parks as 'Pesticide Free Zones,' because the hazards to children are higher, because they are more vulnerable to pesticide use."
Hazlet Bans Pesticide Use in Sections of Parks, The Independent, 11/15/06
As part of a statewide campaign to reduce pesticide exposure to children, Hazlet has become the first township in the county to employ pesticide-free zones in its parks. New Jersey Environmental Federation Pesticide Program Coordinator Jane Nogaki said that Hazlet should not have much of a problem complying with the new rules. Mayor Michael Sachs noted that Jane Nogaki [NJEF Pesticides Coordinator] has put in plenty of effort locally to help the cause. "She's been working hard and it's good to see that this got done in Hazlet," Sachs said. "I'm sure once other municipalities see what we've done, they'll follow along as well," Sachs said...
