1,000 signatures reached
To: Boulder County Commissioners
Urgent: Signatures Needed to Stop the Spraying of Toxic Chemicals on Boulder County Open Space!
Boulder County is planning aerial spraying of toxic chemicals, including Glyphosate and Indaziflam, on Boulder County Open Space natural (non-agricultural) lands. Indaziflam, the active ingredient of Esplanade, is a neurotoxin to mammals, an endocrine disrupter, and a toxin to fish. We demand full public transparency on the use of chemicals on Boulder County Open Space natural lands, including a public hearing with the Boulder County Commissioners, before any further spraying takes place.
Why is this important?
Without informing the public, the County is now preparing for extensive aerial spraying to control cheatgrass on Boulder County Open Space natural lands. We, the residents of Boulder County, don’t want our ecosystems and our communities to be exposed to toxic chemicals.
The health of the local ecosystem will not be restored with chemicals. Boulder County Open Space natural lands need forward looking ecological restoration to improve the health of the local ecosystem, increase carbon sequestration, and help mitigate the climate crisis. Such restoration will not come from Boulder County Open Space weed managers who focus on the use of chemicals. Boulder County Commissioners need to seek competent restoration advice from ecologically minded practitioners.
The use of chemicals to manage cheatgrass is not consistent with Colorado State recommendations. The State correctly categorizes cheatgrass as a List C species for which the goal “will not be to stop the continued spread of these species but to provide additional education, research, and biological control resources to jurisdictions that choose to require management of List C species”.
Aerial spraying is no longer a standard activity for grassland management and requires substantial documentation and explanation for such an extreme action, particularly given the state classification of cheatgrass. While cheatgrass is a local nuisance, there is no evidence that it posses a threat to native species in the Colorado Front Range.
*Additional resources*
Spray to Play — Article from Boulder Weekly: https://www.boulderweekly.com/news/spray-to-play/
Information about Indaziflam from Beyond Pesticides: https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/Indaziflam%20Fact%20Sheet%202020.pdf
Colorado State Weed Management Recommendations: https://ag.colorado.gov/conservation/noxious-weeds/species-id