To: Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe, and Pacific Grove Councilmembers

Urgent! Cell phone antennas threaten the monarch butterfly in Pacific Grove, California

To Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe, and Pacific Grove Councilmembers Alan Cohen, Robert Huitt, Ken Cuneo, Daniel Miller, Rudy Fischer, and Casey Lucius:

We oppose the placement of cellular antennas and/or cell towers in or near the Monarch butterfly habitat in Pacific Grove, including the proposed AT&T antennas at Wilkie’s Inn, and the current, temporary AT&T cell tower at the Pacific Grove cemetery.

City officials are violating an ordinance to protect the butterflies in this needed habitat. By approving a project by AT&T to have cell antennas nearby radiating the butterflies. Leading to the high possibility of them disappearing for good. Microwave radiation is well-established, including harm to insects. Research shows that microwave radiation can cause DNA and genetic damage, breaches to the blood-brain barrier which allows toxins and myelin-destroying white blood cells into the brain, including the brains of butterflies, can cause cancers and tumors, cognitive and learning impacts, immune system damage, cellular stress, chemical disruption in the body, interference with magnetite (important for navigation in migrating creatures), changes in the blood, and more.

In 2011, the World Health Organization declared this radiation a possible carcinogen – Class 2B – in the same category as DDT.

The threat to the health and survival of this ancient species is too great. Butterfly populations have declined by more than 90% in many areas. This radiation is hazardous to humans, wildlife and plants as well.

No cell towers or cellular antennas in or near the monarch butterfly habitat in Pacific Grove!

Why is this important?

Please sign by August 20, 2013

AT&T wants to put a permanent set of cellular 4G antennas at Wilkie’s Inn, (1038 Lighthouse Avenue) next to the butterfly sanctuary. This is one of the few monarch habitats the butterflies rely on. This project needs to be halted immediately.

Pacific Grove is an overwintering area for the monarch butterfly. Each year, these butterflies migrate thousands of miles from Canada to Pacific Grove and other special places in the Western Hemisphere. They arrive and stay through several reproductive cycles, and then continue their travels. These butterflies are huge pollinators helping in the process of making oxygen that we breathe. PG has an ordinance specifically protecting monarch butterflies. It has a small area set aside for the butterflies as a sanctuary, but the butterflies roost and feed in trees in the surrounding area. Many travel books feature this sanctuary to attract visitors from all around the world.

The monarchs’ numbers have diminished, due to a variety of factors. Butterfly populations have declined by more than 90% in many areas, including along the Central Coast of California.

Wireless radiation has known health impacts to humans, animals, insects, and plants. These include DNA and genetic damage, breaches to the blood-brain barrier (yes, butterflies have brains) which allows toxins and myelin-destroying white blood cells into the brain, cancers and tumors, cognitive and learning impacts, immune system damage, chemical disruption in the body, interference with magnetite (important for navigation in migrating creatures), changes in the blood, and more. There are cancer clusters around cell towers, up to 1/4 mile away.

In 2011, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared this a possible carcinogen – Class 2B – in the same category as DDT.

In Feb 2011, AT&T and the Pacific Grove Unified School District put a temporary cell tower next to the butterfly sanctuary. Despite local opposition, it was there through two overwintering cycles, and was not removed until Feb 2013. The City of Pacific Grove actually sued to keep it there, until a temporary tower was constructed several blocks away at the city cemetery, adjacent to additional butterfly habitat. That has also been opposed by local residents.

An extremely flawed report was written by the Pacific Grove Planning Department Staff, regarding the effects these AT&T cell phone antennas on Wilkie’s Inn could pose. The city did not require an environmental impact report (EIR). The city’s report did not once mention the monarch butterfly sanctuary, and stated there would be no significant adverse effects to the environment, humans included, directly or indirectly. It also stated there would be NO IMPACT, regarding this project conflicting with any local ordinance.

There was no change in the city’s position when formal comments were submitted which pointed out the obvious flaws, and the planning department’s recommendations were submitted to the Planning Commission for approval. The Planning Commission approved the AT&T project on July 18, 2013.

Thankfully, an appeal was submitted, but we weren’t given much time. The appeal date, when it will be heard by the Pacific Grove City Council, is August 21, 2013. An extension has been requested which would push the hearing on the appeal to September 7, 2013. We won’t know if this request is granted until the August 21 city council meeting.

The monarchs rely on this sanctuary and this area. These butterflies migrate more than 2,000 miles and do not need any more obstacles to survive.

By federal law, once a carrier is in an area, other carriers must be allowed to build towers or antennas as well so that AT&T does not have a monopoly. There could be a proliferation of antennas in this one area. The butterflies will be long gone if we don’t do something about this.

Please take action to stop these antennas in Pacific Grove, California. Please sign this petition TODAY. Deadline for signing before the city council meeting is Tuesday, August 20.

It is up to monarch lovers nationally and internationally to protect this threatened butterfly.

For updates visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/savepg.butterflies

Sources:
http://www.mastsanity.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=269&Itemid=136
The Birds, the Bees and Electromagnetic Pollution, by Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy, May 2009

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3973887/Documentation-about-cancer-clusters-and-other-illnesses-around-mobile-phone-masts
Documented cancer cluster cases nearby cell phone towers/antennas

http://www.biolmedonline.com/Articles/Vol4_4_2012/Vol4_4_202-216_BM-8.pdf
Impacts of radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) from cell phone towers
and wireless devices on biosystem and ecosystem – a review, S Sivani, D Sudarsanam
Biology and Medicine, Volume 4, Issue 4, Pages 202–216, Published: 6th Jan 2013

http://mieuxprevenir.blogspot.com/2012/07/sense-of-smell-and-sight-perturbed-in.html?spref=fb
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=22268919
http://www.teslabel.be/antennes/254-etude-a-lulb-odorat-et-vue-perturbes-chez-des-fourmis-soumises-au-rayonnement-gsm
Sense of Smell and Sight Perturbed in Ants Exposed to GSM Radiation: Study at Université Libre, Brussels

http://broschuerenreihe.net/britannien-uk/brochure/bees-birds-and-mankind/index.html
Bees, Birds and Mankind – Destroying Nature by Electrosmog, Ulrich Warnke. Kompetenz Initiative

If You Care, Do Something.
Ask your kids what they’d rather have, “Cell phone reception or the butterflies!” The answer is easy.