Spreading Poison

Stories from the Floodplain

The natural world is under multiple threats, many of which are complex and difficult to measure. Landowners, farmers, municipalities, and industries across the country apply pesticides at an alarming rate, attempting to conquer nature, maximize yields, and eliminate “pests” and “weeds.” These invisible chemicals often do not just harm the intended pests, they can cause enormous harm to native plant and wildlife species and can pose real threats to human health and water quality.

In this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, we talk with Dr. Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity about the overuse of pesticides and the complexity of this problem. Dr. Donley describes how the regulatory system is rigged on behalf of the chemical companies and calls for environmental and public health advocates to have a say in setting the rules for whether and how poisons are applied to the land and water.

Links:

Prairie Rivers Network (http://www.prairierivers.org/)

Center for Biological Diversity (https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/)

Take Action:

Keep an eye out for symptoms of pesticide drift in your area this spring and summer. Learn about the symptoms of pesticide drift at our Monitoring Tree And Plant Health page on our website. And if you see unusual damage to trees, curling, cupped leaves, e.g., contact us at [e-mail].

Become a member of Prairie Rivers Network and connect with a community dedicated to protecting water. And sign up for our emails so you don’t miss new podcast episodes.

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/