Newsletter of the Sierra Club Palouse Group Winter 2017 Serving SE Washington and Central Idaho Palouse News Non-Toxic Moscow Contributed by Timothy D. Hatten, PhD In Moscow, ID Carly Lilly, local restaurant owner and passionate supporter of pure and nutritious foods, is spearheading an effort to clean-up the city’s public spaces. She’s working on the effort with Scott Fedale, vice-chair of the Sustainable Environment Commission (SEC), and others on the commission and off of it. Carly’s Non-Toxic Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/ groups/NonToxicMoscow/. Like the page, and support this hugely important movement that’s going on right here in our community. Whoa, where is this coming from? Well, there’s a movement happening in this country to eliminate use of toxic pesticides in urban parks, school yards and sports complexes. It started, or was re-engaged, in 2014 when the two-year old child of a mother from Irvine California came down with a brain tumor. Looking into possible causes for it they found that the area’s parks, schools and sports complexes were constantly being doused with herbicides such as Roundup (Glyphosate) and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) to control weeds or to mark out the track lanes. She was horrified because her research revealed that some countries have outlawed these chemicals because of their toxicity to humans. Although based on limited evidence, The World Health Organization has listed Glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen”(1), and it has been linked to birth defects, brain cancer, alzheimer’s disease, autism, celiac disease and more (2). And 2,4-D has the dubious distinction of being one of the principal ingredients in Agent Orange, the pesticide that was used so extensively during the Vietnam War and responsible for many deaths and birth defects. She also discovered that no less than 16 other children (ages 1 to 16) had come down with cancer in their com- munity and miscarriages were also being reported. This confirmed her suspicions that pesticides were at the root of this cancer cluster. The commitment of this woman to curb pesticide usage in her community brought her into contact with other women who had similar concerns and, in a few cases, were also engaged in a similar fight in other neighborhoods. They got organized and worked to inform their home- owners associations, school districts, sports coaches, etc. and with ever more converts they formed Non-Toxic Irvine, a non-profit organization whose goal is to eliminate use of toxins in parks, public spaces, athletic ball fields and city maintained landscaping. Then, on February 23, 2016, the City of Irvine heard the voices of this movement and voted unanimously to use only organic herbicides and pesticides and not toxic synthetics (3). The citizenry of other cities like Costa Mesa, CA are trying to follow Irvine’s lead. Non-Toxic Irvine has reengaged municipalities and Re-routing Hwy 95 – It Ain’t Over Yet! Contributed by Al Poplawsky PGSC is a member of the Paradise Ridge Defense Coalition which has been trying to convince the Idaho Transportation Department to choose a less environmentally damaging alternative for re-routing Hwy 95 south of Moscow since the early 2000s. However ITD has stuck to their original proposal of a route high over the shoulder of Paradise Ridge which would endanger one of the last remnants of the Palouse Prairie – an ecosystem which is over 99% gone. This is really the crux of the matter. The basis for all of the wealth on the Palouse – the Palouse Prairie - is critically endangered, and the ITD proposal could put the final nail in the coffin. In late summer Judge Winmill ruled against PRDC “by the slimmest of margins” in a lawsuit alleging that ITD had not fulfilled the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. PRDC has now filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. Our lawyers and others we have spoken with are cautiously optimistic. PRDC has also been working on the US Army Corps of Engineering which must grant a Clean Water Permit for the project. The USACE must grant the clean water permit only if ITD has chosen the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA). However ITD admits in their own Environmental Impact Statement that their E-2 alternative is the MOST environmentally damaging, and that all alternatives are practicable – including the C-3 alternative (favored by PRDC) which mostly follows the current footprint of the highway and is actually the LEAST environmentally damaging alternative. Thus we feel that we have a very good argument for denial of the Clean Water Permit for the E-2 alternative. However nothing is guaranteed. Please, please stay tuned – hopefully this will be resolved soon in favor of the Palouse Prairie! citizens on urban pesticide issues. It is not the first city or organization to take on the issue, albeit its complete ban on pesticides could be novel. The City of Seattle, for example, has been using Integrated Pest Management – a system that integrates biological, cultural and chemical controls – in its parks for some time, and has completely banned the use pesticides in 14 of its parks since 2001 (4). Seattle also banned the use of neonicotinoid insecticides on all city properties since 2014, a group of pesticides that have been shown to have serious impacts on pollinators. Organic Land Care (OLC) is an ecologically holistic approach being promoted by Rutgers, Penn State and other universities for landscapes (see Non-Toxic page 2)
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Newsletter of the Sierra Club Palouse Group Winter 2017Serving SE Washington and Central Idaho
Palouse NewsNon-Toxic MoscowContributed by Timothy D. Hatten, PhD
In Moscow, ID Carly Lilly, local restaurant owner and passionate supporter of pure and nutritious foods, is spearheading an effort to clean-up the city’s public spaces. She’s working on the effort with Scott Fedale, vice-chair of the Sustainable Environment Commission (SEC), and others on the commission and off of it. Carly’s Non-Toxic Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/NonToxicMoscow/. Like the page, and support this hugely important movement that’s going on right here in our community. Whoa, where is this coming from? Well, there’s a movement happening in this country to eliminate use of toxic pesticides in urban parks, school yards and sports complexes. It started, or was re-engaged, in 2014 when the two-year old child of a mother from Irvine California came down with a brain tumor. Looking into possible causes for it they found that the area’s parks, schools and sports complexes were constantly being doused with herbicides such as Roundup (Glyphosate) and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) to control weeds or to mark out the track lanes. She was horrified because her research revealed that some countries have outlawed these chemicals because of their toxicity to humans. Although based on limited evidence, The World Health Organization has listed Glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen”(1), and it has been linked to birth defects, brain cancer, alzheimer’s disease, autism, celiac disease and more (2). And 2,4-D has the dubious distinction of being one of the principal ingredients in Agent Orange, the pesticide that was used so extensively during the Vietnam War and responsible for many deaths and birth defects. She also discovered that no less than 16 other children (ages 1 to 16) had come down with cancer in their com-munity and miscarriages were also being reported. This confirmed her suspicions that pesticides were at the root of this cancer cluster. The commitment of this woman to curb pesticide usage in her community brought her into contact with other women who had similar concerns and, in a few cases, were also engaged in a similar fight in other neighborhoods. They got organized and worked to inform their home-owners associations, school districts, sports coaches, etc. and with ever more converts they formed Non-Toxic Irvine, a non-profit organization whose goal is to eliminate use of toxins in parks, public spaces, athletic ball fields and city maintained landscaping. Then, on February 23, 2016, the City of Irvine heard the voices of this movement and voted unanimously to use only organic herbicides and pesticides and not toxic synthetics (3). The citizenry of other cities like Costa Mesa, CA are trying to follow Irvine’s lead. Non-Toxic Irvine has reengaged municipalities and
Re-routing Hwy 95 – It Ain’t Over Yet!Contributed by Al Poplawsky
PGSC is a member of the Paradise Ridge Defense Coalition which has been trying to convince the Idaho Transportation Department to choose a less environmentally damaging alternative for re-routing Hwy 95 south of Moscow since the early 2000s. However ITD has stuck to their original proposal of a route high over the shoulder of Paradise Ridge which would endanger one of the last remnants of the Palouse Prairie – an ecosystem which is over 99% gone. This is really the crux of the matter. The basis for all of the wealth on the Palouse – the Palouse Prairie - is critically endangered, and the ITD proposal could put the final nail in the coffin. In late summer Judge Winmill ruled against PRDC “by the slimmest of margins” in a lawsuit alleging that ITD had not fulfilled the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. PRDC has now filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. Our lawyers and others we have spoken with are cautiously optimistic. PRDC has also been working on the US Army Corps of Engineering which must grant a Clean Water Permit for the project. The USACE must grant the clean water permit only if ITD has chosen the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA). However ITD admits in their own Environmental Impact Statement that their E-2 alternative is the MOST environmentally damaging, and that all alternatives are practicable – including the C-3 alternative (favored by PRDC) which mostly follows the current footprint of the highway and is actually the LEAST environmentally damaging alternative. Thus we feel that we have a very good argument for denial of the Clean Water Permit for the E-2 alternative. However nothing is guaranteed. Please, please stay tuned – hopefully this will be resolved soon in favor of the Palouse Prairie!
citizens on urban pesticide issues. It is not the first city or organization to take on the issue, albeit its complete ban on pesticides could be novel. The City of Seattle, for example, has been using Integrated Pest Management – a system that integrates biological, cultural and chemical controls – in its parks for some time, and has completely banned the use pesticides in 14 of its parks since 2001 (4). Seattle also banned the use of neonicotinoid insecticides on all city properties since 2014, a group of pesticides that have been shown to have serious impacts on pollinators. Organic Land Care (OLC) is an ecologically holistic approach being promoted by Rutgers, Penn State and other universities for landscapes
(see Non-Toxic page 2)
Temporarily feral Sierra Club members at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (photo by Mac Cantrell)
Draining the Swamp …Contributed by Jim Frenzel
… or creating a “landfill”? President Trump campaigned on the promise to “Drain the Swamp”, claiming he would propose a package of ethics reforms and lobbying restrictions. But what has really happened since he took office? It has been reported that more than one hundred former federal lobbyists now work for the administration, with approximately two-thirds in agencies that they had previously lobbied. (USA Today, 21 June 2017) Instead of filling important government positions with qualified individuals and instructing his cabinet to do the same, Trump continues to appoint friends, donors, and industry “insiders” – individuals with obvious conflicts of interest. Talk about letting the fox live with the chickens! Let’s take a look at some of the most egregious appointments. Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency: As former attorney general for Oklahoma, Pruitt actually sued the agency he now heads multiple times in an effort to repeal the Clean Power Plan and thwart efforts by the Obama administration to limit pollutants from power plants, while at the same time accepting campaign contributions from energy companies.
Outing to Turnbull National Wildlife RefugePrairies, Waterways and Forests in the Channeled ScablandsContributed by Mac Cantrell
After 23 years of living on the Palouse and extensive hiking throughout the region, I experienced a beautiful area that was completely new to me—the Channeled Scablands at Turnbull National Wildlife refuge. Nine of us went on a Palouse Group Sierra Club outing led by Tim Hatten in early June to this unique bioregion less than 90 minutes from Moscow. These Channeled Scablands were formed 15,000 years ago during the great ice age floods, producing a scoured landscape etched with channels and depressions that have now been partially filled in by forests, prairies and wetlands. We walked trails that took us past small lakes connected by clear, flowing waterways—ducks, geese, and swans settling down with the end of their migrations. We continued on past wet marshes and Ponderosa groves up a slight rise to a short-grass prairie with its outcrops of bedrock that had withstood the floods at the ends of the ice ages. The silence and long views alone were impressive. Easy walking, talking, and gawking took us past vast swaths of purple wild onions, mixed with the soft texture of ripening grasses. On drier ground, new grass species took over, showing subtly different shades of green before giving way to still other grass species blending yellows with their green as the drier, rocky soils below pulled them further into summer. On the driest, rockier areas a wealth of sedums and bitterroot were showing off their own versions of yellows and purples. And not to be outdone, the blanket flowers were blasting color into the eyes of anyone who dared to look directly at them! We stopped at the more isolated Stubblefield Lake during our 6 mile loop to eat lunch and soak in the warm, early summer sun before heading back to the cars. It was a great hike with both old and new friends. I appreciated
On March 28, Trump signed an Executive Order that calls for a “review” of the Clean Power Plan. Now that he heads the EPA, Pruitt is removing scientists and academics from advisory boards and replacing them with industry representatives and state officials. Michael Catanzaro, top White House energy advisor: as recently as last year Mr. Catanzaro worked as a lobbyist for a number of energy firms. Sid Bowdidge, assistant to the secretary of energy: prior to working on the Trump campaign, Bowdidge’s prior expertise was as a manager of a Meineke Car Care branch. Sam Clovis, nominee for chief scientist at the Dept. of Agriculture: Mr. Clovis has no scientific background. Rather, he was a talk radio host, an economics professor (sort of), and – you guessed it! – a Trump advisor. In fact, the USDA is full of people who helped with the Trump campaign and are now “confidential assistants”, including a former cabana attendant at a country club, a truck driver, and a legal “receptionist” who also developed scented candles. Thankfully, Mr. Clovis withdrew once his lack of qualifications became public. So much for reforming government. It is now more important than ever that we all stay ever vigilant, fully informed, and working tirelessly to protect our planet.
the plant experts who were along. Group intelligence, even with no help from Ma Google, is an impressive force. Tim Hatten’s vast wealth of knowledge about the insects of the area and their habits was, as always, an eye and brain opening experience. It was one of those fine, rare, perfect days in early June when everything around you lets you know summer is coming—and its going to be good!
Non-Toxic (Cont. from Page 1)
(5). And finally, Organic Land Management is similar to OLC and some municipalities are adopting the approach or practices from this system. And that’s how this issue came here and some background on it. Check out the links imbedded in this article and get involved. We all deserve to live in a clean environment and that goes double for our kids.(1) (http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVolume112.pdf)
Executive Committee Election, Palouse Group of the Sierra Club
All Sierra Club members in the Palouse Group are eligible to vote in this election and run for a position on the Executive Committee. Please return your ballot within 30 days of receiving the newsletter.
Candidate Statements
For Executive Committee (vote for two): Voter 1 Voter 2
Tim Hatten ______ ______
Jim Frenzel ______ ______
___________________________ ______ ______
___________________________ ______ ______
Tim Hatten: Tim has lived in Moscow Idaho with his wife and children since 1999. He has advanced degrees in Entomology and Natural Resources Management, and is the founder and CEO of Invertebrate Ecology Inc. Tim is passionate about the conservation of natural habitats, food web and habitat modeling, pollination systems, stream ecology and more. Most recently Tim has worked on efforts designed to reduce the use of pesticides in rural-urban interface zones through the implementation of least toxic alternatives. Tim currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Palouse Group and Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club, and is seeking another term with the Palouse Group.
Jim Frenzel: Jim has been a member of the Palouse community since 1990, living in Moscow and teaching at the University of Idaho. With his kids all grown he is now looking for opportunities to help preserve this paradise we all call “home.”
Note: Each member of a joint membership may vote, each using one of the two columns. Please tear off and mail this within 30 days to:
Palouse Group Sierra ClubPOB 9932
Moscow, ID 83843.
Summer Clearwater OutingContributed by Al Poplawsky
Members of PGSC and Friends of the Clearwater gathered in late July at Kelly Forks Campground for a joint outing. Kelly Forks, one of the prettiest campgrounds on the Clearwater is at the point where the North Fork of the Clearwater and Kelly Creek join. The purpose of the trip was to get out in the beautiful Clearwater country, home to nearly a million acres of spectacular, roadless lands, and also learn about and see the location of a North Fork District proposed action, East Saddle. On Saturday we drove ten miles up Kelly Creek to the Kelly Creek trailhead, and then drove another eight torturous miles on Rd 581 (a horrible 5 mph road that had actually partially fallen away in one area) to Cayuse Landing. Rd 581 bisects two of the most spectacular roadless areas on the Clearwater, Great Burn/Hoodoo and Weitas. Although the road was hellacious, Cayuse Landing was heavenly. I had previously concluded that the most beautiful place in the Clearwater (and thus on earth) was Hansen Meadows which is twelve miles up the Kelly Creek trail. After hiking a few miles up Cayeuse Creek from the landing I seriously started to reconsider that position (see picture). Although the
extent of the proposed “East Saddle Project” is not yet clear, it will at least do some timber harvest along Rd 581 – nibbling away at the edges of the roadless areas, and also do some prescribed burning in these roadless areas. Although around the campfire on Saturday night the North Fork District Ranger maintained that there was epidemic disease in the area which justified this action, in our brief survey of the area this plant pathologist saw no evidence of epidemic levels of plant disease. A low level of disease in the forest culls out the old and serves as a natural process which clears the way for new growth and natural regeneration in the forest. If the magnificent roadless lands of the Clearwater are to ever become designated wilderness, we will need to remain vigilant in preventing this creeping harvest hazard from slowly converting them to managed forest. Please check out the Friends of the Clearwater website for updates on this project.
Are you interested in a winter outing like the ones we’ve had the past 3 winters at Lolo Pass? Our Sierra Club Palouse Group and Friends of the Clearwater will once again be doing a winter outing—this year at the beautiful Palouse Divide Lodge, just 39 miles from Moscow!
On Saturday February 3rd you’ll have the option to just hang out or to ski or snowshoe on your own—or to officially join our outing to do a group ski or a group snowshoe
tour. In the evening: dinner, a short presentation, and hanging with friends. (The company will be exquisite!) There are three different types of packages being offered by Shirley & Lane Hathaway at the Lodge:Accommodations (per person)Overnight stay including dinner + breakfast $75One full-day access to lodge + dinner $451/2 day access to lodge (starting at 1pm) + Dinner $35
The lodge also has space for Friday February 2, if you’d like to get a head start on the weekend. If you have questions or would like to make reservations, contact Brett Haverstick, the Education and Outreach Director for Friends of the Clearwater at (208) 882-9755 or by email at [email protected]. Meals will be buffet style. Dietary preferences can be accommodated. Give us your email address and we’ll send you more info as plans develop.
Brett Haverstick and Mac Cantrell
Do you know someone who is not a PGSC member yet, but might be interested in
becoming one? Instead of recycling this issue of your
“Sierra Club Palouse News” after you read it (and after you’ve noted our outings and
events on your calendar)PASS IT ALONG!
The executive committee is setting a friendly goal of 20 new members in 2018.
