[All photos by Jim Powell, Sept. 14, 2022]
Dane County Parks claims to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
What a farce.
Large swaths of the woods in Lake View Hill Park (a conservancy) that were green and vibrant a few weeks ago, are now brown and dead–target and non-target species alike.
What happened? They were foliar sprayed several times in the last few weeks with DowAgro’s herbicide “Element” (triclopyr) and DuPont’s herbicide “Escort” (metsulfuron methyl) by Dane County Parks employees.**
A few tiny signs (see above) were placed along the path through the woods, notifying people to “please keep off.” Can bees, butterflies, and other insects read these so they know to “keep off”? The many deer who live in these woods? Birds? Dogs?
Small children?
**What chemicals are actually in these products besides these “active” ingredients? Who knows? Most of the chemicals in pesticides are considered “inert” ingredients and therefore not named on labels. But they are often anything but “inert” as far as risks to human health, wildlife, and the environment. In fact, “inert” chemicals in pesticides can include PFAS.
View the damage and weep. This is NOT “integrated pest management”
How many gallons of pesticides were dumped on this public “conservancy”? How much public money was spent on them? Who decided on this approach, and based on what rationale?
