Dear Editor,

Since 2014, as documented in the article “Spray to Play” by Rico Moore in the Boulder Weekly, Boulder County Open Space has been spraying toxic chemicals including Glyphosate (the active ingredient of Roundup) and Indaziflam (the active ingredient of Esplanade and Rejuvra) to control cheatgrass on Boulder County Open Space natural lands.

On September 1, concerned Boulder County residents delivered over 500 signatures on a petition (https://sign. moveon.org/p/stopthespray) to the Boulder County Commissioners asking them to stop the spraying of these toxic chemicals.

Glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor and is associated with a wide range of illnesses, including Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Indaziflam is a neurotoxin for mammals, an endocrine disruptor, and a toxin to fish. Residents are concerned that the spraying, which is done with ground crews, with tractors, and from helicopters, will undermine human health and the health of the ecosystems.

Residents are asking Boulder County Commissioners for a public hearing for full transparency on the use of chemicals on Boulder County Open Space natural lands. Residents also want to push for alternatives to pesticides use, such as targeted goat grazing, a service offered by Goat Green LLC and successfully implemented elsewhere in Colorado. Prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning, can successfully control cheatgrass at our altitude and within Boulder County’s ecosystem. Finally, there is a growing and very successful movement to involve volunteers in restoring degraded lands by removing the invasive plants and planting native species on areas much larger than Boulder County.

Local environmental groups support the petition. Rebecca Dickson, vice chair of the Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group, feels that Boulder County needs to return to its former plan of phasing out biocide use on county lands: “The Sierra Club is concerned about ecosystem health and human health. We cannot continue using toxins that reduce soil productivity over the long run and undermine human health while eroding ecosystems. And healthy soil sequesters a lot of carbon.”

Breanna Lambert, a Boulder County resident, supports the petition: “My two young boys and I spend most of our time outside. That is where my children thrive and are their healthiest and happiest. To think that our sanctuary, Boulder County open space lands, could be made toxic by the county spraying chemicals like Glyphosate and Indaziflam is alarming. We already know these chemicals are harmful to humans, animals, fish, beneficial insects, and soil. I’ve always considered Boulder a pioneer in environmental issues, yet the county is stuck in another era when it comes to weed control. Toxic spraying is not what we stand for, especially when other environmentally friendly solutions are available. Stop the spraying!”

For more information, contact Christel Markevich at christelmarkevich@gmail.com.

Christel Markevich

Boulder County