FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – California can require Monsanto to label its popular weed-killer Roundup as a possible cancer threat despite an insistence from the chemical giant that it poses no risk to people, a judge tentatively ruled Friday. California regulators are waiting for the formal ruling before moving forward with the warnings, said Sam Delson, a spokesman for the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. California would be the first state to order such labeling if it carries out the proposal. Monsanto attorney Trenton Norris argued in court Friday that the labels would have immediate financial consequences for the company. However, Attorneys for California consider the International Agency for Research on Cancer who identified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, as the “gold standard” for identifying carcinogens. Norris said many consumers would see the labels and stop buying Roundup. We say “FANTASTIC, WHAT A GREAT IDEA!”
Coastal rainforest and dunes at Brunswick Heads, New South Wales
Every second Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm
Please email us for details of how to get there.
More information on our working bee here. We hope to see you there.
AGM celebration dampened by concerns Original Post 22 October 2014 Feelings were running high at a recent announcement of a grant for the injection of Coral Trees (Erythrina x sykesii) with synthetic herbicides along Wilsons Creek and Coopers Creek. While Wilson Creek/Huonbrook Land-care Inc. was celebrating its score of $99,800 grant at its AGM on Wednesday September 3rd, some concerned residents with river-side properties informed the group that they did not want synthetic pesticides used in their local catchment because it imposes a serious and escalating threat to biodiversity and water catchment values. Replacing one threat with another “What is the point of removing one threat, Coral Trees, and introducing another, synthetic pesticide?”, said Don, a local organic farmer who is well on the way to completing rainforest regeneration of his 177 acres. “At least I can see Coral Trees. I have counted at least 5 species of local birds … Continue reading
Byron Shire Chemical Free Land Care media release 6 August 2013 Representatives from Byron Shire Chemical Free Land Care (BSCFL) together with concerned locals are once again gathering this morning at Tyagarah Nature Reserve in an ongoing non-violent direct action to halt the aerial spraying of herbicides on coastal dunes Bitou Bush by National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS). “We’ve been trying to negotiate with the NPWS, including the Native Title owners since the 12th July. We’ve asked them to spare the Nature Reserve from spraying,” said BSCFL co-ordinator Nadia de Souza Pietramale. “So far we’ve been unsuccessful and they’re threatening to spray it each day”. “The NPWS have left us with no other choice but to protest in this manner,” says indigenous representative Jarmbi. “We have ancestral ties to the sacred site”. “The community is really concerned about this chemical intensive approach to managing Bitou Bush and the impacts it … Continue reading
Original Post 6 August 2013 On Monday 5th August concerned locals gathered at dawn on Tyagarah Beach to voice their fears about the National Parks and Wildlife Service aerial spraying of the Tyagarah Nature Reserve with Metsulfuron methyl 600. The NPWS boom sprayed Cape Byron from their helicopter on Thursday, the first of August, and are due to do the reserve this week. The locals are calling for urgent discussions about the health and safety of aerial spraying on these fragile dune ecosystems, some of which have endangered species, and to highlight the bitou bush crowning technique, not just as control method, but also to create local employment. Local bee keepers also are showing their opposition to the operation.
Original Post 6 August 2013 People who care for the Earth met on Wednesday 31 July for a peaceful action at the Tyagarah Nature Reserve. The aim of the action was to raise awareness about a harmless, sustainable, chemical free alternative to the control of the South African Bitou Bush. This alternative practice is already being successfully implemented in the north end of the reserve. Our action may also illuminate the questionable methodology of aerial spraying our coastal national parks. Beautiful Tyagarah Nature Reserve is a sacred area, so we are treading with respect and have asked permission of Ngarakwal Elder Uncle Harry Boyd who was present to answer questions and share cultural information during the day.
July 2013 Rally for a chemical-free Byron Shire organized by the Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare Group and friends in Mullumbimby, NSW in September 2012:
Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) Statement 4 July 2013 Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow, and the pesticide industry body CropLife, among other members of a so called Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group in Australia, are promoting the use of the herbicides glyphosate and paraquat in public places. Not surprising, the repeated use of glyphosate has created resistance in weeds alongside roadside, railways, and parks. As a solution to this problem the agrochemical industry is promoting an increasingly hazardous chemical treadmill with the use of a ‘double knock’ application of the full glyphosate rate followed by a full label rate of paraquat-based products. Glyphosate’s adverse health effects include respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems, skin rashes, depression, reduced cognitive capacity, peripheral neuropathy, cancer, and endocrine disruption. Paraquat is an acutely toxic herbicide with the highest mortality rate of all pesticides. As little as a teaspoon full can kill a human being and … Continue reading
Original Post 13 July 2013 Representatives from Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare and Save Tyagarah Nature Reserve From Aerial Spraying Facebook group meet with National Parks and Wildlife Service Local Area Manager Sue Walker, to discuss the scheduled aerial spraying of Bitou Bush in Byron Shire. Despite plans for spraying to start during the week, Sue Walker told the group “No spraying would happen because the weather forecast is not ideal for the operation”. It’s proposed the operation would go ahead the following week, weather permitting. Concerns were raised about the NPWS pesticide-intensive management regime for Bitou Bush on public land and a request was made that no new areas be sprayed, in particular Tyagarah Nature Reserve. The spraying operation would see parts of the Tyagarah Nature Reserve aerially sprayed from 870 metres South of the Northern boundary of the reserve, heading all the away along until Belongil Creek. It’s … Continue reading
Original Post 2 July 2013 FREE public seminar: part of Council’s Biodiversity and Sustainability seminar series from 10am – 12pm Sunday 14th July at the Brunswick Heads Community Centre at the end of South Head Road opposite of the surf club. Please let us know if you’re coming: RSVP Toxic pesticides like glyphosate are commonly used to manage weeds on public lands, including sports fields, parks, play grounds, road sides, drains, etc. As independent research continues to point to the dangers of pesticides to our health and environment, it’s time to start talking about safer alternatives available to our community. After the talk we’ll have a guided walk through the ecological restoration area.
Why is there so little public notice and discussion about aerial spraying of Bitou Bush in Byron Shire? (Original Post 4 July 2013) Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare would like to express its concern about the lack of adequate notice and discussion of the proposed aerial spraying of Bitou Bush by helicopters along the Byron Shire coast, including for the first time, the Tyagarah Nature Reserve. The herbicide to be sprayed is metsulfuron-methyl, which goes by trade names such as “Brush-off and “Brushkiller 600”. The first we saw of the plan was a tiny public notice, in The Echo, volume 28#01 on page 41. The public notice was provided by the Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services in accordance with requirements under the Pesticides Regulation 1995 and the NPWS Pesticide Use Notification Plan. While we appreciate the intention of the NPWS is to manage the … Continue reading
July 2012 The Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare Group takes the Mullumbimby Shearwater School students to learn how to manage weeds and restore littoral rainforest without toxic chemicals: Published with kind permission of the Byron Shire “Echo”
Local councils still using weed killer glyphosate despite WHO warning it ‘probably carcinogenic, said ABC News headlines on February 16th. It was great to see that long term public concerns regard the broad scale use of herbicides with Glyphosate as an active ingredient finally is reaching the general public.This pesticide is the main tool for weed control in use by Landcare, Dunecare, local Councils, National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW, Road Traffic Authority, farmers, etc On March last year the World Health Organization change the status of Glyphosate from 2B to 2A (probably carcinogenic). Please see the article below. Local councils still using weed killer glyphosate despite WHO warning it ‘probably causes cancer’
Chemical Free Landcare volunteers and supporters strip naked to show their support for an end to the use of gylphosate. Photo ©Trevor Avedissian A group of north coast women have put their bodies on the line, literally, in an effort to stop councils and government authorities spraying glyphosate in their weed reduction activities. Glyphosate, which was invented and is widely marketed by multinational chemical company Monsanto under the name Roundup, was named a ‘probable carcinogen’ by the World Health Organisation in March this year. This action, together with the forthcoming trial of Monsanto at the International Court of Justice next year has prompted the women to take a stand. With ‘I am water’ written on their bodies, the women are bringing attention to the protection of the essential resource from ongoing pollution with herbicides in the region. ‘Our bodies are made of water and we are one and the same … Continue reading
Great news today! The report on 3 years of chemical-free landcare at Brunswick is now available for you to download for free. Click here. Gift funding to Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare: With a vision of making peace with the weeds and spraying love, Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare, a project of the Mullumbimby Centre of Sustainable Living and Environment Education Inc., is overwhelmed with community support. The organization has received a generous donation from local resident Angela Bambach and also was chosen to be one of the organizations sponsored by Santos Organics staff charity fund. The funding will be used to purchase for the volunteers good quality loppers, saws, gloves, safety glasses plus a sign for the Brunswick site and a banner. Angela Bambach was recently gifted some money and is very excited to share it with Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare. “Each time I see bush regenerator Nadia … Continue reading
A proposal has been written for the joint community management of Bitou Bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) at Tyagarah Nature Reserve. It has been prepared for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service by Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare. To read it, go to: Joint Bitou Management Proposal for TNR
Ecological restoration management for Bitou bush control is efficient and will give many young bush regenerators and the community an opportunity to practice an indigenous approach towards landcare. While we disconnect the bitou bush from its roots we connect ourselves with the country, learn about local bush tucker and take back our ability to learn from the country. Resources that are way too precious to hand on to giant corporations like chemical companies. Perhaps in other parts of NSW state and Australia, NPWS does not have a community that is prepared to do the work, however in Byron Bay, it does. Northern Rivers : NBN News Byron’s chemical free Landcare group is at loggerheads with the National Parks and Wildlife Service over its plans to spray…
By Iris Ray Nunn “When does the healing start”? This is the question that local bush regenerator Nadia de Souza Pietramale is sincerely asking the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and those of us who live in the Byron Shire who have done nothing to stop the continual aerial spraying of toxic pesticides on our beautiful coastal dunes over the past decade. “First we mine the dunes, then we introduce Bitou Bush to stabilise the dunes, then we spray toxic pesticides from the air to stop the Bitou bush because it has taken over the native flora habitat, then we deal with the side effects of the poison on our health and the health of the fragile ecosystems in the area sprayed. So I ask, “When does the healing start?” says Nadia. Any day now, till the 16th of August, a NPWS helicopter will drop a herbicide made … Continue reading
To the National Parks Area Manager Byron Coast Area Dear Sue Walker, We would like to say thank you for meeting with us on the 12th of July regarding our proposal to implement the non-chemical ecological restoration method to remove Bitou Bush from Tyagarah Nature Reserve. Thank you also for following up with Yvonne Stewart as you committed to doing. We hope this will be the first meeting in a long-term friendship between the Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare and NPWS. We are 100% committed to healing the land, especially the soil ecology. We are very disappointed with the outcomes of the meeting in terms of your decision to go ahead with the spraying of TNR and your answers to our key questions. We also can’t understand why an indigenous elder would choose to poison the land, instead of accepting the kind hand of the community to implement a non-chemical … Continue reading
National Parks says no to ecological restoration At a meeting on July 13th, Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare and Save Tyagarah Nature Reserve Facebook Page groups offered an alternative to the aerial spraying of pesticides in Tyagarah Nature Reserve. However, we heard yesterday by email that our proposal has being refused. Sue Walker, National Parks Local Area Manager wrote in an email, “As agreed I met with Yvonne Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of the Arakwal Custodians, late on 24 July 2013 and Yvonne has confirmed that she supported the planned aerial spray Bitou Bush control program.” Our Group proposed to help do the work on the ground using the ecological restoration principles we have developed, a methodology that will protect biodiversity as a whole. We would need funding. National Parks, just in the year 2006-2007, spent a budget of $4 million on aerial spraying some of the NSW coast at a cost … Continue reading
Jul 27 This is fantastic news and we will give Simon all the help that he needs. Now we need to convince NP that, in Byron Shire, we want to spray love, no pesticides. We understand the size of the task ahead to manage the land, however the health of the environment as whole have to considered to support our on specie needs. Also, in case of Tyagarah Nature Reserve we, Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare is prepare to help no just by fiscally engaging on the work of removing Bitou Bush, but also in applying for grants to employ local. There is a growing outcry against the aerial spraying of Bitou bush in Tyagarah Nature Reserve for the first time. Apiarists are joining the fight to stop it. Local bee keeper Garry Rogers, who sells his honey at all our local markets from “The Honey Wagon”, is not taking any … Continue reading
Published on Thu, Jul 25th, 2013 in the Byron Shire Local News Published on Thu, Jul 25th, 2013 Byron Shire Council (BSC) has hastened to assure residents the chemical 2,4-D is not used as part of its weed- and pest-control management. Monday’s Four Corners program revealed many 2,4-D products on sale in Australia contained the dangerous chemical dioxin, the active ingredient in the banned herbicide Agent Orange. BSC’s team leader natural environment, Angus Underwood, said it is not used as part of the bush regeneration programs. Council’s parks superintendent, Andy Erskine, also confirmed that it is not used on roadside vegetation, or sporting fields and parks. And mayor Simon Richardson has indicated he supports the ending of all Council roadside spraying programs within 12 months. ‘We need to revisit the debate and see if we can’t move even further away from chemical usage in the shire,’ he said. He added … Continue reading
The spraying of Tygarah Nature Reserve: Pink Nodding Orchid and Banksia woodland risk At a meeting on July 13th, Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare offered an alternative to the aerial spraying of pesticides in Tyagarah Nature Reserve. We proposed to help do the work on the ground using the ecological restoration principles we have developed, a methodology that will protect biodiversity as a whole. Of course we would need funding. National Parks, just in the year 2007/2008, spent a budget of $4 million on aerial spraying some of the NSW coast (>$5000/km). Our method would be far cheaper than that. I have just spoken with National Parks local area manager, Sue Walker (23rd July) with regard to their intended aerial spraying of Tyagarah Nature Reserve with the pesticide metsulfuron-methyl to ‘control Bitou Bush’. This herbicide goes by trade names such as “Brush-off” and “Brushkiller 600”. Sue Walker said she has … Continue reading
What a sweet surprise we – Terry Hamill, Stephanie Stone and myself – had on our last working bee, Saturday the 29th of June. While resting at morning tea after some serious Bitou Bush chopping and crowning on a sunny/cloudy winter day, Terry spotted a seedling where we did primary work last winter. For our delight it is the first Eucalyptus signata, Scribbly Gum baby. On a 4.5 hectare site we have 1 mature and 2 juvenile trees of this particular species. So perhaps, one day we will have much more as we head to the climax of our site’s resilience.
Come along to a FREE public seminar: “REDUCING CHEMICAL USE ON PUBLIC LAND” Part of Council’s Biodiversity and Sustainability seminar series from 10am – 12pm Sunday 14th July at the Brunswick Heads Community Centre at the end of South Head Road opposite of the surf club. Please let us know if you’re coming: RSVP Toxic pesticides like glyphosate are commonly used to manage weeds on public lands, including sports fields, parks, play grounds, road sides, drains, etc. As independent research continues to point to the dangers of pesticides to our health and environment, it’s time to start talking about safer alternatives available to our community. After the talk we’ll have a guided walk through the ecological restoration area. Bitou Bush aerial spraying proposed for Byron Yes the helicopters are back with toxic pesticides on our shore. The NPWS contractors are planning to spray various areas of Byron Shire coast on … Continue reading
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