CFE agenda 060815 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Conservancy. All of these factors, and the growing belief that the neon- icotinoids are implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in honey- bees, have led to urgent calls for ac- tion by national environmental and conservation organizations such the Center for Food Safety, the Center for Environmental Health, the Amer- ican Bird Conservancy and beekeep- er groups nationwide. A coalition of groups filed an emergency petition with the Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the use of one of the neo- nics, clothianidin, which is believed to kill birds as well as beneficial bees, but it was denied by the EPA. Law- suits have been filed, and in 2013, Reps. John Conyers and Earl Blume - nauer introduced the "Saving Ameri- ca's Pollinators Act," H.R. 2692, but it failed to make it out of committee in the House of Representatives. This bill would require the EPA to suspend the registration of neonicotinoids, conduct a review and do field studies, and for the EPA and the Department of the Interior to monitor the adverse impacts on birds, bats, bees and oth- er beneficial insects. The European Union, by contrast, recently adopted a two -year suspension of the use of neonicotinoids while studies to de- termine impacts on native bees and other wildlife species are completed. The Impacts to Natural Resources and Wildlife The effects of neonicotinoids on bees are becoming more well- document- ed. What is known is that the neo- nics are systemically absorbed into plant tissue and can be present as res- idues in leaves, flowers and pollen. Furthermore, neo -nics can be found in plant tissues and soils up to six months after application, and residue concentrations can reach lethal levels in some plants for some species. They are particularly deadly to honeybees and bumblebees as well as a number of butterfly species. Most troubling is that some manufacturers' recom- mended application rates may cause consumers to apply concentrations at up to 100 times those used in agricul- tural applications without realizing the impact the product will have on bees or other pollinating insects. Neo -nics' persistence in the envi- ronment is causing researchers to take a closer look at the effects on aquatic ecosystems particularly, and on birds generally. It is known that one kernel of corn treated with one type of neonicotinoid is enough to kill a songbird if ingested. Amphib- ians appear to be hard -hit as well, as they take the brunt of concentrated residues contained in surface runoff into ponds, wetlands and streams. In addition, emerging evidence shows that the registration of the neonic- otinoids did not seem to take into full consideration the impacts on the reproductive cycles of birds and other sublethal impacts. Studies have shown birds that consume one -tenth of an affected seed per day during egg - laying season may suffer negative impacts to reproduction. Seed treat- ments seem to have the largest effect on birds because there is inevitably some percentage of spilled seed or some portion of the crop that is not fully covered by soil. A Course of Action for Parks Pollinators are important for parks, and parks are vital to pollinators. Park and recreation agencies should make every effort to learn more about this class of insecticides and to assess the potential benefits and hazards of ap- plying neonicotinoid insecticides in parks — on golf courses, in horticul- tural displays, to agricultural areas and in any other areas where pest manage- ment is practiced, with particular care to the potential effects on bees, song- birds and aquatic organisms. At a minimum, certified appli- cators and managers who have re- sponsibility for directing other staff in application of insecticides should become aware of the potential short - term and long -term dangers of neon - icotinoid insecticides. Further, even if agencies are practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, it is important to take into consider- ation that new pre - emptive applica- tion strategies that call for applying insecticides to turf or as seed treat- ments are taking precedence over IPM methods. Such strategies call for applying pesticides in advance of any specific evidence of insect dam- age, rather than selectively and in response to damage. With neonicot- inoids, this practice can cause long- term unintended harm to bees and other pollinators as well as damage to aquatic ecosystems. Parks need to be protectors of our pollinators, and better knowledge about the insecti- cides we use will help accomplish that goal. a Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA's Vice President of Conservation and Parks (rdolesh(ionrpa . orq). i For more information about the po- tential conservation impacts of ne- onicotinoids in parks, and to assess hazards and risks, visit the Xerces Society at WMAr,xerces.org /neonico tnnoids -anti -bees and the American Bird Conservancy at WWW.abc:birds. org/abcprograms /poIi y /toxins/ Neon ic_ „FINAI_,pdf. WWW.NRPA.ORG I JULY 2014 1 Parks& Recreation 31