Subject: Round-Up Herbicide
Date: Jul 28 07:45:06 1998
From: "Joanne Powell" - jhpowell at snapwa.org


After some years of letting this valley lie fallow, the farmer who owns the
land I live on has just sprayed the thistles with Round-up. I live in a
narrow valley with Coulee Creek running through it. There are two largish
meadows on each side of the house I live in. The meadows run down to the
creek. The thistles are widespread and he has decided on a two-year attack
on the thistles as a precursor to planting alfalfa. I am heartsick at this
news and hope, through Audubon WetNet and others to show him other
alternatives. His family has farmed this land for 3 generations. He is not
unsympathetic; he but he has two sons in college and two in high school. He
holds down a full time job except for times when farming requires full
days. His wife has a part time job. I need to show him a way for this
valley to earn him what he would make farming these small meadows. But, for
now, what I need from anyone who has any experience with Round-up is the
effect it's going to have - both long term and short term. Is this going to
kill the Goldfinches who love thistles? He says it takes about two weeks
for the thistles to absorb this poison which works its way down to the
roots. If it rains will the stuff on the outside of the plants wash down
into the creek and kill the frogs and whatever else the pair of Great Blues
who feed here eat? I put up a thistle feeder with niger seed for the
Goldfinches in hopes they would continue eating from the feeders. There are
still fledglings appearing at my feeders. I have many many towhees with
young of all stages of development. Will inhaling this stuff from where
they hang out in the thick ground level cover kill them? After two days I
can still smell the poison in the air when the morning breeze from the east
picks up.

This message is not well structured. I know I'm jumping around from comment
to comment...as you can see I'm pretty worried about this whole thing. Any
information anyone has on this herbicide will be gratefully received.

Regards,

Joanne Powell
Reardan (Spokane) WA
jhpowell at snapwa.org