Permaculture Blog

Phone, Email, or web links contacted. Not in chronological order.

https://www.foia.gov/,Thursday Oct 19th 2023 freedom of information act FOIA filed asking for pesticide use information in three of the national parks Yosemite, Sequoia, and Everglades., No response yet but the FOIA site says that it can take up to a year.

Everglades 305 242-7700,October 17th,sent voice message, interested in pesticide usage in the park.
October 17?19th,reply,speak to Hillary Cooley 305-242-7875.
Hillary Cooley 305-242-7875,October 19th,sent voice message,I would like some information on pesticide use in the park. No response yet

Sequoia National Parks information 559-565-3341,October 17th,sent voice message, phone number before and after.... interested in pesticide use, no response yet

cs_envaudits@nps.gov,November 6th 2023,sent, National integrated Pest Management requesting information on pesticide applications in the parks....products used, amounts, locations, etc., No response yet

yose_superintendent@nps.gov,
Thursday Oct 19th 2023 filled out the contact form on Yosemite's website and sent it requesting information on pesticide applications in the park: products used, amounts, locations, etc., Responded 10/,31
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,10.31.2023,Received, email with link that doesn't work and junk.
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,Tuesday November 9th,sent,asking for the integrated Pest Management officer or office contact link.
yose_superintendent@nps.gov,Thursday November 14th,sent, link you supplied does not work. If you could please supply me a link that is publicly accessible (PUPS) database. And before you send it please check that it is publicly accessible

PUR.lnquiry@cdpr.ca.gov, Monday November 6th 2023,sent,PUR Pesticide Use Reporting (California) --unfortunately only by County data.... asking if they have any information on national parks.... maybe add California parks to their database., No response yet

CDPRWeb@cdpr.ca.gov, Monday November 6th 2023,sent,
PUR asking if they have any information on national parks.... maybe add California parks to their database., Responded November 13th.
CDPRWeb@cdpr.ca.gov, Monday November 13th, received, very nice response but National Parks are not required to and do not give them any data.
CDPRWeb@cdpr.ca.gov, Tuesday November 14th,sent, Thank you! It is nice to have anyone respond

contact@savethefrogs.com,Tuesday November 7th,sent, are you aware....
contact@savethefrogs.com,Wednesday November 8th,received,could you give us more information.
contact@savethefrogs.com,Wednesday November 9th,sent, potential issues with tadpoles.
contact@savethefrogs.com,Thursday November 9th,received, Kerry from save the frogs great response back but no unpublished the data about pesticide use
contact@savethefrogs.com,November 10th,sent, Thank you!

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Googling world wide Web for
Integrated Pest Management, National parks?
NPS IPM, mid-october, NPS integrated Pest Management IPM.... federal law., YES! Hmmmmmmm Why didn't Yosemite superintendent mention this?

Search the National Park service database that the superintendent of Yosemite sent me in response to my question about pesticide use in the park.
https://irma.nps.gov/Portal
Link gives Error message....small link at the bottom to
https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Search/Quick

This is not PUPS but....Searched for:

"PUPS pesticide" in all national parks
4 integrated Pest Management articles oops :-) but they don't really say anything other than that they're using pesticides according to Monsanto and Dow chemical and Duponts PR departments

"Pesticide applied" in _all_ national parks., Most were meaningless for our purposes. There were some published reports that were obviously funded by pesticide manufacturing companies. But there were two pesticide use log(s) one for Pea Ridge National Military Park. 1991. Pesticide Use Log. Pea Ridge, AR and the other Pea Ridge National Military Park. 1994. Pesticide Use Logs. Pea Ridge, AR.... In both cases under "Permissions" "Permission to Download Files": " NPS Staff" the reports are supposed to be public and are on a public database but the permission to download any usable files is restricted to NPS staff. How awesome in our National Parks

The following searches were done for Yosemite specifically

"pesticide" ,only turns up a few links to outside projects analyzing chemical residue coming from sampling in the park.

"pesticide application",no results found.
For "application pesticide",no results found.
None?? Seriously 😃 and the IRMA searches supposedly include all of 'Park Science'

"glyphosate" ,no results found

"Roundup" ,1 result.
The Director’s Report; A Message from Director Roger Kennedy: From Here to Where We Want to Be Regional Roundup
.... Regional _Roundup_ 😆....So no pesticide results found.

"Round_up", no results found

"Round-up", no results found

"Rodeo: no results found

"Biocide: no results found

"IPM coordinator",no results found

"insecticides",one...
This link is only about pesticide drift from outside the Park....Summertime transport of current-use pesticides from California's central valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, USA, again they seem to be only worried about blaming outside the park. Not what they've been doing since the '50s

"herbicide",No results found

"application data",10 or so, None relevant except I enjoyed one which was bragging about an "application" for a cell phone tracking app. So they would have better data for Park sales points. 😆. One way of looking at it is that they would rather track you than keep you or our native animals safe.🥴🤔
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This is going to be the start of a permaculture sustainability project to obtain access to the National Park Service (NPS) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Database. If you would like to be a part of this project please contact us

Start:
I would like to thank whoever is researching this as I know it is sometimes a tough job figuring out what people are asking :-). I am asking for pesticide use information in at least three of the national parks: Sequoia, Yosemite, Everglades. If there is a database for all Parks that would be awesome.
I would like to ask what are the trade names for all pesticides used in each Park for the last five years. If any of the pesticide formulations used are other than a specific trade name then I am asking for the chemical composition specifying the active ingredient and carrier compounds. I am asking for the amounts used for each pesticide item above. I am asking for the acreage and location each of the items is applied to (a map would be great). And finally I am asking for the item cost for each of the pesticide items, I do not need the application cost.
Thank you again.
Bob Lloyd
End:

Pesticide use in the National Park Service is documented online through the Pesticide Use Proposal System (PUPS). https://irma.nps.gov/PUPS

Each formulation of pesticide is documented. For example, the active ingredient glyphosate may be found in the trade products Round-up and Rodeo; any use of each product is documented. The percentage of active ingredients are recorded as found on the label; labels are also included in the PUPS. Pesticides mix rates are dependent on the target pest. Carriers, surfactants, and any other additives follow the pesticide label, but are not recorded in PUPS or elsewhere.

Pesticide use is documented annually. This includes, the amount of pesticide applied, the amount of active ingredient applied, the acreage, and species in which the pesticide was applied.

Pesticide cost is dependent on the distributor and changes frequently. The park does not track pesticide cost. Many of the pesticides used can be found at local hardware stores, agricultural supply stores, or pesticide distributers and they would be a better resource to find current costs.

If you would like more information, you can file a Freedom of Information Act request at Freedom of Information Act (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) .

Office of the Superintendent
Yosemite National Park

209-372-0286

Sounds great doesn't it?

But nowhere in her departments email did it mention the park was required to have an Integrated Pest Management office or coordinator responsible for all pesticide use and responsible for the _exact_ information I was asking for. My source says that it is federal law that all our national parks are required to have this department. Hmmmmmmm They are awfully hard to reach.

For IPM coordinator: no results
For "pesticide" _and_ "application" either order: no results.
For Integrated Pest Management
And integrated pest Managements.
Both gave one result. One!.. from 1914 😆

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Several pages down in this Yosemite National Park - Superintendent Annual Report (1914) link ....
Quote:
"INSECT CONTROL.
The work of felling and burning insect infected trees with the object of eradicating injurious
insects and protecting the remaining trees from other attacks has been continued this season
under the direction of Mr. J. J. Sullivan, entomologist, of the Department of Agriculture.
Work has been done in the vicinities of Big Meadows, Little Yosemite, and the valley of
the Illilouette" End Quote:

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Good for them!
They were working and burning for insect control in 1914. Which wouldn't poison any birds -- even if they used their latest greatest burn technique. On the other hand: later superintendents have probably been spraying the latest greatest insecticides since the 1950s, but in Sequoia and _especially_ in the Everglades _all_ the contaminating chemicals come from _outside_ the parks. 🤔 Who would have thought? Haven't found any links to Yosemite yet. 🤔