To protect salmon, restrictions placed on three pesticides

The endangered species act saves the day! Stronger restrictions on the use of these pesticides will be a step in the right direction. It is time to think of other ways to deal with “pests”. We have known that these toxic chemicals will create more problems than they have solved, yet we have continued to use them.“Joshua Osborne-Klein, an attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, said this could prompt farmers to consider different, less-hazardous alternatives to controlling pests."We think it's quite a positive step toward dealing with this issue," he said.” I totally agree with him, maybe by implementing stronger restrictions we can get away from the use of toxic chemicals and look for a different method to control pests. This may mean that farmers need to junk the idea of monocropping to control the pests. I feel like Professor Pena has been trying to stress the importance of this all quarter. Through our readings and his lectures we have been introduced to many different methods of farming revealing ways to deal with pests without the use of chemicals. Why not implement them? With questions like such, money always seems to be the underlying factor. In the article Heather Hansen exemplifies this. “Farmers risk having their shipments blocked if those pests turn up, said Heather Hansen, of Washington Friends of Farms and Forests, which represents the agriculture industry on pesticide issues.” This is very anthropocentric. The message she sent to me is, "who cares about the fish, I am going to lose money if my shipments get blocked". Okay, from a business point of view I understand where she is coming from, but in reality, is it excusable to knowingly drive a species, especially a keystone species into extinction over possible blocked shipments? My ethics say absolutely not! In reality what good will the money be if we degrade the current environment into an environment that our species can no longer survive in. The answer is pretty obvious and complex. Finding a balance between environment and economics will be the key, but the challenge is determining that balance.

Ms. Smith

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