HEADS UP!
ODF plans extensive chemical spraying on state lands across the North Coast.
ROCKAWAY BEACH, OREGON July 26, 2017 – The public forests of Oregon’s North Coast are scheduled to be aerially sprayed sometime before August 31, 2017.
Oregon Department of Forestry (“ODF”) has directed employees to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals being sprayed on clearcuts from July 24th to August 31st.
The exact date and time of the application is currently unknown but areas impacted include the Kilchis, Lower Nehalem, Cook Creek, Upper Wilson, and Upper Trask watershed areas.
While ODF has directly notified its employees, ODF has failed to sufficiently notify the public of these toxic spray events despite potential impacts on trails, watersheds and campsites during the peak summer season.
Oregonians and our State Forests deserve better.” Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection (“RBCWP”), a citizen group working to ensure that North Coast residents have access to safe drinking water and clean air through education and advocacy, is calling on Governor Kate Brown to order an immediate cease to the toxic sprays on public lands, at a minimum until pubic notification can be guaranteed.
Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection is leading a coalition of conservation groups calling on legislators in Salem to reform Oregon’s outdated forest practices laws, the weakest on the West Coast.
The coalition insists that until those laws are improved, ODF broadly notify the public through the media anytime they may be exposed to toxic pesticides while recreating in Oregon’s beautiful public lands and parks.
Contact us at rockawaycitizen.water@gmail.com or call 503-355-2516