...applying chemicals to more than your plants...

I've been blessed, or some might even say cursed, to have botanists on both my side of the family and on my husband's side of the family, so it's no wonder that issues concerning the environment naturally strike a chord with me-- especially since so many of my family members must be environmentally in tune in order to help their clients be aware of the concerns (One parent leads eco-tourism trips and does public speaking on the topic and my husband's parents work in the tree nursery/landscaping business). With this, many discussions come up that average families probably don't have around the dinner table: for instance, the recent damaging effects of some seemingly "safe" fertilizers.

The first concerns I'd heard about fertilizers doing some serious damage to natural habitats in Ohio was about a year or so ago when Grand Lake St. Mary's began having algae bloom problems. These problems were because of the large amounts of farming fertilizer that had been accumulating in the lake from farm runoff. My step-father, who is originally from the Celina area indicated when he'd gone home for a visit over the summer that the situation was so bad that there were water festivities that were going to be cancelled because of the toxic algae. However, instead of exercising the caution that had previously been recommended, the gov't. suddenly changed their tune and decided that the "risks weren't quantifiable"... but what it seemed to really be saying was: "we can't afford to blame this on fertilizers, so until somebody dies of it AND we can prove the death was related... we will pretend it's not an issue for the economy's sake."

The second concern I'd heard about was from my in-laws. They were having clients report problems with their trees after having fertilized with Imprelis. Apparently, if the fertilizer sunk too far into the soil, it would actually result in killing the trees. This has actually brought about a class action lawsuit and the defendants (DuPont) are trying to claim that they couldn't possibly be at fault- because of inability to prove the link and/or the fact that there was rain shortly after the application of the fertilizer.... Nonetheless, my question is: If this fertilizer is diluted with rain and is killing trees, what in the world is it doing to us since we share the groundwater with these trees...?

The third and most recent concern that's been brought to my attention by both my mother and by one of my friends, who recently posted a pic of the situation on Facebook, is the toxic algae in Lake Erie. While I grew up in Lakeside/Marblehead, OH, the lake is a very near friend to me and my family. I still have family in this area and I often visit with my husband, so I was distraught to hear reports of algae blooms in Lake Erie similar to those Grand Lake St. Mary's has been experiencing. These algae blooms as well, seem to be the result of agricultural runoff finding it's way to the lake. Like Lake St. Mary's, this is also effecting the economy of the coastal towns of the Lake.


(Photo of Lake Erie courtesy of Brianne Stinchcomb, 2011)

So what can we do about this? After crying a little in our non-alcoholic beverages... start writing, calling and talking to anyone who will listen. What do I mean? Let your congresspeople know this is unacceptable and educate those people you come in contact with on a daily basis! AND, quit applying any of the fertilizers you've been putting on your lawn, trees, etc. As well, assess what kinds of veggies & fruits you're buying- are yours being grown without fertilizers and pesticides? Lastly, have you asked the golf courses you patronize to consider going green (i.e. with out the heavy fertilizers)? All of these add up. Start with just one and try to build on the small successes. Good luck and don't forget that we're simply borrowing this earth from our future.