Pesticides; herbicides
adversely affect traditional gathering
TRINIDAD, Calif. - The Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973,
currently provides federal protection for more than 300 species of
plants and animals in California.
At the heart of the ESA controversy currently raging before Congress
is the charge that the law does not consider or mitigate economic
losses.
House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., introduced
radical changes to the ESA with House Bill 3824. The bill has passed
the House of Representatives and is currently in the Senate Committee
on Environment and Public Works.
The bill promises to pay private landowners market value for their
land affected by the ESA. However, it also throws out the ''critical
habitat'' portion of the law, essentially ripping out the law's heart.
Many, including American Indians, have been affected by the ESA.
People are unemployed and land development is at a standstill, say
Pombo supporters.
Tribes, environmentalists, commercial fishermen and others say
critical habitat is crucial for species to survive.
Sea lions and grizzly bears in northern California are federally
protected under the ESA but, according to tribal members, seem to be
doing pretty well on the Yurok Reservation.
Fishermen complain that sea lions can quickly empty their nets: ''I'll
have about 20 in there, then I see the shadow ... and pull [the net]
as fast as I can ... I'll be lucky to get three in the boat,'' said
Yurok fisherman David Gensaw Sr.
Perhaps most frustrating for fishermen is the sea lion's seemingly
wasteful nature: they tend to take one bite then discard the rest.
People say that bears ransack their homes in search of food, ripping
siding off houses and breaking windows to gain entry, and leaving
quite a mess in the kitchen.
This is nothing new in Yurok country, because sea lions and grizzlies
have always been part of Yurok life on the Klamath River. Yurok men
transform sea lion pelts into ceremonial drums, and bears are
considered reincarnated relatives.
However, pesticides and herbicides are a new addition to Yurok
lifeways.
Pesticides and herbicides were not considered under the original ESA
law. But in the case of Washington Toxics Coalition v. Environmental
Protection Agency, the U.S. District Court of western Washington
ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to include pesticides
within the scope of the ESA when considering the critical habitat of
threatened and endangered Pacific salmon and steelhead - 26 species in
total.
Chief Judge John Coughenour handed down the January 2004 order
concerning pesticide usage and, according to the EPA, ''This order is
in effect until the Environmental Protection Agency and, when
appropriate, the National Marine Fisheries Service have completed an
evaluation of whether endangered Pacific salmon and steelhead are
sensitive to exposure from 55 pesticides.''
Coughenour also ordered interim buffer zones to protect
salmon-supporting waters in Washington, Oregon and California.
Green Diamond Resource Co. (formerly known as Simpson Resource Co.)
owns vast amounts of land in the West, including nearly two-thirds of
the Yurok Reservation. The company has sprayed the land, by ground and
by air, for more than 20 years. Green Diamond provides a ''24-hour
notice'' before aerial spraying, giving tribal members one day to
either leave or hunker down.
The prized Chinook salmon, which happen to be central to Yurok diet
and culture, is federally protected in other parts of California, but
not in the Klamath River. Many, including environmentalists, are
confident that Klamath Chinook will be listed in the near future.
Basketry is also an integral part of Yurok culture. Along with
traditional foods, pesticides cover basket and other materials as they
grow: and then people gather the material. According to its Web site,
the California Indian Basketweavers Association reports complaints of
respiratory ailments, heart disease and cancer in communities
surrounding the Lower Klamath River. United Indian Health Services has
issued warnings concerning the possible health hazards associated with
collecting traditional materials. |
