I sent an e-mail out to my physician-friend regarding the use of herbicide at the El Dorado Nature Center. I have posted her response below. She believes that the Center's use of herbicide, without the detergent additive that causes so much environmental devastation, is a step in the right direction, but more community volunteers are needed.

Date:   10/15/2005 12:16:40 PM ( 19 y ago)

Dr.Dorothy Calabrese, M.D., Environmental Medicine specialist wrote:

Dear Liora:

(The El Dorado Nature Center staff is) on the ball. This (herbicide with active ingredient glyphosate + water, without the "surfactant" or detergent additive) is their generic (cheaper) herbicide equivalent of IPPM (intermittent partial pesticide management) If they let the environment get overgrown, the ecology will shift with adverse consequences.

This is where they should have boy scouts, citizen volunteers, or people
doing court--ordered commuinity service etc come in and help out. When the
community actively participates it makes a big difference for the good.

In December, we're starting a blog on http://www.allergy-immunology.com for the
environmentally sensitive and "tree-huggers". Over time, there will be
bloggers who have first hand experience with these issues. Everything is
always a balance. When brush overgrowth destroyed a gazillion dollars of
homes in Laguna, they brought in goats. . .which worked great except when
the ratio of sexes caused other problems.

Keep up your great work.
Dr C



Thanks, Dr. C!

Yes, I had the same idea about the volunteers--didn't think of community service folks, though, that would be great! I did some brush-clearing with my son in a Cub Scout project years ago, and I know there is an ongoing active volunteer program to clear brush and maintain trails but I don't know how many people come consistently. The numbers of people volunteering definitely needs expanding.

Today, I saw a contracted worker doing trail maintenance with hand-held shears--so great to see this, as usually they hack at the overhanging tree limbs and bushes with stinky gasoline power tools! Later I saw the same guy using a netted pole to dredge up algae on the ponds! To top it all off, the guy was driving an electric cart around! This is great, but this type of maintenance is so sporadic. I've seen many different maintenance styles, depending upon what company the City of Long Beach happens to have a contract with at any particular time--I even caught the maintenance guys blowing leaves off the trail with leaf blowers once--I wrote a letter of complaint to the City for that one, too, and was told the City policy is to not use leaf blowers in the Center, that the guys had "made a mistake" by doing so. I think half the time it's a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, and the other half of the time it boils down to a tight budget. I think the folks who do maintenance have their hearts in the right place, but they are so hampered with budget constraints that regular maintenance is impossible, and hence the herbicide use as a "quick fix" to get rid of invasive "weeds" like Bermuda grass that "strangles" the native grasses and plants.

One friend of mine thought that the City of Long Beach may be able to solve the budget crunch by having the voters pass some kind of bond or tax to pay for more maintenance people so as to avoid using herbicides at all; this sounds great but I highly doubt people would go for more city taxes when a lot of the citizens probably use pesticides/herbicides themselves in their own yards and don't see anything wrong with it--Sigh.

RE: environmental illness*: I try to educate people about the connection between immune system dysfunction and the ills of the environment whenever I can, whether it's the doctor's office, my place of worship, or just in casual conversation. To me, being an environmentally aware EI seems like a natural fit. EI's are ill, at least in part, 'cause the environment is ill--cleaning up the environment could only be good for the EI types as well as the planet and humanity as a whole.

Thanks again for all of your support!

Liora "tree hugger" Leah


*"Environmental illness"(EI) is a medical diagnosis indicating an individual's extreme sensitivity and "allergic" reaction to common, everyday substances in the environment. It is generally used as a broader term than Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). I prefer the term "MCS/EI" as it is inclusive of sensitivities to both "natural" and "man-made" substances in the environment, with the emphasis on the sensitivity to chemicals. The terms EI or MCS/EI are "blanket" terms covering a broad range of sensitivities and symptoms: A person with EI may be sensitive to "natural" substances in the environment such as pollen, mold, dust, mites, animal dander, trees, grasses, shrubs, foods, natural gas, etc.; it is also inclusive of sensitivities to common, everyday chemicals such as perfume, scented products, tobacco smoke, household cleaners, petroleum by-products (gasoline fumes, plastics, vinyls, etc.), VOC's (volatile organic compounds) as found in paint and construction materials, new clothes, carpet and furnishings, etc. Each person who has the dis-order of EI or MCS/EI is unique: I have met people who have severe reactions to "natural" substances and foods, but who have mild or no sensitivities to chemicals. I have met those who have MCS but have mild or no sensitivities to "natural" substances. And of course there are some, like myself, who have a broad range of sensitivities to both "natural" and "chemical" substances.

El Dorado Nature Center:
http://www.longbeach.gov/park/facilities/parks/el_dorado_nature_center.asp

Dr. Calabrese's webite, Enviromed/Articles: https://www.allergy-immunology.com/wb/

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Syndrome: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS):  http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/faq/mcss.htm

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Resource Information:  http://www.mcsrr.org/

Related Blogs:

Broken Hearted: http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=309&i=180
I am heart-broken to find that my Beloved Nature Center is using Roundup, a potent herbicide, to kill weeds. Can Mother Earth forgive us? Can we forgive ourselves?

Herbicide: Drink Up! http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=309&i=181
The Superintendent of Maintenance at the Nature Center told me that the herbicide they use to kill weeds, Monsanto's Roundup, is "safe enough to drink"!

Nature Center Illusion Shattered, or was that Delusion? http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=309&i=182

Well, looky here! http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=309&i=183
I've been writing about what action I'm going to take to try and get Roundup banned from use at the Nature Center. Think I just found myself some Nature Center allies!

This writing from my other blog, Spirit Speaks, addresses my thoughts about what positive action I might take to remedy the situation at the Nature Center, where I go to re-connect with Great Mother Earth. I asked my Guides and Great Mother for some input: They told me to come from a place of Love & Integrity: http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=356&i=54

Herbicide, Round 6!  http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=309&i=188
Since I wrote the original blog about the El Dorado Nature Center and the use of the herbicide Roundup, I've found out some new information:  The herbicide used at the Nature Center does not contain surfactant, the inert "detergent" additive that is known to cause environmental devastation.

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