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Who We Are
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NoSprayZone (NSZ) is a community-based
citizen's group dedicated to ecologically sound pest management practices
that do not compromise public health.
We are a nonprofit organization
run by volunteers - there is no paid staff.
How We Began
NSZ was formed in March of 2000,
when the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) decided to spray
insecticide on a square mile covering Ballard, Magnolia, and Salmon Bay.
The spraying was to eliminate a supposed invasion of Asian gypsy moths
that the WSDA claimed would rapidly spread if unchecked and destroy Washington's
forests.
After a little investigation,
it turned out that
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WSDA had only trapped one moth.
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No one has ever determined if
the Asian Gypsy Moth can even live in North America, let alone eat forests.
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The insecticide that would be
sprayed by helicopter 3 times over 50,000 people was not as safe as WSDA
claimed.
WSDA had apparently engaged
in a deliberate attempt to mislead and keep the public out of the process.
Angry citizens decided to
do something about this disregard for our health and safety, and began
meeting in living rooms.
NSZ Goes Into Action
In a short time, NSZ was able to
convince all the legislators from the affected district that the spraying was
a bad idea.
What
NSZ volunteers did:
- Gathered 1400 signatures
on a petition to the Governor.
- Organized community meetings
that drew over 550 concerned citizens.
- Wrote letters to the editors
of the local papers.
- Organized demonstrations
and street theater.
- Provided interviews to
the media.
- Met with the Governor's
chief of staff in Olympia.
- Went to court to obtain
a temporary injunction.
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Ongoing Effective Efforts
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NSZ has been active lobbying
the legislature to pass bills making it harder to spray poison over urban
areas and to reveal the hidden content of pesticides.
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We are working with the City
of Seattle to reduce pesticide use in parks and playgrounds.
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We are campaigning to get hidden
pesticide ingredients revealed.
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We asked Washington State to
sign on to a circulating petition that requested the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency to require listing of all so-called "inert" ingredients
on pesticide labels. This issue, previously ignored by our government in
Olympia, is now debated at the highest levels.
YOU Are No Spray Zone
NSZ is an all volunteer group.
We are here because our government is not doing enough to protect our
environment and our health. We depend on you to support NSZ with your
time and your contributions. Copying flyers, maintaining a web page, obtaining
legal services and doing community outreach all take time and cost money.
Please consider volunteering and/or donating to NSZ.
Contact us here.
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| The
NSZ Street Theater Team |