Richard Charter, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Looking westward from the Golden Gate out at the Farallon Islands, we’re often reminded that we are privileged here to proudly protect our lush ocean waters within one of America’s flagship national marine sanctuaries.
Amid this natural beauty, however, a new threat is emerging in which a multitude of wildlife species on these islands suddenly face an unforeseen jeopardy — the proposed aerial broadcast of 40 helicopter loads of what’s known as a “supertoxic” poison, in the form of the already-controversial rodenticide called brodifacoum. The broad ecosystem dangers posed by this new generation of persistent rodenticides to “non-target” species throughout the food chain are well known to scientists and veterinary caregivers, causing these chemicals to come under increasing regulatory scrutiny by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
via Close to Home: Farallon Islands ecosystem at risk | The Press Democrat.