Reducing Pesticides for the Love of Birds: New Thoughts for a New Year
In June of 2002 I wrote and posted an article called "Reducing Pesticides for the Love of Birds," which talked about how important it is to the birds and other wildlife in our yards to cut down on the chemicals we use in our backyards. It was a nice article, and I even included a recipe for a non-chemical insecticidal soap to help deal with things like aphids.
As you know, if you've been following my columns, I'm currently in a college program studying American nature writing. One of the things I'm focusing on is how our views toward the environment have changed since the Pilgrims first landed in Plymouth in the 17th century. And there has been a big change. The Pilgrims looked at the wilderness as something to be feared, because it could -- and did -- kill them. In the 20th and 21st centuries we've turned the tables, because we've now reached the point where Man has the ability to alter, and potentially to destroy, his environment.
I recently finished reading Rachel Carson's classic book, "Silent Spring." First published in 1962, Carson's book was the first to bring into public view the dangers of widespread pesticide use, especially the pesticide DDT. Meticulously researched, "Silent Spring" paints a horrific picture of entire communities which were devoid of practically all bird life following mass pesticide spraying for Japanese beetles, fire ants, spruce budworm and gypsy moths in the mid- to-late 1950's, both here and in the British Isles. The owners of the planes who were hired to spray the pesticides were paid by the barrel, not the acre, so there was little effort made to avoid spraying in more sensitive areas, such as dairy farms, lakes, rivers or estuaries. Carson cited examples of some areas where as much as 90% of all bird life was completely wiped out. People would go for walks in the middle of May and there were no robins. No warblers. No thrushes. Nothing. Not a sound, not a song. A silent spring.
The tragic thing is that these massive sprayings were fairly ineffective in controlling the problems they were meant to control. Spruce budworm continued to attack large stands of forest. Elm trees continued to die of Dutch Elm disease, fire ants continued to spread, and so did Japanese beetles. In the meantime, millions of birds, fish and other wildlife were wiped out. In addition, many people died as a result of contact with pesticides, especially farm workers who received inadequate education on how to protect themselves.
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