Petaluma moves toward a ban

We were recently highlighted for our work on the 12-month moratorium in the local paper. This has definitely gotten the community more aware of spraying. This week the City of Petaluma was going to spray Walnut Park sidewalks with Glyphosate, until they heard from many residents concerned about exposure to their children and pets. A partial win! The City made a statement this week that they will not spray parks (for now), as they work on testing alternatives through an updated Integrated Pest Management program due in the fall. However, the alternatives really need exploration. Some may be just as bad. In addition, the spraying will continue along Petaluma trails, waterways, median strips and other right of ways like sound walls, and has continued use in our beloved Shollenberger Wetlands as a tool to fight invasive plant species. Because this limiting of spraying glyphosate hasn't been adopted as official policy, staff could revert to spraying anytime if they feel the need. We don't think this is acceptable and are demanding cities across Sonoma County to officially enact the 12-month moratorium. Glyphosate is accumulating in our watersheds and our bodies. We will have more data from our public records requests showing water quality testing and amounts used available at an upcoming forum in Petaluma in early March. Look for our email update with information on that forum and when we will be attending a Petaluma City Council meeting in March to demand the moratorium. Thank you for signing and sharing the petition! Please keep sharing it to your social media outlets. It's really picking up steam! xoxo Tiff Tiffany Renée, President, PetalumaGrange.com