Dear Neighbors,
We are so thankful for your support in this petition. Today, we have 86 signatures, most of whom are from the Town of Shutesbury! This shows how important this issue is to our community. Thank you!
Updates:
Board of Health (BOH): Today, a letter was sent by the petition authors to the Shutesbury Board of Health in anticipation of their meeting tonight. The BOH has knotweed management on its agenda.
We are asking the Board of Health to take the time to gather information before establishing any policies and to exercise restraint in making any statements of support for the Town’s plan for glyphosate spraying.
We also call their attention to the Town of Great Barrington’s Board of Health. Great Barrington’s BOH has established Glyphosate Regulations for using this herbicide on Town-owned properties. This type of approach is entirely possible and within the purview of our Board of Health should they wish to take some action to reduce the use of glyphosate in our community.
To view the entire letter and other updates and news on our efforts, go to https://www.shutesburyrightsofwetlands.org/about-6.
The Board of Health meets tonight via Zoom. There will be a brief public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, but comments can also be sent to boardhealth@shutesbury.org. Zoom links to the meeting can be found at shutesbury.org/calendars.
Select Board (SB): The SB meets on Thursday, August 22, at 5:30. They have a brief public comment period at the beginning of each meeting. This is a hybrid meeting. Participants can attend in person in the basement of Town Hall or via Zoom links which will be posted on the Town online meeting calendar. Comments can also be sent to them at selectboard@shutesbury.org.
Shutesbury Conservation Commission (SCC):
The SCC meets by Zoom on Thursday, August 22, at 7 pm. They also have the knotweed initiative on their agenda. The link to the meeting will be posted at shutesbury.org/calendars. Comments can be sent to concom@shutesbury.org.
We believe the proposed glyphosate spraying is a threat not only to human health and safety but also to the health of our local wetlands. Glyphosate is highly toxic to wetland vegetation, soil microbes, and insects. It is water-soluble, can be flushed downhill in runoff, and persists in the environment for days to months. Even if spraying is more than 100 feet from a wetland, runoff from spraying can be released into the wetland, given the suitable climate and topography conditions. Research on the effects of agricultural spraying of glyphosate has found that glyphosate can migrate to other areas via rain runoff, groundwater transport, and wind.
It is important for the Conservation Commission to carefully consider the wetlands impacts of glyphosate spraying along roadsides in Shutesbury. Shutesbury’s hilly roads are marbled with wetlands that cross the roads under culverts and border the roads in swales and nearby wet, low-lying areas. We know of several patches of knotweed that are relatively close to wetlands along roads in Shutesbury.
Glyphosate spraying should not be allowed in any protected Wetland Resource Area, including any protected under the state Wetlands Protection Act (WPA) or the local Shutesbury Wetlands Protection Bylaw, without a permit from the Conservation Commission.
However, the challenges for the Conservation Commission are both practical and scientific. If asked, the Commission must determine whether spraying in the 100-foot Buffer Zone (AURA) or 200-foot Riverfront Area will likely cause significant or cumulative harm to Protected Wetland Resource Areas. Notably, the delineations of wetlands must be confirmed before any permit can be allowed. Most of the roadside wetlands in Town are not mapped or delineated. There are vernal pools near roads in Shutesbury that have not yet been certified by the Commission. Certification of vernal pools is time-dependent and requires data gathering during the spring breeding season for vernal pool amphibians. Identifying and delineating the boundaries of any wetlands near knotweed will be a time-consuming process.
Even if the wetlands are appropriately delineated, and a permit is requested, the Conservation Commission will have difficulty quantifying the complex risk to wetlands without expert input. Even a practicing wetland scientist will likely lack specialized scientific knowledge about glyphosate toxicity and transport characteristics (i.e., the likelihood of traveling to nontarget areas). Given these challenges, we believe the more prudent approach is to avoid using glyphosate altogether.
We share the common concern in our community about pernicious invasive species spreading due to human action and inaction. We all can do our part to support the health of native plants, shrubs, and vegetation. As a community, we believe Shutesbury has the wherewithal to develop a better, safer, more environmentally friendly approach to this environmental threat.
Please speak up and let your Town officials know about your concerns!
With Respect for Nature,
MaryJo and Miriam