HELP MAKE PESTICIDE-FREE HAWAII COUNTY PARKS AND ROADS A LAW!
Finally, all the hard work we've done in maintaining parks without Roundup is bringing the desired results. In Honoka'a and Waimea, the county will be taking over the maintenance of the parks from the volunteers and continue doing it without chemical herbicides! And in Hilo, the Parks Dept used goats to successfully groom the Hilo Soccer Field and is now planning to use goats on other fields across the Big Island. The Roads Dept is also looking into using goats in areas where it is difficult to do manual maintenance.
NOW, WE NEED TO MAKE ALTERNATIVES TO ROUNDUP A DONE DEAL! PLEASE TESTIFY AND ASK EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO TESTIFY IN PERSON OR BY EMAIL TO BAN GLYPHOSATES ON THE BIG ISLAND! (They don't need to live on the island.)
On Tuesday, Oct. 15th, the Hawai’i County Council will hear a bill that would prohibit the use of toxic pesticides and herbicides on all county owned parks, roads, bikeways, sidewalks, trails, drainage ways, and waterways.
The bill allows for a 4-year transition period, establishes a Vegetation Management Transition Committee to guide the conversion to organic practices, and calls for a complete prohibition on synthetic pesticides on County-owned land beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
During the transition period, steps will be required to reduce the use of prohibited herbicides, all label instructions will need to be adhered to, and notification of herbicide use will be improved.
To read the full bill, see:
The bill exempts the following:
➡️agricultural lands that are owned or under the control by the County
➡️situations that may be a public health or safety hazard, only by formal request to the County Council
**Note that this bill does not apply to private property, such as farms, homes, resorts, etc.
Please send testimony in support of bill 101 to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov by October 14th. You can also testify in person on Oct. 15th at the Hilo Council Chambers located at 25 Aupuni Street, or by video conference from the Kona Council Chambers at 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy, Bldg A.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS ISSUE FOR SO LONG. THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO MAKE IT LAW!