ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 12, 2007

NEW INTERNET TOOL HELPS PESTICIDE APPLICATORS

BISMARCK – Pesticide applicators now have a new tool to help them meet the requirements of the federal endangered species protection program.

“The Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangered Species Protection Program is intended to better safeguard threatened and endangered species from pesticides,” said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. “The EPA has now developed Endangered Species Protection Bulletins to add pesticide use restrictions beyond those found on some pesticide labels.”

The bulletins are published on a county-by-county basis and can be found at www.epa.gov/oppfead1/endanger/bulletins.htm. Users will be directed to enter the county where the pesticide is to be applied and the month of application. Any restrictions for a specific county and month will appear, together with maps and other pertinent information.

Johnson said pesticide users should always read and follow the label directions for any pesticide, since some labels require the user to obtain the bulletin for the site of application.

“If the label indicates that a bulletin may be available for a pesticide, the user must go online, find and read the bulletin and comply with it,” Johnson said. “Failure to comply with a bulletin is a violation of the law.”

North Dakota currently has seven endangered species: the least tern, whooping crane, piping plover, black-footed ferret, gray wolf, pallid sturgeon and western prairie fringed orchid.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 220-4357 or plahlum@nd.gov.