Local Coordination to Preserve Culturally Sensitive Plants

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Local Coordination to Preserve Culturally
Sensitive Plants

• Sarah Ryan
• Big Valley Rancheria EPA
• Western Region Pesticide Meeting May 2005

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Pesticide Issues in Lake County

• Pesticide drift and historical pesticide residues
  
• Lack of education about Tribal use of plants
• Unknown contamination of sensitive plants

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Some Findings

• Elevated levels of copper, barium, zinc in tules
• At Big Valley, organochlorine pesticides,
  arsenic, elevated copper, lead, iron and zinc
  found in sediment along the eastern boundary of
  Rancheria
• Basketweavers are altering their methods to avoid
  possible contact with pesticides

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Actions taken

• BVR received US EPA funding - quantify pesticide
  routes of exposure for local Tribes
• Tribes began project with CA Dept of Food and
  Agriculture to sample tules for fluridone
  herbicide used in hydrilla eradication program
• Extensive comments and interaction with county on
  its Aquatic Plant Management Plan

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Clear Lake Region Pesticide Environmental Risk
Project

• Community scoping meetings
• Native plant list
• Pesticide assessments
• Workshops

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Tule Project with CDFA

• Began as a response in November 2004 to concern
  that Tribes raised about pesticide residue in
  traditional foods
• Tribal/CDFA meeting in January 2005 to discuss
  tule consumption (how, when and where)
• CDFA currently developing methodology for
  analyzing fluridone in tules, water and sediment,
  at Clear Lake in 4 different locations (chosen by
  the Tribes)
• CDFA will conduct sampling during May 2005, (pre
  and post fluridone application) and share info

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Clear Lake Integrated Aquatic Plant Management
Plan

• Tribes offered information on use and consumption
  of lake plants/animals
• Tribes made detailed comment on 2 drafts of plan,
  made corrections to assumptions about Tribal use
  of Lake

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Native Plant List

• Compile list of plants with collection times,
  uses, general gathering areas
• Overlay with local pesticide use info (what,
  where, when)
• Use information to determine the plants that need
  attention
• Create pamphlet that educates the public about
  need for native plant preservation

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Summary of Local Coordination

• Assessments will assist Tribes with management of
  resources
• Tribal discussion of concerns about sensitive
  plants
• Coordination with state on pesticide sampling of
  traditional food
• Tribal consumption information included in county
  pesticide risk assessment
• Education of local community with native plants
  pamphlet

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Keep vigilant and stay involved

• Countys Aquatic Plant Management Plan did not
  use Tribal consumption numbers
• Pesticide drift incidents continue to occur
• Pesticide sampling rarely takes place on foods
  consumed by Tribal members
• How can we eat our subsistence food if our food
  is contaminated?
• This is a work in progress

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• Contact sryan_at_big-valley.net
• 707-263-3924 x109
• cell 707-349-4040