Although to write like Annie Dillard is an aspiration and North Glenwood is no Tinker Creek, I have made some observations of nature, and its manipulation, near my home.
When I see no dandelions, or withered dandelions in a lawn, the use of Roundup weed killer is the most likely culprit. Many people know to avoid it, but commercial lawn services will apply it with abandon. Glyphosate is a broad leaf killer and the main active ingredient in Roundup and products that are advertised as “weed and feed,” like Scotts.
Two Rivers has withered dandelions as well. I would not let a child or even my dog play on that grass. I would love to hear from the Parks Department that they do not use this killer.
Recently Monsanto has been ordered to pay more than $2 billion to a couple with cancer caused by long-term use of Roundup. Roundup has been linked to Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leukemia, brain cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, nerve damage, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and birth defects. This link has been proven in a court of law.
Pay attention to what your lawn service is doing when they swoop in with their mowers and blowers and fertilizers. Do not let them use glysophate products. It is in the short term lethal to bees and can lead to the death of dogs, children and certainly the workers who use it.
I wish I could attest to blooming fruit trees abuzz with bees in North Glenwood, but they are quiet. Many thanks to my neighbors on both sides who have never surrendered to the tidy death of a weed free lawn.
Barb Coddington,
Glenwood Springs
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