A controversial herbicide is being sprayed along logging roads near Shirley and residents fear it could wash into nearby salmon-bearing streams -- especially since the area has been heavily logged.
However, TimberWest, which owns the land known as Blueberry Flats, said glyphosate -- the chemical used in herbicides such as Roundup -- has been spray-ed only in narrow bands along roadways and is at least 300 metres from Muir Creek and Kirby Creek.
"It is well beyond the 10 metres required by the Ministry of Environment," said TimberWest spokeswoman Sue Handel.
The area is not open to the public, but warning signs were posted nearby because TimberWest is aware the area is used by the public, Handel said.
The herbicide is being sprayed by certified herbicide applicators, in diluted quantities, Handel said, adding spraying is necessary to keep invasive plants such as gorse from making roads inaccessible to fire protection vehicles.
Shirley resident Rani Brown said she was shocked to see signs warning that the area is being sprayed with glyphosate between July 7 and July 30.
"We all swim in that area," said Brown who hikes in with her seven-year-old son, his friends and her dog. "It's a concern, but I'm more concerned about the salmon."
Herbicide Spray Raises Concerns in Shirley Area
-
By Judith Lavoie
Time Colonist, July 24, 2010
Straight to the Source
