In January there were press releases all over on the court decision that pesticide spraying along salmon creeks was to stop and a requirement for urban home and garden stores to provide a list of the banned chemicals in Washington, Oregon and California. The ruling put a buffer of 100 yards aerial and 20 yards for ground applications with exceptions for certain products not likely to pollute water.

Specific product lists are available at www.watoxics.org. As I read this information it seemed to me the real beauty of this is that those who have wells in their yard can use this information too. Knowing what is bad for the fish can’t hurt when we work on yards around our drinking water.

One note: Pesticides are tracked into our homes on our feet and pets feet. There is growing concern about human health due to chemicals used in lawn care products. Vacuuming carpet doesn’t remove the chemical. This will give you an opportunity to get information at the store before buying. This was to start this spring and I think it is a good time to refresh our memories.

(Editor’s Note: Rick Courson is the owner of Cedar Bay Homes and specializes in custom, Built Green homes. A nationally recognized Green Building pioneer who speaks nationwide on the subject, he is also the current president of the Homebuilders Association of Kitsap County. He may be reached at (360) 698-8242 or R_Courson@msn.com.).