Mosquito Control Practices Near Wetlands: Methods, Risks and Limits

We’ve mentioned before how Kohl Construction’s plans to build condos near wetlands would place a large number of residents in an area that’s buzzing with mosquitoes during the warmer months. It would be hard to blame those residents from wanting to apply pesticide and other mosquito control measures to prevent disease and use their outdoor […]

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Glyphosate Factsheet: Unwanted Impacts

The herbicide glyphosate not only kills plants but may also be harmful to animals and people. Caroline Cox compiled a factsheet for Journal of Pesticide Reform (v.108, n.3, Fall 1998 rev. October 2000): Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide widely used to kill unwanted plants both in agriculture and in nonagricultural landscapes. Estimated use in the […]

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Herbicide Caution: Glyphosate Use May Damage Woody Plants

As we wrote yesterday, Kohl Construction proposes to apply herbicide in an effort to eradicate two invasive species on its property: Japanese knotweed and multiflora rose. Here is a news release from Ohio State University Extension with cautions about the use of glyphosate, found in a number of popular herbicides. 06/17/2008 PDF / Photos / […]

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Japanese Knotweed and Multiflora Rose: Is Herbicide the Answer?

In an effort to earn ‘extraordinary mitigation’ points and justify close encroachment to the wetlands off North Street, Kohl Construction proposes to apply herbicide in an effort to eradicate two invasive species on its property: Japanese knotweed and multiflora rose. Northampton Land Use and Conservation Planner Bruce Young says that if Kohl did this to […]

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Video: Board of Public Works Discusses Scope of Waste Management Alternatives Study at 1/21/09 Special Meeting

At 8am on January 21, Northampton’s Board of Public Works met to discuss a Waste Management Alternatives study proposed by HDR Engineering. Here is a Google video of the entire meeting. The video is 2 hours and 31 minutes long, and was recorded by Adam Cohen. You’ll notice some intermittent fan noise. We did our […]

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Gazette Column: “Keeping our schools small is worth a large effort”

Today’s Gazette includes a column from Greg Kerstetter (email), who teaches fifth grade at the R.K. Finn Ryan Road School in Northampton: Lesson Plan: Keeping our schools small is worth a large effort Here’s what the [Strategic Planning Commitee] could not agree on: whether to close an elementary school to save money… Members of the […]

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