What do the experts think about the use of buffers?
In 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that dozens of pesticides would jeopardize the survival of endangered species and it prescribed pesticide-free buffers around the species’ habitat to prevent interaction between the pesticide and the species. EPA has issued county bulletins containing county-specific use restrictions for pesticides affecting endangered species. Although currently voluntary and not utilized for salmon, the following most common buffer schemes collectively comprise over 90% of EPA’s buffer scenarios: Aerial Buffer Ground Buffer 0.5 mile 0.25 mile 0.25 to 0.5 mile 100 yards 200 yards 40 yards 100 yards 20 yards The Natural Resources Conservation Service, in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), considers buffers an important tool to reduce pesticide migration by slowing water run-off, trapping sediment, and enhancing infiltration within the buffer. (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/buffers/). The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has al
