Workers finished picking up the carcasses Wednesday to prevent other animals from eating them and possibly becoming sick. Officials said there is no danger to humans.
(no danger!! who are they kidding?)

Subject:   The "Professional" POISON Applicator-----
Date:       Fri, 22 Oct 1999 09:22:44 -0400
From:     Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To:     Lyndon Hawkins <hawkins@empm.cdpr.ca.gov>
 

Chemicals (POISONS)  Suspected in Bird Deaths --

Lyndon, The Associated Press noted some recent problems with the "use" of one of your "registered" pestiicde poisons----------

 MASCOUTAH, Ill. (AP) - Wheat soaked with an agricultural insecticide may have killed as many as 27,000 birds in a southern Illinois field and officials want to know if the mass poisoning was intentional.

About 75 percent of the dead birds were red-winged blackbirds. The rest were brown-headed cowbirds, grackles, starlings and horned larks, said Georgia Parham of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The insecticide Furidan - a chemical usually sprayed directly on a crop - was spread on the St. Clair County winter wheat field, said Capt. Mark Ottis, a state conservation officer.

State Department of Natural Resources spokesman Joe Khayyat said the insecticide was used ``apparently for the sole purpose of eliminating a population of blackbirds that were perceived to be a nuisance.''

No charges have been filed, pending the outcome of lab tests on the carcasses. Authorities said the land owner is cooperating with investigators.

If the poisoning was intentional, the farmer could face federal charges since migrating birds are protected by federal law, Parham said. Officials had first suspected that a downdraft killed the birds by slamming them into the ground.

Workers finished picking up the carcasses Wednesday to prevent other animals from eating them and possibly becoming sick. Officials said there is no danger to humans.

The Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the St. Clair County state's attorney's office were investigating.

AP-NY-10-21-99 0607EDT

 Copyright 1999 The Associated Press.  The information  contained in the AP news report may not be published,  broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without  prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Lyndon, The only thing I would add is the fact that miners use to take one canary into the mines with them, when the bird died --- they knew it was time for all of the miners to leave.  Obviously, the "officials" are unaware of this fact ---- when they said that the volatile ("registered") pesticide poisons that killed 27,000 birds present no danger to humans!  When will it be "legal" (in your opinion) to safely control pests in California with unregistered alternatives?

Respectfully,  Stephen L. Tvedten.

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