Tag: bird feeders

Enviros Push to Ban Wood Preservatives

Some environmental groups and labor unions are pushing for an end to using certain wood preservatives in treated lumber. They’ve jointly filed a lawsuit in federal court to push the Environmental Protection Agency to stop the use of the preservatives because they contain toxic chemicals. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Transcript

Some environmental groups and labor unions are pushing for an end to using certain wood
preservatives in treated lumber. They’ve jointly filed a lawsuit in federal court to push the
Environmental Protection Agency to stop the use of the preservatives because they contain toxic
chemicals. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:


The EPA acknowledges that some of the wood preservatives such as penta and creosote contain
chemicals that can cause cancer. But, the agency has long maintained that it cannot just ban the
wood preservatives used to treat lumber, utility poles and railroad ties. That’s because it says
there are no viable alternatives. Jay Feldman is with the environmental group “Beyond
Pesticides” which is one of the organizations suing the EPA. Feldman says the EPA position used to be true,
but not anymore:


“The alternatives are on line; they’re ready to go. It’s unnecessary for us to continue to dump
over a billion pounds of these wood preservatives into the environment on an annual basis.”


Feldman argues that recycled rubber, steel and plastic materials are available at about the same
cost. And he adds many power, telephone and cable lines can be put underground rather than on
creosote-treated utility poles. The Treated Wood Council indicates that its products are safe, but the industry is
beginning to offer different preservatives without the cancer-causing chemicals because of the
concerns.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.

Bird-Feeding Necessary This Winter?

Some bird enthusiast clubs around the Midwest are calling on their members to put out extra bird feeders this winter, but as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jonathan Ahl reports, the move might not be necessary:

Transcript

Some bird enthusiast clubs around the Midwest – Great Lakes Region are calling on their
members to put out extra bird feeders this winter. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Jonathan Ahl reports, the move might not be necessary:


Some of the clubs say birds are still suffering the effects of the West Nile Virus and need extra
food this winter to make sure they are healthy in the Spring. But not all scientists agree with that
claim. Barbara Frase is a biology professor at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She says
there are only a few circumstances where birds need the extra food humans provide:


“In the winter, if there is a really long cold spell, then the birds are probably helped. The extra
food will help see them through that cold snap. Otherwise, it probably doesn’t add to their
survival ability.”


Frase says studies show birds that frequent bird feeders still get eighty percent of their food from
the wild. She says it is still a nice thing to help birds, but says the West Nile Virus is really not a
reason to put out an extra feeder this winter.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Jonathan Ahl.