2023 was another busy year for Preserve Grayson
For the past three years, Preserve Grayson has been working to bring greater awareness to the problems related to industrial scale agriculture in our community. 2023 was another busy year! From submitting a formal list of resolutions to the Grayson County Board of Supervisors to study impacts of large scale agriculture in the county, to meeting with delegates of the Virginia House of Representatives to bring attention to the ongoing ecological crisis in Grayson County, we have been committed to elevating the voices of Grayson County residents, as well as all living things that reside in our beautiful countryside. In late summer of 2022, two of our State legislators, a representative from VDACs, and members of the Board of Supervisors came to Grayson County and listened thoughtfully and carefully to our concerns. In 2023, we continued our efforts to engage lawmakers to address our concerns. Our community of certified stream monitors is growing. As always, we seek to understand the science behind the pesticides being sprayed liberally on thousands of acres of mountain land. And, as we think forward, to protect our planet and future generations. Scroll down to read about our activities in 2023!
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2023
Meeting with Grayson County
Board of Supervisors
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In January 2023, Preserve Grayson presented a formal set of resolutions to the Board of Supervisors, asking the board to delegate resources to study the impacts and effects of large scale agriculture in Grayson County. From assisting residents with well water testing of pesticides to considering buffer zones around Christmas tree plantations, we, in essence, asked our governing board to “carry some of the water.” The Board took the resolutions under consideration, however, decided not to take action on any of our requests.
You can view our document here.
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(The photo to your left is but one example of the massive amount of clearcutting that is occurring on a regular basis in Southwest Virginia for the production of Christmas trees.
These clearcuts are followed by burning of the trees prior to planting. Sedimentation in streams from runoff decreases the oxygen available in the streams for aquatic life and damages the watershed.)
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Meeting with Representative
Morgan Griffith
On June 27, 2023, over 20 residents joined Preserve Grayson for a Listening Session. Residents and others spoke of their deep concerns about the ongoing issues facing Grayson County regarding large scale agriculture and the rapid proliferation of Christmas tree plantations. Residents expressed their concerns and their grief and brainstormed possible solutions.
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Two days later, on June 29, 2023, Preserve Grayson and others met with Morgan Griffith, the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Grayson County, to express our deep concerns regarding ongoing aerial spray of pesticides and the rapid expansion of their use in the county. We spoke of concerns to our watershed, springs that supply water to private wells, increased nitrates in water, fears of chronic illness, and harm to our pollinators. Representative Griffith listened to our concerns with deep interest and we appreciated his time, however, our meeting did not yield any viable solutions.
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Unfortunately, Mr. Griffith visited with the largest grower in the county prior to our meeting with him. Mr. Griffith stated that he was told they “were doing everything right.”
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When drift is a common occurrence and when well water is contaminated with nitrates, it is hard to believe everything is being done 'right.'
Thus far, aerial spraying continues unabated.
Monitoring a site on the North Branch of Elk Creek, Fall 2023. On that day, we had a little "help."
Virginia Save Our Streams
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In 2022, two members of the community became certified Virginia Save Our Streams volunteer monitors. This program allows volunteers to monitor the health of streams by counting benthic macroinvertebrates, those tiny (and not so tiny) creatures that inhabit streams and contribute mightily to a thriving ecosystem. These creatures are sensitive to changes in water quality and give us a greater understanding of how streams are changing over time. Data collected by this method is quality assured and passed on to the Department of Environmental Quality.
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In the Spring of 2023, we tested over 20 streams and 7 more residents in the county became certified stream monitors through Virginia Save Our Streams.
We submitted our data to VASOS and hoped they in turn would find our method adequate to submit to VA DEQ. We will continue to test streams as we are able, and keep records of changes over the years. So far, we have found streams to have healthier scores when surrounded by a robust buffer.
In the Fall of 2023 we were not able to monitor as many streams because of drought conditions. Further, we were concentrating some of our efforts into meeting with legislators on a possible aerial spray bill.
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We continue to encourage residents to explore the possibility of becoming a stream monitor. In the meantime, consider joining us any time we have an opportunity to monitor a stream.
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Up until 2022, there had never been a Virginia Save Our Streams monitor in Grayson County. Why should there have been? We have always had some of the best water anywhere. Not anymore. For more information, visit iwla.org.
Check out this VASOS blog post from August 2023!!
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No, this is not a tapestry design. It is picture of Christmas trees, planted right up to the edge of a creek. This field has been sprayed with herbicides.
And speaking of water, our efforts to get out the word on water testing increased the participation in the annual Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Well Water Westing Program. Each spring, well water testing is offered at a discount to Grayson County residents. Usually, the notice is printed in the local paper. We hope to increase awareness of this program, as many residents are finding that nitrates in their water have increased since large scale agriculture has increased in the area. This program does not test for pesticides. However, many believe that the presence of nitrates in well water forebodes the presence of other unwanted substances. At this point, those pesticides are almost impossible for ordinary residents to know about, much less test for. In the future, we hope to develop criteria for awarding stipends for residents who cannot afford Cooperative Extension tests.
Further, we are trying to collect data on nitrates in drinking water and mapping this data with proximity to Christmas tree plantations. Nitrates do not belong in drinking water. This is becoming more of an issue, not only in our local watershed, but worldwide. In fact, the EPA is considering making a change to the acceptable level of nitrates, which now stands at 10mg/l.
A Trip to Whitetop
On October 14, 2023, Preserve Grayson had the distinct pleasure of meeting with Rodney Richardson, a Christmas tree grower in Whitetop, Grayson County, and former president of the Mount Rogers Area Christmas Tree Growers Association. Committed to sustainable farming for over 40 years, Mr. Richardson grows Christmas trees with his community and the future of the industry in mind. Practicing Integrated Pest Management, allowing a diverse plant universe to grow for pollinators, and maintaining buffer zones are just some of the ways in which Mr. Richardson cares for his land. Read more about our trip to Mr. Richardson's farm here.
On Rodney Richardson's Christmas tree farm, trees are planted far enough apart to allow for mowing. Plants that support pollinators are allowed to grow between trees, with only minimal spraying as necessary. Mr. Richardson does not allow aerial spray.
Education
In late December, we finalized information and designs for a Public Awareness brochure named “Have Yourself a Better Merry Christmas…For the Love of Grayson.” The brochure has been printed, however, it was rather close to Christmastime to distribute widely. There are plans to print the brochure in Spanish as well. Educational materials will be a lot of our focus in 2024. Coming soon will be a Blog designed to make you think, to go deeper, to tell stories, and to express the profound love we have for our home.
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We are developing a booklet on pesticides and pollinators and the need for their protection to provide to our legislators and others who can support legislation that will ban or limit aerial spraying in our frequent, capricious winds. We hope to collect stories from beekeepers and others who have been negatively impacted by the ongoing and massive use of pesticides and herbicides. We hope to have this information on the website in the future.
Members of Preserve Grayson will be present a poster at the New River Symposium, April 11-12, at Radford University. https://newriverconservancy.org/event/symposium-2024-rivers-cubed-reconnect-restore-recreate/. The New River is our watershed in Grayson County and this means all of our springs, streams, and creeks ultimately flow to the New River. All are welcome to attend.
In August of 2022, Preserve Grayson and other members of the community gave a presentation to two Virginia State legislators, Del. Israel O'Quinn and Del. Jeff Campbell. They listened carefully to our concerns and followed up the meeting with a letter to various organizations, including the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, voicing the concerns of the citizens of Grayson County regarding industrial scale agriculture. This meeting led to a proposed bill (HB1548) in 2023 to bring greater transparency to aerial spraying, which would have required applicators to register in advance of a spray event, to specify the day of application, as well as name the chemicals being sprayed. Further, the bill would have allowed for greater enforcement of pesticide applications, including fines for violations.
Unfortunately, the bill proposed by Delegate Campbell was never introduced due to pushback from the Agriculture Committee. Delegate Campbell retired to become a judge, and Delegate Jed Arnold was elected in his place. On November 10, 2023, Preserve Grayson met with Del. Arnold at his law office in Marion, Virginia, to learn whether he planned to re-introduce the bill in the 2024 session. Del. Arnold had no plans to do so.
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We experienced a ray of hope when we met with Virginia Senator Bill Stanley, however, that an aerial spray bill could be passed during this legislative session. Again, this bill would have put a margin of transparency around aerial spraying. Senator Stanley expressed concern about pollinators and the harms of pesticides, thus the bill was crafted in a way to bring greater protection to bees and other pollinators. Despite our efforts, Sen. Stanley was not happy with the language of our final draft of the bill, so it was killed before it made it to committee. There is always next year! We are determined to sit down with any interested parties and hammer out a draft of the bill with language that Senator Stanley will be able to get behind, and use his considerable experience and expertise to guide into law.
As ever, we will continue to seek ways to protect this beautiful place called Grayson County. With the ongoing clear cutting of mountainsides, burning of the trees, fields sprayed heavily with Roundup to discourage weeds prior to planting a new plantation, herbicides sprayed on shared fence lines and road sides, helicopters delivering poisons at all times of day, with our windows wide open for air conditioning, decreases in fruit and vegetable yields because of loss of habitat for bees, negative changes in drinking water and fears of health impacts, we have no choice but to continue.