Boulder County’s Biodiversity Plan Asks The Plants To Trust The Weed Killer

Boulder County wants to protect native ecosystems and reduce wildfire risk by using drones to spray invasive weeds with indaziflam. Critics, including researchers, warn that the herbicide could harm the native seeds and wildlife the county wants to preserve. The county says the treatment is appropriate; its manufacturer disputes the safety concerns.

So the plants are receiving conservation from above, and there is some disagreement about whether they will enjoy it.

Cheatgrass is a genuine problem. It crowds out native vegetation and can intensify wildfires. Rugged terrain, the county says, makes other treatment methods unsuitable. Its plan includes no-spray buffers around homes and measures to reduce drift. There is a serious land-management decision here, not a choice between pressing the evil button and giving every elk a hug.

But then the city of Boulder’s research enters the room. Yes, the city. The county is proceeding; the city has a report warning about potential health effects, toxicity to invertebrates and the viability of native seeds. Local government has achieved the difficult feat of being both the reassuring authority and the authority making the reassurance considerably harder.

I’m picturing the public-information counter. Which Boulder would you like? The one with the drone or the one with concerns about what comes out of it?

The wider county plan covers more than 2,000 acres, including the Red Hill area. Officials describe protecting biodiversity as central to their approach. A city policy adviser, Brett KenCairn, says the native seed bank will be desperately needed after wildfires and describes indaziflam as very effective at killing seeds, with few exceptions.

Well. That is an awkward staff meeting for the seeds.

You have been identified as essential to the future of this ecosystem. Excellent. You are also present in an ecosystem scheduled for weed treatment. Less excellent. Please indicate whether you are an invasive menace or a cherished component of our recovery strategy. Use the small pencil. Do not germinate while the form is being processed.

The product’s seller, Envu, says a substantial body of independent research supports indaziflam’s effectiveness against invasive grasses and its role in protecting native ecosystems. The county says the chemicals target plant biology and have minimal effects on mammals, including people.

I appreciate the mammal reassurance. I am a mammal. Big fan of remaining one. But if the dispute includes what happens to native seeds, reassuring me that the product targets plant biology is an unusual way to change the subject. The plants are right there. They have heard their department mentioned.

And the scientific argument has its own paperwork. University of Colorado researchers questioned the disclosure of commercial connections in some favorable studies. Envu strongly rejects allegations of undisclosed conflicts of interest and points to peer-reviewed evidence supporting the product. Its government relations and sales manager, who previously worked on indaziflam’s development and commercialization at Bayer, also defends that research.

Nothing calms a dispute about a product’s evidence quite like discovering that the person explaining the evidence can also discuss sales. Convenient, though. If your question remains unanswered, perhaps it qualifies for a volume discount.

The first legal challenge to the county’s broad plans was dismissed on October 9. Two conservation groups have since given notice that they intend to bring another suit, alleging Endangered Species Act violations. Those are allegations, not a ruling against the revived spray plan. Opponents are also asking the county to delay it. One of the three county commissioners remains opposed.

This is where the whole enterprise begins to resemble a conservation mission in which everyone has arrived to rescue the same hostage and nobody agrees whether to cut the red wire. Except the hostage cannot leave, the equipment can fly, and the county has a schedule.

I am not qualified to settle the toxicology by glaring at a bottle. Neither is a reassuring noun. Calling something restoration does not tell the seed underneath the drone which side of the restoration it is on.

Imagine the meadow’s final briefing. We are here to preserve your extraordinary diversity. Questions? Yes, the tiny thing in the soil.

“Am I the diversity?”

We’ll have somebody from government relations get back to you.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Give the seed the small pencil.