A big thank you to our Island County Board of County Commissioners on behalf of the orcas that inhabit Puget Sound and the entire Salish Sea, for helping to reduce the toxic runoff that ultimately lodges in the bodies of virtually every living thing in the marine food web, and therefore ends up in large quantities in the bloodstreams of the longest lived mammals, the southern resident orcas, known as J, K and L pods.

Your action will not only decrease the amount of chemicals on our roadsides, but will also help raise awareness to the overall issue of pesticides and herbicides entering our fresh and marine waters, so Puget Sound will benefit doubly from the example you have set.

We live on islands with many miles of shoreline, and it is our hope that property owners will now also think twice and reduce or suspend chemical use on their lawns and gardens, and in their homes. There are many safer alternatives, such as using native plants for landscaping and vinegar and baking soda for household cleaning.

Thanks to all of you who choose to use safer, healthier alternatives to chemicals, so that Island County may continue to be the paradise it is, surrounded by whales and enjoyed by healthy people.

Susan Berta and Howard Garrett

Orca Network