Bob Eaton: Evidence shows danger of pesticide use in New Hampshire

To The Daily Sun,

The next time readers are home from a Sunday drive, they should take a look at their windshield. Something missing? Probably. 

This phenomenon even has a name: "the windshield effect.” Where are all the insects that used to splatter our windshields? They're disappearing at an alarming rate, and New Hampshire is feeling it. 

The science is clear. Modern pesticides being sprayed on yards, injected in our plants and coating feed corn seeds are a major contributor. Our neighbors Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, and Canada have all acted based on hundreds of scientific studies. None took this lightly. Neither should we. 

Our state butterfly, the Karner blue, is in danger of disappearing forever from New Hampshire. 

Ninety-five percent of feed corn seeds are coated with them. The U.S. Geological Survey found these chemicals in New Hampshire wells and water supplies. Meanwhile, Cornell University's research proves these chemicals provide no increase in feed corn yields, while Harvard research links them to bee colony collapse. This is just a small list of the mass of scientific evidence. 

New Hampshire's multi-billion tourism industry depends on visitors coming to see our natural resources. Our farmers need pollinators to survive. Our families deserve clean drinking water. And our children and grandchildren should inherit the New Hampshire we grew up in, but unless we make some changes they will not.

Our legislators have the power to keep the Live Free or Die state truly free from polluted water, free from nature breaking down, free from chemicals poisoning our children. The science is clear. Our neighbors have acted. New Hampshire's future is in their hands. 

Visit sixleggedsociety.com to stay updated on the legislation.

Bob Eaton

Wolfeboro