We have the ability and obligation to enact pesticide change

I am concerned, with the flooding of farmland, the pesticides already in our foods due to overapplication will enter into our streams and water

supply.

The most common pesticides we use, called neonics, are very similar to nicotine, and are just as addictive, and even more harmful. Not only are they detrimental to the people who ingest them, they are devastating to bees that pollinate our crops.

These neonics are responsible for the current decimation of both native and domestic pollinators. Bee keepers report 30 percent of their hives die each winter, which is more than twice the sustainable rate. As it stands, the resource systems we depend on for survival are undergoing rapid change because of our misuse of pesticides. Apples, tomatoes, potatoes and the alfalfa we use to feed our dairy cattle are all at risk.

The reduction or elimination of neonics isn't at all unachievable. Canada is actively phasing these pesticides out, and the European Union has banned them entirely. Connecticut and Maryland have passed legislation restricting their sale and use.

In these times of sensational media, political division and perpetual controversy, it is easy to forget that we, voters and citizens, have not only the ability, but the obligation to act collectively to change our world for the better.

Henry Klatt

Ames