M.L.P.A. ENDORSES URBAN RUNOFF!!!!

[wade]

M.L.P.A. ENDORSES URBAN RUNOFF!!!!!

RE: http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ead.php?t=9105
(Thanks to TREX for brining this to my attention!)







Fish may be poisoned by a wide range of polluting substances, including pesticides, acids, ammonia, phenols, cresols, compounds of metals, detergents, or cyanides. Many of these substances are used in industrial processes or in agriculture and are released through drains or are accidentally spilled into waterways. Acid rain, derived from industrial pollutants in the atmosphere, causes rivers to become toxic for various kinds of fish. Some types of toxic algal blooms kill fish. During the 1990s the dinoflagellate Pfeisteria piscicida caused fish kills, ranging from a few hundred to a million fish at one time, in estuaries of the southeastern United States.

"Your Pacific Sod lawn was grown under the careful guidance of the industry's top professionals using "the most modern horticultural practices."


(Actual Directions from California DFG Commissioner Richard Rodgers' own website including this icon!)
1. Remove existing lawn: (Skip to Step 2 if you don't have an existing lawn) Prior to the installation of sod, any existing lawn should be chemically killed and removed. Make sure that the existing lawn is well watered and growing vigorously. Apply an herbicide such as Roundup, or a similar product, to the entire lawn. Read and follow all label instructions. A second application about two weeks after the first will catch those areas missed and generally insure a "complete kill" of turf and weeds. Should the existing lawn contain bermuda grass, kikuyu grass, or other warm season grasses, chemical control will only be attained from April through mid-October. (Be aware that Roundup does not control the seed of common bermuda grass, kikuyu grass, or any other weed seed.) Check with a local nursery for a recommended pre-emergent to control invasive weeds and seeds. When the turf is completely brown and dead, the old lawn can be easily removed with a sod cutter. Be sure to cut thin! All you wish to remove is dead vegetation, not a thick layer of soil. After removal of the dead turf, clear the ground of all remaining debris.
2. Prepare the soil: For areas where the removal of an old lawn is not a consideration, be sure to clear the ground of rocks, weeds and other debris. Should there be too many weeds to clear by hand, an herbicide such as Roundup "will lessen the work load." If bermuda grass, kikuyu grass or nut grass are present, chemical seed control "is a must". Check with a local nursery for a recommended pre-emergent to control invasive weeds and seeds.
Once cleared of debris, spread "soil amendments" in an even layer about one-half to one-inch inch thick. Using a rototiller, blend the amendments with the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches. For hybrid bermudagrass and Sunclipse St. Augustine sod lawns, rototill only to 4 inches.

3. Install sprinkler system: A sprinkler system is a virtual necessity for the survival of a lawn in the West, and "is required" to qualify for our One Year Gurarantee. When installing sprinklers, make sure the head will be flush with the adjoining sidewalks or cements structures, usually about 1 inch above the soil. A good landscape and irrigation supply business is an excellent place to start for design information and help. Remember, it is best to keep lawn irrigation systems separate from those for trees, shrubs and groundcovers. Also, incorporation of a timer in the system to control frequency and length of watering is strongly recommended. There are many excellent types available at a wide range of pricing and ease of installation and operation. Leave sprinkler risers capped while you finish grading the soil to avoid clogged sprinkler lines.
4. Rough grade the soil: Once again, clear the surface of any large root segments, rocks or debris that may have turned up with the tilling. Using a wide rake, begin leveling the area. Break up any large clods of dirt that remain. Make sure the soil level is approximately 1 inch below the edges of cement structures such as sidewalks, driveways or patios.
5. Fine Grade - Smooth surface with roller: Using a lawn roller, roll the area in two different directions. This will further help to break up clods and expose any high or low spots in your yard. Rolling also firms the soil and will help to minimize excessive settling. After rolling, fill in any low spots and "fine" grade the area. This is an especially important step for the installation of Hybrid Bermudas and Sunclipse St. Augustine. Excessive settling after installation of the sod will result in a very uneven mowing surface and poor appearance. Several days prior to the delivery and installation of your sod, the area should receive a good watering. This will enable the new sod to establish quickly. This is also the time to check out your sprinkler system. To avoid dry patches and to promote even growth, coverage should be overlapping from sprinkler head to sprinkler head. Prior to sod installation, check once again for settling and low areas. Regrade if necessary. To avoid compaction, be sure the soil is dry before rolling.
6. Lay sod from back to front. Before laying any sod, apply Pacific Sod's N16-P20-K0 "Starter Fertilizer" to the entire area at the rate of 6 pounds per 1000 square feet. The sod may be layed directly on the fertilizer. 
Start laying sod from the back of your property to the front along the longest straight line boundary. Should your area be irregular in shape, run a string on a straight line though the area and begin laying sod along this line. Work away from the line so as not to step on freshly laid sod. Butt edges and ends to fit tightly against each other. Stagger strips as though laying bricks to offset seams and promote better knitting together of edges. Make sure each sod piece has good contact with the soil surface. Air pockets prevent good rooting.
7. Trim edges with sharp knife. Use a sharp knife to cut sod to conform to curved boundaries around trees, sprinkler heads and cement structures. Avoid cutting sod into short or narrow strips, as smaller pieces run a greater risk of drying out and failing to root properly. When laying sod on a steep slope, use wooden pegs or sod staples to temporarily keep sod in place.
8. Water lightly and keep moist. After you've laid down about 200 square feet of sod, spray with a fine mist from your garden hose. This will prevent the sod from dehydrating before you are finished and can turn on your sprinkler system. If you have more than 1000 square feet of sod to lay, lightly mist the sod that has not been laid yet. Very hot summer temperatures can quickly harm fresh-cut sod, so it is very important to protect the sod before, during and after installation.
9. Roll the New Sod. After all the sod is laid, use a roller to ensure good contact between the soil and sod. Avoid heavy roller marks by using a roller filled with only half as much water as when you rolled the soil before the sod was installed. When you are finished, start your irrigation system.
10. Protect your investment! Water your sod as much as necessary to keep it squishy wet. And keep it that way for 7- 10 days. The sod needs this water to reestablish itself with new root growth. After 7-10 days of "frequent watering", you should start to reduce your watering to a more normal schedule. This will allow the soil to firm up and give you an opportunity to mow your lawn. Depending on the growing season, a new sod lawn will need to be mowed 2-3 weeks after installation.



RoundUp Herbicide has been touted by its maker, Monsanto, as safe and environmentally friendly. As such, it has become the most popular herbicide in use today. Advertising by Monsanto has led the public to believe that RoundUp is "safe as table salt," a phrase used quite often by its proponents to describe it. Studies used for RoundUp's initial registration were fraudulent. There is no indication that these studies have been replaced with other, more valid, studies. The public perception of RoundUp as safe, environmentally friendly, and no more harmful than table salt has impeded the normal scientific study to which a pesticide would normally be subjected. Research grants have been concentrated in the areas of pesticides perceived to be more detrimental to humans. New York State's Attorney General has sued Monsanto for claiming that RoundUp is "safe" and "environmentally friendly." This suit ended in a settlement with Monsanto in which Monsanto agreed to cease and desist from using these terms in advertising RoundUp in the state of New York. Monsanto, while not admitting any wrongdoing, paid the state of New York $250,000 in settlement of this suit. When Monsanto violated the first settlement agreement by advertising within New York that RoundUp is "safe," a second agreement was negotiated.

Additional factors affecting the toxicity of RoundUp

From http://www.safe2use.com/ca-ipm/00-03-02.htm.X Pesticides and Deadly Tagamet Synergism by Steve Tvedten (former pesticide applicator).

Tagamet and other H-2 Blockers such as Axid and Pepcid, all now readily available over the counter, increase the vulnerability of persons taking these drugs to pesticide poisoning. Taken by millions, these drugs vie for the same detoxification pathways in the body as pesticides do, making people taking the drugs more susceptible to the devastating effects of pesticide poisoning.

Estrogen can also an important factor in the severity of the impact RoundUp has on people. Iris Bell, M.D., Ph. D., University of Arizona Health Sciences Center:

"In the sensitization process, we know that female animals are more likely to sensitize than are male animals, and, in research that has been done, picking apart the hormonal factors that may contribute, they found that a higher ratio of estrogen to progesterone seems to make the female animal more vulnerable for sensitization. Testosterone appears to protect the male animal."

Research on RoundUp's Toxicity--Part I
Ingestion of RoundUp has been shown to cause "irritation of the oral mucous membrane and gastrointestinal tract…pulmonary dysfunction, oliguria, metabolic acidosis, hypotension, leukocytosis and fever." 

Monsanto's own toxicologist, Rebecca Tominack, participated in this study.

(Tominack RL, Yang GY, Tsai WJ, Chung HM, Deng JF, 1991. Taiwan National Poison Center survey of glyphosate-surfactant herbicide ingestions. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1991; 29 (1): 91-109)

Many people report experiencing severe digestive problems related to irritation of their gastrointestinal tract after overexposure to RoundUp, limiting the foods their bodies will tolerate to a very few bland foods.

This is believed to be related to the fact that in a 1983 study by Heitanen, Linnainmaa and Vainio, RoundUp's main ingredient, glyphosate, was shown to decrease the hepatic level level of cytochrome P-450, monooxygenase activities, and the intestinal activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase.

The inhibition of erythrocyte glutathione conjugate transport by polyethoxylated surfactants has also been reported in a 1993 letter to FEBS from studies done by P. G. Board, part of the Molecular Genetics Group, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra.

Glutathione is a tripeptide which the body produces from the amino acids cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant produced in the liver, where it detoxifies harmful compounds so that they can be excreted through the bile. The glutathione released from the liver directly into the bloodstream helps to maintain the integrity of red blood cells and protect white blood cells. Glutathione is also found in the lungs. In the intestinal tract, it is needed for carbohydrate metabolism, and also appears to exert anti-aging effects, aiding in the breakdown of oxidized fats that may contribute to atherosclerosis. Glutathione's role in carbohydrate metabolism is compromised by the effect of RoundUp's surfactant, POEA, on erythrocyte glutathion conjugate transport.

RoundUp causes damage to the liver that inhibits the liver's ability to process toxic substances.
Research subject animals injected with glyphosate evidenced a depressed function of the liver. "Glyphosate decreased the hepatic function of cytochrome P-450 and monoxygnease activities and the intestinal activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydrolase." (Heitanen et al, 1983). The P-450 enzyme system is one of the main body systems for detoxifying harmful chemicals. When it becomes impaired by those same chemicals it is supposed to be detoxifying, the effects of a given chemical on the body increase dramatically.

(Heitanen, et al., 1983. Effects of phenoxyherbicides and glyphosate on the hepatic and intestinal biotransformation activities in the rat. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol (Copenh) 1983 Aug; 53(2):103-12.)
Testing of patients suffering RoundUp overexposure has indicated damage to their P-450 enzyme system.

Roundup produces significant increases in sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE), albeit in higher concentrations over those used for other pesticides. This suggests that it should be evaluated in other genetic tests measuring mutations and chromosome aberrations, although few studies of this nature have yet been done.
A 1980 study by Vigfusson and Vyse noted sister-chromatid exchanges in human lymphocytes in vitro. This lymphocyte disturbance correlates with the swelling experienced by persons poisoned by RoundUp.
(Vigfusson, N.V. and Vyse, E.R. (1980), "The effect of the pesticides, Dexon, Captan, and Roundup, on sister-chromatid exchanges in human lymphocytes in vitro". MUTATION RESEARCH, v.79 p.53-57.)

William Meggs, M.D., Ph.D., School of Medicine, East Carolina University:

In patients who have been chemically injured, Meggs has noted significant lymphatic hyperplasia, lymphatic tissue that is swollen and engorged. He has also found significant cobblestoning in upper airway passages. This represents chronic inflammation caused by lymphocytes migrating out of the blood stream and seeping into the tissues. Meggs has also noted thickening of the structure called the basement membrane, the structure on which the lining of cells that lines the interior of the nose sits. Meggs' study also found a defect in the tight junctions (the joining of cells together) and a proliferation of nerve fibers.

"Chemicals bind to receptors on nerve fibers and produce something called neurogenic inflammation. These chemicals bind to these receptors and cause the release of potent substances that produce inflammation in tissue.

When chemicals bind to nerve fibers, they can produce inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, produces other changes in the tissue, and it brings in these lymphocytes. We believe that inflammation causes these barrier cells to open up and sometimes even come off the basement membrane. Below the basement membrane is the nerve fibers, so we have a process whereby a chemical exposure will damage the lining of the nose. 

What happens is people have a large chemical exposure, they breathe in noxious chemicals, and this damages the epithelium. This huge exposure is able to penetrate this barrier we have between the chemicals we breathe in and these nerve cells beneath the lining layer that react to chemicals by producing inflammation. The inflammation, in turn, produces substances that cause further damage to the lining cell, and actually produce the substances which cause the tight junctions between these cells to open up. In some cases the cells actually come off and just leave these bare nerves exposed. Once you have the bare nerves exposed, low levels of chemicals that we all experience every day are enough to produce inflammation which in turn keeps the epithelium damaged."

RoundUp was found to cause significant DNA damage to erythrocytes (red blood cells) in a study done in 1997 by Clements, Ralph and Petras. RoundUp's surfactant, POEA, is known to cause haemolysis.

(Clements C, Ralph S, Pertas M, 1997. Genotoxicity of select herbicides in Rana catesbeiana tadpoles using the alkaline single-cell gel DNA electrophoresis (comet) assay. Environ Mol Mutagen 1997; 29(3):277-288.)

(Sawada Y, Nagai Y, Ueyama M, Yamamoto I, 1988. Probable toxicity of surface-active agent in commercial herbicide containing glyphosate. Lancet. 1988 Feb 6;1(8580):299.)

In haemolysis, hemoglobin leaks from the red blood cells, leaving them unable to transport sufficient supplies of oxygen to the body's tissues.

The chest pains, difficulty breathing, and impaired cognitive skills reported by persons who have sustained RoundUp poisoning also point to impairment of the blood's oxygen transport system, hemoglobin, as being responsible for these symptoms. This impairment of the erythrocytes' ability to deliver adequate oxygen to both brain and body results in impaired tissue perfusion and hypoxia.

"The brain is particularly vulnerable to hypoxia, and exposure to toxins that interfere with the intake, transport and utilization of oxygen provoke rapid and major neuronal damage. Compounds crossing the blood-brain barrier may induce both general and extremely localized neurotoxic effects."

(Kyvik KR, Morn BE, 1995. Environmental poisons and the nervous system. TidsskrX Nor Laegeforen 1995. June 10; 115(15):1834-8.)

According to both the EPA and the World Health Organization in 1993 and 1994, glyphosate appears to mimic adrenaline. This would explain the sleeping problems encountered by many persons exposed to RoundUp, as for them, cortisol appears to no longer be properly regulated by their bodies' adrenal glands.

(US EPA, 1993. EPA Reregistration Eligibility Document, Glyphosate, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Washington, D.C., September 1993.)

(IPCS, 1994. Environmental health criteria 159: Glyphosate. International Programme of Chemical Safety, World Health Organization, Geneva.)

Daruich, Zirulnik, and Gimenez (with the Catedra de Bioquimica Molecular, Area Quimica Biologica, Facultad de Quimica, Bioquimica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina) studied the effect of the herbicide glyphosate on enzymatic activity in pregnant rats and their fetuses. 

They reported their findings in the March 2001 issue of Environmental Research. According to these researchers, their "results suggest that maternal exposure to agrochemicals during pregnancy induces a variety of functional abnormalities in the specific activity of the enzymes in the studied organs of the pregnant rats and their fetuses."
RoundUp--Lymphoma Connection

From: Sadhbh O' Neill of "Genetic Concern."


PRESS RELEASE - 22 JUNE - New Study Links Monsanto's Roundup to Cancer

A recent study by eminent oncologists Dr. Lennart Hardell and Dr. Mikael Eriksson of Sweden [1], has revealed clear links between one of the world's biggest selling herbicide, glyphosate, to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer [2].

In the study published in the 15 March 1999 Journal of American Cancer Society, the researchers also maintain that exposure to glyphosate 'yielded increased risks for NHL.' They stress that with the rapidly increasing use of glyphosate since the time the study was carried out, 'glyphosate deserves further epidemiologic studies.'

Glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, is the world's most widely used herbicide. It is estimated that for 1998, over a 112,000 tonnes of glyphosate was used world-wide. It
indiscriminately kills off a wide variety of weeds after application and is primarily used to control annual and perennial plants.

71% of genetically engineered crops planted in 1998 are designed to be resistant to herbicides such as glyphosate, marketed by Monsanto as Roundup. Companies developing herbicide resistant crops are also increasing their production capacity for the herbicides such as glyphosate, and also requesting permits for higher residues of these chemicals in genetically engineered food. For example, Monsanto have already received permits for a threefold increase in herbicide residues on genetically engineered soybeans in Europe and the U.S., up from 6 parts per million (PPM) to 20 PPM.

According to Sadhbh O' Neill of Genetic Concern, 'this study reinforces concerns by environmentalists and health professionals that far from reducing herbicide use, glyphosate resistant crops may result in increased residues to which we as consumers will be exposed in our food.'

'Increased residues of glyphosate and its metabolites are already on sale via genetically engineered soya, common in processed foods. However no studies of the effects of GE soya sprayed with Roundup on health have been carried out either on animals or humans to date,' she continued.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics from 1997 show that expanded plantings of Roundup Ready soybeans (i.e. soybeans genetically engineered to be tolerant to the herbicide) resulted in a 72% increase in the use of glyphosate. According to the Pesticides Action Network, scientists estimate that plants genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant will actually triple the amount of herbicides used. Farmers, knowing that their crop can tolerate or resist being killed off by the herbicides, will tend to use them more liberally.

O' Neill concluded: 'The EPA when authorising Monsanto's field trials for Roundup-ready sugar beet did not consider the issue of glyphosate. They considered this to be the remit of the Pesticides Control Service of the Department of Agriculture. Thus nobody has included the effects of increasing the use of glyphosate in the risk/benefit analysis carried out. It is yet another example of how regulatory authorities supposedly protecting public health have failed to implement the 'precautionary principle' with respect to GMOs.'

ENDS

Further information: Sadhbh O' Neill at 01-4760360 or 087-2258599 or
(home) 01-6774052

Notes

[1] Lennart Hardell, M.D., PhD. Department of Oncology, Orebro Medical Centre, Orebro, Sweden and Miikael Eriksson, M.D., PhD, Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, 'A Case-Control Study of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Exposure to Pesticides', Cancer, March 15, 1999/ Volume 85/ Number 6.

The findings are based on a population-based case-control study conducted in Sweden between 1987 - 1990. The necessary data was ascertained by a series of comprehensive questionnaires and follow-up telephone interviews. Dr. Hardell and Dr. Eriksson found that 'exposure to herbicides and fungicides resulted in significantly increased risks for NHL'.

[2] Lymphoma is a form of cancer that afflicts the lymphatic system. It can occur at virtually any part of the body but the initial symptoms are usually seen as swellings around the lymph nodes at the base of the neck. There are basically two main kinds of lymphoma, i.e. Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The incidence of NHL has increased rapidly in most Western countries over the last few decades. According to the American Cancer Society, there has been an alarming 80% increase in incidences of NHL since the early 1970's.


RoundUp--An Endocrine Disruptor?

In a new study by by Walsh, McCormick, Martin, and Stocco1 of the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University RoundUp has just been conclusively identified as an Endocrine Disruptor.

Roundup Inhibits Steroidogenesis by Disrupting Steroidogenic Acute 
Regulatory (StAR) Protein Expression

Lance P. Walsh,1 Chad McCormick,1 Clyde Martin,2 and Douglas M. Stocco1

1Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health 
Sciences Center, 
Lubbock, Texas, USA 

2Department of Mathematics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA

Abstract 
Recent reports demonstrate that many currently used pesticides have the capacity to disrupt reproductive function in animals. Although this reproductive dysfunction is typically characterized by alterations in serum steroid hormone levels, disruptions in spermatogenesis, and loss of fertility, the mechanisms involved in pesticide-induced infertility remain unclear. 

Because testicular Leydig cells play a crucial role in male reproductive function by producing testosterone, we used the mouse MA-10 Leydig tumor cell line to study the molecular events involved in pesticide-induced alterations in steroid hormone biosynthesis. We previously showed that the organochlorine insecticide lindane and the organophosphate insecticide Dimethoate directly inhibit steroidogenesis in Leydig cells by disrupting expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein. 

StAR protein mediates the rate-limiting and acutely regulated step in steroidogenesis, the transfer of cholesterol from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane where the cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage (P450scc) enzyme initiates the synthesis of all steroid hormones. In the present study, we screened eight currently used pesticide formulations for their ability to inhibit steroidogenesis, concentrating on their effects on StAR expression in MA-10 cells. In addition, we determined the effects of these compounds on the levels and activities of the P450scc enzyme (which converts cholesterol to pregnenolone) and the 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3ß-HSD) enzyme (which converts pregnenolone to progesterone). Of the pesticides screened, only the pesticide Roundup inhibited dibutyryl [(Bu)2]cAMP-stimulated progesterone production in MA-10 cells without causing cellular toxicity. Roundup inhibited steroidogenesis by disrupting StAR protein expression, further demonstrating the susceptibility of StAR to environmental pollutants. 
Key words chemical mixtures, cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage, environmental endocrine disruptor, 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, Leydig cells, Roundup, steroid hormones, steroidogenesis, steroidogenic acute 
regulatory protein. Environ Health Perspect 108769-776 (2000). [Online 12 
July 2000]

http//ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2000/108p769-776walsh/abstract.html

Address correspondence to D.M. Stocco, Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 
79409 USA. 
Telephone (806) 743-2505. 
Fax (806) 743-2990. 
E-mail doug.stocco@ttmc.ttuhsc.edu

From http//www.healthlink.us-inc.com/publiclibrary/htm-data/htm-def/def189.htm

STEROID HORMONE Fats similar to, and usually synthesized from, cholesterol, starting with Acetyl-CoA, moving through squalene, past lanosterol, into cholesterol, and, in the gonads and adrenal cortex, back to a number of steroid hormones. 
Nearly all of the classic hormones are proteins or smaller peptides; they don't get inside a cell (the membrane keeps them out); instead, they bind to, and initiate, cell changes from the outside. The exceptions are the thyroxines (from the thyroid) and the steroid hormones. They move into the cell, bind with receptors, and initiate changes in the way a cell regenerates itself or synthesizes new compounds. 
Because the steroid hormones stimulate cell growth, either by changing the internal structure or increasing the rate of proliferation, they are often called anabolic steroids. Estrogen, an ovarian steroid, when secreted into the bloodstream, will be bound within a short time by internal receptors inside those cells that need estrogen for their growth; the unused portion is partially broken down, mostly in the liver, and partially stored in a less active form by adipose tissue.

Since luteinizing hormone from the pituitary is surged in pulses an hour apart, the estrogen is also surged from the reacting ovaries, and by the time more estrogen is available, the binding cells need more; their program of synthesis has run out and needs to be started again.









Dinner is served!





PACIFIC EARTH RESOURCES
We Deliver Landscape Solutions From Start To Finish!
Pacific Earth Resources was originated in Southern California in as a family operated agriculture business offering only the highest level of quality and customer service. It remains very much a family owned and operated farming company to this day.

The families of Richard and Beth Rogers - the owners of Pacific Earth Resources - have been involved in Western agriculture and horticulture for over 100 years!
(Fucking up Californias precious Coastlines since 1886!)
Beth Roger's grandfather was a pioneer rancher and OILMAN in Southern California, starting the family farming tradition in 1886. In 1951, Mrs. Rogers' father purchased 8000 acres on the Oxnard farming plain in Camarillo, California from the American Crystal Sugar Company. The family farmed sugar beets and then lima beans and various other row crops until 1968. At that time, 100 acres of farmland was designated for sod production, and Pacific Sod was born.
(And Urban Runoff thanks to Pacific Earth Resources strict chemical treatments to Californias soil )

Over the years, sod production expanded into additional acreage at the Camarillo location.
In 1982, Pacific Sod, then known as Pacific Green Sod, purchased Patterson, California based Nunes Turfgrass, one of the leading sod producers in the West. With their patented harvesting technology and fantastic reputation, Pacific Green-Nunes was now twice the size of the original company, and could now service both Northern and Southern California.

A few years later in 1986, the Rogers started a new division, Pacific Arbor Nurseries, as their specimen tree farm, at the Camarillo ranch. It was a gamble that paid off as Pacific Sod diversified it's product line and expanded into the landscaping industry with trees and shrubs.

Pacific again saw the opportunity for growth and in 1988, acquired Cal-Turf. Cal-Turf was the pioneering sod producer in California, starting operations in 1958. The Cal-Turf merger was hugely successful and doubled the company size again. In fact several employees from both Nunes and Cal-Turf are still with Pacific Earth Resources today.
(they should be dead soon after all the chemicals they have handeled over the years that we flush into California's waters daily!)

In the mid 1990's, Pacific Earth Resources (PER) became the parent company for both the Sod and Arbor divisions. The company's reputation within the landscape industry was well known as Pacific Sod, and PER sought to re-establish the reputation of Pacific Sod and Pacific Arbor Nurseries as one firm: Pacific Earth Resources, a true resource for the Green Industry.

Through innovation and research, PER has accomplished much in nearly a half-century of sod production.
( Your front yard will sure look nice! think of all the damage to the enviornment that causes in return!)
Continuing to develop new and better products,
(we actually mean "worse for the enviornment")
such as the patented Garden Carpet technology, has allowed PER to remain the industry leader for turfgrass, ground cover, trees and shrubs. Today, our product line included soil amendments, fertilizers and more. We have farms located throughout California and Southern Nevada, ensuring the freshest material possible delivered direct to your project.

Agriculture has been a prominent part of society, history and commerce for the Rogers family, and projects like our Amazing Maize Maze at Rogers Ranch in Ventura County, California demonstrate that the PER family is working for the betterment of our community. And since there is something special about surrounding yourself with plant life, we are dedicated to bringing our clients the magic of a planted environment.
(*Please remember to keep your children off OUR chemically treated lawns*)
that is, unless you want little Jimmy & lil' Sally to have seven appendages per hand..

Thanks for visiting our site--come by the ranch sometime! We'd love to hear from you.


Richard and Beth Rogers
Owners, Pacific Earth Resources

Pacific Earth Resources Main Sales Offices
Southern California
Pacific Sod
305 West Hueneme Road
Camarillo, CA 93012
(800) 942-LAWN

Northern California
Pacific Sod
2006 Loquat Avenue
Patterson, CA 95363
(800) 692-8690
Pacific Arbor Nurseries
305 West Hueneme Road
Camarillo, CA 93012
(800) 426-2150

[FISHIONADO]

Let me buy you and Chris a beer!

[kurtfish]

Wow Wade. I did not know you were such an enviromental scientist. I am a big fan of artificial turf or California Turf as some referred to it prior to our recent rains. My dogs love it and their mess cleans up real easily as it dries well with no watering required for our plastic.

Your point about run-off and water quality relates to why I said, "Surferrider has no idea who they are bed with". Water pollution in their precious marine life protected areas will be the next issue the enviros will try to address. Human urine and sunscreen will be added to list of dangerous chemicals you noted in your novel. We will have to install low-flow as well as high volume storm water retention basins in an effort to keep all human contaminants out of the MPAs. Human contaminats come from and created by those destructive humans and they must be kept out of MPAs as well.

Unless we band together and fight the lack of openess in the MLPA process we are allowing the first step of a process to ban all human contact and impose serious and very expensive means to protect the proposed MPAs. Once you start down a slippery slope it is very hard to reverse course and regain your footing. We currently have one foot on that slippery slope and if we left the recently completed SC MLPA process we will have both feet and that ice covered slope.

The Children's Pool is gone as we have let it go to the dogs and they have ruined this beutifully created swimming pool. We can't sit back and let the MPAs become the next Children's Pool with no human contact allowed. I landed a paddle at the children's Pool last month but I would not swim into the pool. I predict that we will not be allowed to swim in Bird Rock and Laguna Beach by 2013 if we don't now take a stand.

[robmandel]

Originally Posted by kurtfish

Unless we band together and fight the lack of openess in the MLPA process we are allowing the first step of a process to ban all human contact and impose serious and very expensive means to protect the proposed MPAs.

actually, if you read the bill (I did) and more importantly read into the bill (I think I can!!) that is exactly the point. it's not a bug, it's a feature.

here's the actual bill

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/99-00/...chaptered.html

now, what are the key points?

2852. The following definitions govern the construction of this chapter:

(d) "Marine life reserve," for the purposes of this chapter, means a marine protected area in which all extractive activities, including the taking of marine species, and, at the discretion of the commission and within the authority of the commission, other activities that upset the natural ecological functions of the area, are prohibited. While, to the extent feasible, the area shall be open to the public for managed enjoyment and study, the area shall be maintained to the extent practicable in an undisturbed and unpolluted state.

and

Section 2857
(c)
(4)Marine life reserves shall be designed, to the extent practicable, to ensure that activities that upset the natural ecological functions of the area are avoided.

Now, you can begin to see exactly what the plans were from the beginning. Remember, did we ever hear anything about fish, habitat, species, etc., from the blue shirt fascists? nope. and why not? because they didn't give two shits about the fish.

their goal was closure, as much as possible. think the laguna tuna beotches. they pretty much said they're going to close off the whole f***ing beach.

you have to realize about the closures that they were simply a backdoor to do things that could never get done legislatively. there's no way they could get outflow limitations, access restrictions, water quality, etc., etc., etc., especially in todays f***ed economy

there were many things wrong about the closures and the whole process, probably the worst of it was that those who fought the hardest for the closures were not at all concerned with the intent of having them in the first place. (i.e. why does packard foundation throw $50 million into it?) the mlpa wasn't about "marine life" but about using it to achieve other goals.

consider who was on the brtf and the SAT, and all the corruptions and conflicts and compromises. seriously, if those idiots at surfrider DIDN'T know who they were in bed with... they knew. they didn't care. means to an end. it's what makes them even more detestable than they already were.

[dorado50]

Another immediate challenge: all u.s. offshore fishing for marlin will come to a grinding halt in the atlantic and gulf of mexico if a u.s. environmental group wins its recent misguided attempt to list bluefin tuna as an endangered species.If that happens,and it's a very real possibility,any fishing that could result in interaction with bluefin tuna would have to stop.

While this environmental group's intentions are well placed, the ramifications would have the opposite effect and be bad for the fish, bad for the u.s. position in international negociations and bad for YOU> this shit is a national thing,not just in our backyard...

[CurtyL]

Oh man this is cool. I'm gonna start reading up on this guy - and this whole topic in general. Thanks!!