Contact: Jane Larson Office: (608) 224-5005 Cell: (608) 212-3094
MADISON—February 1 is the deadline to join the Landscape Pesticide Advance Notice Registry so don’t delay, advises the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
This no-charge service, coordinated by the state agriculture department, is a way for homeowners and renters to receive advance notice of pesticides that will be professionally applied to lawns, trees and shrubs in their neighborhood.
“In 2010, nearly 1,000 people from 48 counties joined the registry requesting advance pesticide notification,” said Debra Viedma, registry coordinator with DATCP. “We don’t ask why you want to join the registry. We have learned over time that some people use the information to close windows, or to keep children or pets indoors.”
The registry is free, but you must complete an application listing the addresses on your block or immediately adjoining blocks that you are concerned about. Last year, citizens listed more than 14,000 addresses on the registry. Pesticide companies must let you know in advance when and if addresses you have listed are to be treated with pesticides. The registry does not apply to agricultural applications, pesticides applied by local governments, pesticides applied by private homeowners or to fertilizer-only applications.
For a registry form, contact the Landscape Registry Coordinator, DATCP, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, Wis., 53708-8911 or call (608) 224-4616. Or, print the registry form from the department’s Web site at http://datcp.wisconsin.gov/ then enter ‘landscape registry’ in the search box. Return your completed registry application to the above address by Feb. 1, 2011. Faxes are also accepted until Feb. 1 at (608) 224-4656.
“Allow yourself time to complete the form and return it by the Feb. 1 deadline,” Viedma said.
Once on the registry, participants may begin receiving advance notice by mid-March, depending on the weather. The notice may be a telephone call, recorded message, mailed postcard or a notice left at your door.
If you are not notified before a pesticide treatment takes place, Viedma advises to contact the department as soon as possible at (608) 224-5296. Pesticide applicators are required to post a red and white warning sign that lists the company name and number on lawns that have been treated with pesticides. Effective complaints include the address where the pesticide was applied and the name of the pesticide business appearing on the warning sign.
Renewal notices to current registry participants were mailed in late-November 2010. Renewals must also be returned by the Feb. 1 deadline to be included in the 2011 registry.
