Do exercise the precautionary principle folks, even if your authorities are not. And warn any tourists personally that you know. Generally they follow what the glossy clean and green brochures say, or omit to say would be more to the point. See further info on the precautionary principle below. EWR

MILFORD SOUND – A REPORT

by Carol Sawyer

Note: for recent related articles on Milford Sound go to this link.

Milford Sound was aerially 1080 poisoned on 15 October, 2019. A tourist operator tells me that the helicopters were even pouring 1080 poison on the vertical faces of Sheardown Peak (top photo) These are vertical faces, with the odd patch of bush hanging off them, where nothing will be living.

The water source for all Milford Sound drinking water, the Bowen River, was also aerially poisoned right up to 100 metres above the water intake, and just 200 metres from the Bowen Falls. Dead carcasses will also be in that waterway.

Last time part of this area was poisoned Shane Wilson drove all the way from Otautau, Perrin Brown came from Te Anau, and Margaret Dynes travelled all the way from Winton…. to record the event. Shane filmed tourists filling their water bottles at Monkey Creek while the choppers dropped poison overhead.

Header image: Sheardown Peak, Milford Sound

The NZ authorities do not practice the precautionary principle with the spreading of 1080 poison. In fact they are now legally allowed to drop it into your waterways without the previously required consents, even though the manufacturer’s warning says take care not to drop it into the waterways. Whilst they continue to claim it is harmless, there is much independent research that says otherwise. (See 1080science for further independent info). In light of that, in my opinion it is safer to follow the precautionary principle, that is, proceed as if there were a possible risk to your health rather than assume there is none. Since 1080 is a known teratogen I believe it is particularly important for pregnant mothers or even those who think they may be or who could be pregnant, to distance themselves from an area where 1080 is being distributed, particularly aerially because of the drift of the dust over long distances.  I believe these are the concerns being raised here, and particularly also with regard to warning tourists of the risks of drinking the water, who may not be able to read the signs (if there indeed are any). Finally, of particular concern is the topography of Milford Sound. When it rains as per the above image, “all of the steep landscape can be considered a streambed”.  EWR.