Humboldt Mobilizes to Expand 'GMO-Free' Zone
Ballot Initiative Follows Mendocino Victory

April 1, 2004


Residents of Humboldt County are aiming to follow in the footsteps of our Mendocino neighbors, who, in a stunning victory this March, passed the nation's first ban on growing genetically modified organisms. The "Humboldt Green Genes" is circulating petitions for a similar countywide initiative to be put before voters in November, and in only one month, gathered nearly half of the 7,000 signatures it hopes to collect by July.


Many GMOs are created by a process involving blasting their DNA with thousands of bits of DNA taken from other species, in a random, trial-and-error process. The goal in most cases has been for the resulting plant to withstand heavy applications of pesticides. Their release into the environment is permanent, and their dispersal can't be controlled or contained.

Almost 70% of the world's GMO crops are now grown in the U.S., covering over 100 million acres in the country each year.

Scientists and farmers from around the world have issued strong warnings on the use of GMOs, raising concerns with cancer risks, allergic reactions, and other health effects; impacts on wild species and cultivated seed collections; local control and production of food, and other socioeconomic issues. Despite these warnings, the use of GMO crops has skyrocketed across the U.S. with little to no public input. In addition to crops, we may see the introduction of GMO trees and salmon in the future.

See also the "Quick Facts on GMOs," at http://www.wildcalifornia.org/publications/article-59

Get Involved!
The corporations that make pesticides--like Dow and Monsanto--are the same ones responsible for the rampant spread of GMO crops in the U.S. and the world. Working under the guise of "CropLife," these corporations spent over $620,000 to try to defeat the initiative in Mendocino, shattering previous spending records in this county of about 47,000 voters. You can be sure the same opposition will surface in Humboldt.

To become involved, contact Humboldt Green Genes at:
(707) 826-1031
HumboldtGreenGenes@yahoo.com
www.growgmofree.org.


This article can be found online at www.wildcalifornia.org/publications/article-54