I Broke My PULA, Do I Need A Podcast?

I just can’t help myself; the puns know no end. We very recently did a blog all about PULA’s and we will cover pieces of it here again. I also made my second appearance on the best podcast out there “Working in the Weeds”. So, read on about how I Broke My PULA, Do I Need a Podcast?

PULA

For those that did not follow the link for the old blog, but still want to know what a PULA is, it stands for Pesticide Use Limitation Area (PULA). Basically, it is an area designated as requiring extra rules and instruction when using a pesticide because of the presence of an endangered species. It could either be the species itself or even critical habitat for that species’ survival. Florida has multiple PULA’s, in fact the entire coastline of the state is now a PULA. This means our applicators need to pay particular attention to this newish process.

The label is the law, and all applicators must follow all instructions on a label. When a label gives you instructions to visit a website, such as Bulletins Live! Two, that website is now part of the label. You really do need to check out the PULA’s blog as it gives specifics on using the website. In general, if the label tells you to go there, you will put in the EPA registration number and treatment date. Then you determine if you are inside or outside of a PULA. If you are outside the PULA, print that bulletin and simply follow all label instructions. If you are inside the PULA, print that bulletin and follow the label AND the extra instructions on the bulletin.

Front page of a Bulletin showing product and application month

Second page of the bulletin showing each use/restriction and the first mitigation measure to be taken.

Final page of the bulletin showing the remaining restrictions matched to each use type.

Podcast

What on earth was I doing on a podcast about invasive species talking about BLT and PULA’s? The Working in the Weeds podcasts does a deep dive into all the issues related to invasive species management and certainly endangered species and the regulations around pesticides fit into that. In fact, in the aquatic environment there is the potential for endangered species to come in conflict with one another. For instance, managing an invasive plant could put an endangered plant at risk. However, failing to manage that invasive plant could put an endangered bird’s nesting habitat at risk. The nuance of managing through that is unlikely to be handled entirely by a pesticide label and therefore a PULA could be something aquatic managers must deal with.

Listeners of Working in the Weeds (and readers of this blog) will know this is my 2^nd appearance on the show. My first dealt with the formation of the EPA and was part of a multipart series they did about Rachel Carson. I did a blog about that appearance and the importance of Silent Spring myself. With many of the changes coming all users of pesticides will have to become familiar with these issues. Honestly, it’s not even that we will have to deal with it, we should be doing some of this anyway. Do check out the Working in the Weeds Podcast as it wrestles with some big topics and just like this blog loves to have fun along the way.

So, there we have it, if you did not know what a PULA was you know where to go to get more info. If you did not know about the Working in the Weeds podcast, you do know and should add it to your playlist immediately (it is linked below). Most importantly you now know if I Broke My PULA, Do I Need a Podcast? Yes, yes you do.