Manhattan Getting Sprayed Down with Pesticides to Fight West Nile

Aug 30, 2012

Mosquito Killing Pesticides will be Sprayed on August 31 2012

For people living in Manhattan, New York, August 31 2012 will be a day you may want to consider staying indoors. The mega-city will be sprayed with a low concentration of the synthetic pesticide Anvil with focus on parts of Central Park, Lincoln square, the Upper West Side and Manhattan Valley says the Department of Health, adding the substance poses “no significant risks to human health, but some individuals may experience health effects.”

"These neighborhoods are being treated due to rising West Nile virus activity with high and / or increasing mosquito populations," the Department of Health said in a statement. Cases of West Nile virus infections have spiked nearly 40% in one week, nation-wide.

New Yorkers are urged to stay indoors during the spraying, which is scheduled between 1 am and 6 am on August 31 2012. Residents are also asked to remain indoors for at least 30 minutes after the spraying has stopped. Be sure to bring in all children’s toys and pets from outdoors before the spraying starts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 1,118 cases of the mosquito-borne disease, which resulted in 66 deaths so far this year, including 41 this summer. Health officials believe the unusually hot and dry summer weather may have contributed to the boom in West Nile infections.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.