On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Holiday Inn Express in Salamanca will be hosting a Psychic Fair with readers and mediums available for personal consultations from 10 AM to 6 PM. If you are drawn there now, make a reservation for an appointment, but walk-ins are welcome, too. Half-hour sessions are $50.

To be taken on a familiar ride into enchantment and sweeping the skirts of paradoxical is guidance many people openly and secretly desire. To know the next step to take in the game of life to avoid peril is always welcome knowledge. Some have the ability to do this themselves but do not dig deeper into the phenomenon, and others … they cherish and harness this power.

Psychic means, “relating to or denoting faculties or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, especially involving telepathy or clairvoyance,” according to the Apple dictionary. Even the dictionary uses conservative wording to state its position on the believability of the subject. But, why not believe? Because it is more fun that way.

The way to look at a reading is to enjoy the vibes and sensations the seer reveals, not to doubt the person reading your aura. A reading is truly an experience that is memorable and enlightening.

Billed as inspirational and motivational, this event is well timed after All Hallows Eve and All Saints’ Day, which is spiritually haunting to those who are deep into the powers that are unseen and prove frightening to the untrained soul. Controlling the messages sent from beyond our dimension and channeling these emotional ghosts is a gift that is taken seriously by many.

“Whether you need enlightenment, advice or inspiration, some of our area’s best psychics will be there to help,” wrote Sandy Caswell, psychic, life coach and owner of Psychic Faire International, a company that provides holistic services to individuals, college and corporate clients.

Caswell, who will be providing her services at the Salamanca Psychic Fair, is well known in the field for presenting empowering workshops. She has published several articles and has been featured on radio and television.

She uses knowledge of natural philosophy, astrology, numerology and tarot to provide her clients with information, inspiration and motivation through her unique blend of “psychic impressions, and other metaphysical tools … with traditional counseling skills and an earthy sense of humor.”

Another seer showing his talents at the Holiday Inn Express that day will be Salamanca’s own Michael Crick. Billed as a spiritualist medium, Crick is a tenth generation psychic of Seneca descent.

Crick “hears your spirit guides and departed loved ones, bringing you messages of love, hope and encouragement from the other side.” A Reiki (energy) healer, according to Caswell, Michael can also read your aura, gleaning information about your future.

Donya Mealy of Bradford, Pa., another participating psychic medium, “has always been interested in Spirits and Divination. Along with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, she is certified as a prophet and healer through The Fellowships of the Spirit in Lily Dale, N.Y. She is also a Reiki II practitioner. Donya provides accurate, in-depth card readings, Reiki healings and house clearings,” informed Caswell.

For those that wish to walk the “Good Red Road of Life,” step up to the Seeker’s Circle. The Seeker’s Circle “is a stone medicine circle in which you will find tools to aid you on your life’s sacred path and the animal spirit which can be your guide.”

As a Path-Finder and Faith-Keeper, Seeker has been called to guide non-indigenous people to incorporate Native American traditions in their daily lives.

To find the answer to that unanswered question rattling around in your soul will still cost you some cash, but enjoying a bit of insight may keep the heart at ease, at least temporarily.

By Chad Neal

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Officials from Seneca Gaming Corporation (SGC), the Seneca Nation of Indians, and Snow Bounders, Inc., met with members of the community and media Wednesday to unveil a new part of the vast snowmobile trails that cross our area.

The new mile-and-a-half section from the casino parking lot joining into the trail system in Allegany State Park was made possible through a partnership and $66,850 sponsorship from the SGC.

“We are located in one of the premier outdoor winter recreation areas in the country and we want to embrace the unique aspects that make the Southern Tier a wonderful year-round destination while at the same time adding a new amenity for our current and future patrons,” Karen Karsten, chairman of the SGC board of director said.

The newest addition to the Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel makes the facility one of just a handful of stops along the current snowmobile trails to offer lodging for weary sledders. Timing could not have been better. According to SGC officials, construction of 200 new rooms is slated to resume in short order.

Snowmobiling isn’t just a bunch of people out on a weekend riding around, Snow Bounders, Inc. representative, Tom Hill said.

“Snowmobiling is more than a hobby. It is a $1 billion industry in New York State, with more than 10,000 miles of trails serving more than 100,000 registered snowmobiles across the state,” he said. “Western New York is a prime snowmobile area. Thanks to the partnership of the Seneca Gaming Corporation and the Seneca Nation, we will be able to enhance the snowmobile experience for riders in this area starting this season.”

Trail expansion to the casino is one more piece in the winter wonderland in Cattaraugus County, according to Gus Tsivikis, general manager of the Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel.

“We know our guests enjoy the outdoors, from skiing at nearby Holiday Valley and HoliMont, to hiking in Allegany State Park, to hunting and fishing in the surrounding area,” he said. “Our goal is to provide visitors the opportunity to enjoy all of the great outdoor activities this region has to offer combined with the unmatched service and excitement that comes with each visit to Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel.”

To celebrate the new trail extension, casino patrons will have a chance to win two new Polaris snowmobiles and a tandem trailer in the “Take Two Giveaway.” The contest will begin Nov. 1 and continue until Nov. 27.

“Just in time for the snowmobiling season,” Tsivikis said.

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By: Robbie & Sherman Wilkens - Our Ellicottville Entertainment Writers

As Oct. comes to an end and we enter Halloween Weekend, the fall colors are brilliant, yet fading fast. We had a rainy spring and other than Fall Fest Weekend, we’ve had a fairly moist fall. Therefore with the party time of Halloween Weekend happening this weekend lets get out and enjoy the good times before ski season begins.

Starting today, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 through Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 we will have nine Bands, two DJ’s, one Karaoke show and five Halloween parties taking place in and around Ellicottville for the enjoyment of our locals and guests alike.

Our music kicks off this Friday evening in Balloons with The A List. This five-piece group from Niagara Falls has a long music history. From their web site, their music and sound includes classic standards of the 50s and 60s plus the great dance and disco tunes from the 70s. This combined with 80s and 90s classics that they also do in a very entertaining way will create another excellent Balloons Party Night. Following The A-List, Personable DJ John Barry will take charge of the party all ready in place with his live “Personality Show Off Show” from Balloons Sound Booth. John’s party skills are well demonstrated through his fun and danceable tune selection along with his unique chatter all of which will take place till close.

Returning to 9 PM Friday, Luke & Ange will be doing a gig in The Gin Mill. Luke & Ange, a guitar and vocals duo from our area, acoustically does a very neat version of folk to classic rock including some blues tunes from the 60s, 70s and beyond. Their version of The Kris Kristofferson tune, “Me and Bobby McGee” is absolutely the best since Janis did it back in 1970. They are audience involved and will, as they always do, create a fun music night for all The Gin Mill Patrons.

The Double Diamond at 9:30 PM will host Friday’s final music show featuring The Dawg House Band. This four-piece Dawg’s Group, as they refer to themselves, from Buffalo plays a unique and versatile style of Rock, R&B and Blues. While much of their music is original, they will take their Double Diamond audience down a music road that is less traveled with tunes from artists that we haven’t heard in a while. These tunes will be performed in The Dawg Group’s unique and excellent style.

Now on to Saturday, when the five Halloween parties will take place, beginning in a range from 8 PM to 10 PM. Four of them will offer prizes for best costume and one will have a Karaoke Show. Balloons, The Gin Mill, The Double Diamond, Madigans and The PUB in Great Valley will all host Costume Halloween Parties. A description of each event will be forth coming as we discuss the music in each location.

Like most weeks, Saturday’s music parade begins at 5 PM in Balloons. This week will feature The Black & Blues Band, a Buffalo-based, four-piece band that, according to their website, is Buffalo’s finest blues funk to classic rock jam band. They create a high-energy atmosphere by using a very delicate blend of rhythms and sounds which is unmistakably their own. They played here a couple of times in the past year and have really lived up to their billing. Adding to the fun times in Balloons this Saturday will be their annual Halloween Party & Costume Contest. Balloons will be awarding cash prizes for the most original and unique costumes. Therefore, another really fun Halloween in Balloons will be happening. Following The Black & Blues Band and as part of The Halloween festivities, DJ Flakey Frank Watson, also known as The Party Monster, will be doing his version of scary stuff from Balloon Sound Booth. There-by keeping, the fun times rolling with his senseless, yet interesting chatter and fun danceable tune selection till close.

Returning to 8 PM Saturday, The PUB in Great Valley will begin their Costume Halloween Party. Most patrons will be in costume, as will several of the staff. Adding to this fun night will be a Karaoke Show taking place in house that all PUB Patrons will be encouraged to be a part of.

Then at 9 PM Saturday The Gin Mill will have The Joe Wagner Band playing and hosting their annual Halloween Party and Costume Contest, complete with prizes being given for the best, unique and most scary Costumes. Joe will have his complete band for this gig. Joining Joe, besides John Winston, will be Gary Boldt on lead guitar and Stuart Shapiro on drums. There-by creating a wonderful evening of classic to southern rock music that will really add to the fun of this scary Gin Mill Music Night.

Next at 9:30 PM Saturday, The TruFate Band will be entertaining The Double Diamonds Scary Halloween Crowd. TruFate, as some will remember from last spring, is a four-piece classic to southern to hard rock band that also plays the rockin side of blues to even jazzy blues. They will be great show for The Double Diamond’s fun Loving, yet somewhat scary, Halloween Costume Crowd.

The final gig of Halloween Saturday Night kicks of around 10 PM in Madigans Up-Stairs Haunted House & Party Bar. Not only will this be a scary party time, complete with Madigans Sound System playing some real scary music, there will also be a costume contest taking place that will award prizes for the three best costumes.

One more point, The Depot will be open this weekend with their neat sound system playing spooky, scary, fun stuff all weekend long.

We are again back to Sunday with the Bills playing Football. This Sunday it will be against the Redskins in Toronto. So hopefully after a Bills win we may move to our regular weekly line-up of music and other fun stuff in a very happy mood. Being Monday is the real Halloween, there still might be some scary stuff going on.

The first of the non scary dinner specials happens Monday in The Gin Mill with their “All U Can Eat Spaghetti and Garlic Toast Dinner” for only $6.99. This wonderful dinner is a true Gin Mill Value, which Big Ray and all spaghetti fans will confirm.

Moving around the corner on Monroe Street, Balloons will have their “Pizza and Wing Monday Football Night hosted by Mike Brady. Just stop in Balloons, say “Hi Mike”, then enjoy some Football, wonderful pizza and super twenty-five cent wings.

Then at 10 PM Monday, The Double Diamond will have “MONDO MONDY”, Ellicottville’s only All Original Music Happin, hosted by Da Polski Director of Silly Foolishness, Reverend Jack Darfaset and maybe, Golden Child, Drummer Craig Dwyer. Being the real Halloween, this could be real scary.

The final two gigs of the week will take place in The Gin Mill. First, Wednesday at 8 PM, Joe Wagner and John Winston will be doing their wonderful sixties through the eighties folk to southern rock acoustic music show. This is a Gin Mill Tradition.

Finally Thursday at 8 PM The Weekly Notice Band will be whoopin Up The Gin Mill. This week’s version of will be The Fred And Rod Outstanding Band or if you wish The FAR OUT Band. So, as has been the case for the last few weeks, only Rod will join Freddie. There-by, making The Weekly Notice Band more of a Monthly Notice Band. Yet, it is still a unique and fun Gin Mill Night of Music every Thursday.

C U Round The Music Scene Good Stuff No Worries

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Winter is peering around the corner, the season for which Ellicottville is most famous. Holiday Valley is gearing up with some improvements and new additions for the 2011-2012 ski season.

Pat Morgan, terrain park manager and “chancellor of fun” at Holiday Valley, and Jane Eshbaugh, director of marketing at Holiday Valley, provided insight on the new changes and improvements for the upcoming ski season.

Two new PistenBully groomers were purchased, bringing the newest technology in grooming to Holiday Valley’s slopes and trails, which almost makes the entire grooming fleet PistenBully now. Groomers resurface the slopes each night using hydraulic tillers to grind the top layer of snow and laying it down again as a soft corduroy surface.

Also erected this summer was the Mountain Coaster, which is also open during the winter season (weekends and holidays) as well. The coaster is controlled by the rider on a “sled” that takes one or two riders up and down the hill on tracks that zigzag through the woods by Spruce slope near Tannenbaum lodge.

The mountain crew also took on another construction project this summer. They replaced the double chairlift at SnowPine with the old Morningstar quad chairlift. A new beginner lift called Bear Cub was built for the 2010-11 season and has been extended for easier access to the SnowPine lift. This winter, with the purchase of a lift ticket, you can add a one-ride ticket for only $6.

An automated snowmaking system was installed on the mile-long Mardi Gras slope. Weather stations on the upper and lower slope will monitor temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, and direct a computer to turn the snow guns on or off, or increase or decrease the air and water flow. The goal of automation is to increase efficiency and energy savings while providing the best possible manmade snow, “meaning essentially no more snowmaking during hours of operation on that slope,” said Morgan.

Morgan also provided a sneak peek into the 42/78 Terrain Park for the upcoming season.

He said, “We’ll be focusing on improving our existing product. One of our main focuses is expanding our beginners’ area to provide even more introductory-level freestyle terrain, which will be complemented by even more freestyle-specific snow sports lessons.”

The target opening day for Holiday Valley is Nov. 25, weather permitting. This is two weeks after the annual Beer and Wine Festival taking place at Holiday Valley on Nov. 12.

On Dec. 17, snow enthusiasts can take advantage of the Free Demo Day, when all major ski and snowboard brands will be available.

Only 10 days later, Christmas Camps begin on Dec. 27 for race, free ride, snowboarding and masters, followed by the annual New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Main Chalet with the torchlight parade, live music and fireworks.

January is National Learn a Snows Sport month, where Holiday Valley offers 20 percent off learn-to-ski or snowboard packages.

All of the usual events and more are scheduled for this year, including the yearend Retro Spring Party, when participants dress in ‘70s and ‘80s styles, like the one-piece snowsuits, and celebrate the end of the season.

Holiday Valley is excited to get the season going. The gang from Holiday Valley is up north at Lake Placid for the SANY (Ski Areas of New York) convention getting more ideas and information to aid the resort in accommodating all of the visitors, old and new, that come each year.

For more information and updates on scheduled events, go to Holidayvalley.com.

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The Ellicottville school board has begun looking into selling a plot of unused land behind the school.

“There certainly is a substantial amount of acreage there that really serves the school district no purpose anymore,” said Mark Ward, superintendent. “With the tough economic times, it seems it’s a good time to try the market.”

The plot of land, which borders Holiday Valley, sits west of the school. At the school board meeting on Sept. 13, Ward estimated it to be about 100 acres.

“We believe this location is pretty valuable,” Ward said.

Besides taking timber off it, the district has not been using the land, said Ward.

“We have the land sitting there. It’s been there since the property was bought back in the ‘50s,” Ward said. “This property may better be served being in the hands of somebody else.”

Part of the planning involves talking with Holiday Valley to see if the district could access the land with existing roads, or if it would have to build its own access road and bridge.

“We have a lot of details to work out,” Ward said.

At the meeting, the school board made tentative plans to walk the land at 9 AM on Columbus Day, October 10.

“Anything right now is premature other than the fact that we have the land and we’re interested in seeing if there’s a market for it,” Ward said.

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The economy is in shambles yet some people have found a market that is still profitable. Precious metals found in scrap quantity or used in other ways have a habit of finding their way to pawnshops. One Cattaraugus County lawmaker is looking to help reduce the amount of theft around these items.

William Aiello (R, Olean) is looking for a way to create a local law that would restrict pawnshops in how quickly they are able to melt down metals like gold and silver when a customer brings an item in for quick sale.

At a meeting this past Monday, Aiello met with members of law enforcement from Gowanda, Salamanca, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department and New York State Police to brainstorm ways of ending this problem.

“The idea came when I was at a police chiefs’ convention to set up a booth,” Aiello said. “The people from Leads Online were there and put Olean, New York, in their database and returned with two hits for stolen jewelry.”

Aiello is a former juvenile officer with the Olean Police Department, now with the New York State Juvenile Offers Organization, who is working with local law enforcement agencies and the Cattaraugus County Attorney, Thomas Brady, on crafting an effective local law.

Currently, pawnshops, and especially jewelry stores, that receive gold or other precious metals are able to melt it down almost immediately, Aiello said. If the pieces are stolen, the process does not allow time for the rightful owners to reclaim their jewelry.

“Pawnshops are regulated,” Aiello said. “The owners of the shop are required to keep a log of who sold the item and who bought it, as well as a description.”

As gold prices continue their march upward, thefts of jewelry containing gold and silver continue to rise. Currently, shop owners that would be taking in such items are able to melt the piece down immediately. With no time requirement to hold these pieces, law enforcement is at a disadvantage in being able to recover stolen pieces.

The law to be proposed by Aiello states that brokers would have to hold the pieces for a specified time – approximately 10 days – to allow law enforcement to check the item against stolen reports before the shopkeepers are able to melt them down or try to resell the items.

“This is another tool to give law enforcement the opportunity to recover stolen items and not have it melted down or sent out of the area,” Aiello said.

Aiello said he anticipates the draft of the local law to be completed and presented to committee sometime in November.

At the time of this writing, these precious metals carried values as follows: gold at $1,765.50/oz. and silver at $36.13/oz. (www.kitco.com as of Sept. 22)

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by Chris Chapman

September is National School Success Month. Ellicottville Central School is already one of the better districts in western New York, but how do they do it? What keeps them head and shoulders above the rest? District Superintendent, Mark Ward said it is (partial quote).

The district does many things to stay strong, on both, the student and teacher sides.

As The Mountain and Valley News reported a coulpe months ago, the district was given high marks by Buffalo Business First. Ward said that was a big achievement for the students and his staff.

“There is certainly cause to celebrate based on the most recent 2011 3-8 testing results; ECS hit high marks across the board,” he said in his newsletter to district residents. “Ellicottville was highlighted by Business First for being ranked #number one in all western New York schools in both, Fourth-grade Math and Seventh-grade ELA (English Language Arts) for the superior achievement of our students.”

The credit lies with the hard work of everyone at the district, he said.

“This is a testimony to our teachers, students, support staff and the programs we have developed to address the academic needs of our students,” Ward continued. “In fact, compared to all other districts in Cattaraugus County in [grades Three through Eight] math and ELA testing results, Ellicottville was ranked number one in eleven out of twelve grade levels and was second in the other one. We are still compiling Regents data in an effort to compare ourselves to other schools in our area, western New York and Statewide.”

Work does not stop there, though. As the school year progresses, Ward said he hopes to see improvement in what was accomplished last year. New educational standards have made it important to do so.

“For the first time ever, a portion of the teacher’s annual evaluation will be based on student achievement and the results of test scores,” he said. “Our administrators will have to be trained to learn new ways of evaluating teacher performance so that we can help understand, guide and assist teachers.”

New cirricula in the schools will help in measuring the new standards.

“The State has identified seven key Teaching Standards that all teachers need to possess that we will be concentrating on throughout the year,” Ward explained. “Like our students, our staff will be reflecting on their classroom performance and will concentrate on the skills necessary to be highly effective teachers. The same continuous improvement we want for our students will be expected of our teachers and administrators.”

Some of those improvements are programs like the Homework Helpers Club for grades three through six, small class sizes, and a variety of reading an writing resources, not one system, as other districts tend to do, Ward said.

“[We have a ] true believe in the value of taking apart the data so they can recognize and actually develop a Individual Educational Plan for each child,” Ward said. “This is done by taking the individual and grade level test results apart to determine where the students have weak areas and it also will let teachers know if their instruction is hitting the mark.”

Different levels of education receive different strategies, Ward said. Middle Schoolers will not have the same approach as those in the higher or lower grades.

“In the middle school we have reduced class size and designed classes and instruction based on student needs,” Ward said. “Students who are struggling some are placed in smaller classes using staff that is certified in both English and special education.This will be the third year we have done this and are results are great. We are seeing improvement in all students.”

Just as important as academics are the little extras, Ward said. In some cases, participation in district extracurriculars is phenominal.

“We offer a lot of extracurricular activities, a variety of sports and a solid music program,” he said. “We actually have every student in Fourth grade in the band; all 41. The percentage of students involved is extremely high and this gets are kids connected with the the school and with students and teachers/advisors/coaches.”

That connection is vital to performance, Ward said.

“I believe it is extremely important to get kids connected so they feel part of the place,” he elaborated. “It helps them academically, develop friendships, learn to get along, learn to work with different people, learn to depend on others and others depend on you.”

Many more strategies are employed to build the district from year to year, and over the course of the year, but one other area is key, according to Ward.

“It truly is a special place and that is one of the reasons I wanted to return to finish a career that started as a student, ECS graduate, teacher, coach, principal and now as Superintendent,” he said. “We have been very fortunate to have a highly competent, experienced, motivated staff who truly care about each and every child. They are willing to do what it takes to help them be successful. It is a great place to work and a great place to send your children.”

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By: Eva Potter

Organic crops are grown with limited or no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. So are Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) crops. What’s the difference and why should you care?

Both use similar production guidelines and yield high quality, nutritious food, but the cost at the register may not be the same.

Only food labeled “organic” has been certified as meeting USDA organic standards. Products may still bear labels like natural and hormone-free, but this does not mean they are also certified organic. Look for the green and brown seal on the package or on a sign above a display. Use of the seal is voluntary.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) set national standards for organic products in the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, resulting in the National Organic Program (NOP). The NOP established uniform organic standards and certifying agencies to monitor compliance, mandated in 2002. These standards apply to nationally grown and imported foods.

Farmers using the “organic” label must go through a rigorous certification approval process. Based on gross sales, farms may pay only a few hundred dollars or as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to become and remain organically certified. As a result, organic produce often costs more.

Producers selling less than $5,000 in organic products annually are not required to become certified but must still adhere to federal standards. While they may label their products “organic,” they may not use an official seal. This system relies on farmers’ declarations without benefit of periodic testing.

Products labeled “100 percent organic” must contain all organically produced ingredients, must be labeled with a certifying agent’s name, and must show an ingredient list if it has more than one.

Products labeled as “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients, cannot contain sulfites, and may contain up to 5 percent non-organically produced agricultural ingredients not commercially available in organic form, as well as other substances approved by the NOP.

Organic farmers use manure or compost to feed plants; encourage insects and birds naturally control pests and disease; and manage weeds with crop rotation, tilling, weeding and mulching.

Additionally, organic farmers may use USDA-approved synthetic substances in the growing process. The USDA also lists banned non-synthetic substances. For a complete list, visit www.usda.gov.

By comparison, CNG products are also grown without synthetic chemical insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilizers. Farmers don’t grow plants from genetically modified (GMO) or chemically treated seeds.

CNG, a non-profit grassroots organization, provides farmers and beekeepers with certification programs on a community level and validates producers who have always sold organic products but can no longer label them this way. CNG is self-policing, and encourages farmers to share ideas and advice.

The CNG program requirements are as stringent as NOP standards and include a peer-review inspection process using local networks. With fewer costs and paperwork, CNG certification is more affordable for smaller family and community supported agriculture (CSA) farms, which distribute locally through farmers markets, roadside stands, local restaurants and stores. As a result, CNG produce is often cheaper than its organic counterpart.

While the USDA does not claim that organic produce is safer or more nutritious than conventional produce, it’s easy to conclude that no matter the price, opting for chemical-free food makes sense.

For a list of CNG and CSA farms in Western New York and across the U.S., visit www.naturallygrown.org or www.localharvest.org.

(Send e-mails to meaningfulgreen@gmail.com or follow on Facebook.)

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By: Eva Potter

The Environmental Working Group, a public information non-profit organization, has published its 2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, including the Dirty Dozen™ list of fruits and vegetables harboring the highest quantities of pesticides.

On EWG’s Dirty Dozen™ list (from highest to lowest pesticide content): apples (98 percent of conventionally grown), celery (up to 57 different pesticides), strawberries (up to 13 different pesticides), peaches, spinach, imported nectarines, imported grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, domestic blueberries, lettuce, and kale/collard greens. These fruits and vegetables, touted for their exemplary dietary attributes, are incorporated into daily fare. That means many meals include a hearty serving of pesticides. Not a comforting thought.

Does this mean you should delete these tasty ingredients from your shopping list? No. Fruits and vegetables are strongly encouraged as part of a balanced diet. However, it’s time consumers make educated decisions regarding the sources of purchased produce.

The EWG’s Clean 15™ list includes (from lowest to highest pesticide content): onions (less than 1 percent), sweet corn (only 2 percent had traces of pesticides), pineapples (contained six different pesticides), avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’sPesticide Data Program’s (PDP) 19th Annual Summary, Calendar Year 2009, published in May 2011, provides consumers with data about pesticides found in commonly consumed foods. New York was one of 12 participating states. PDP testing included a wide variety of processed and fresh foods, domestic and imported, including water and meat. The report also examined the relationship of exposure to scientific safety standards.

The USDA cited pesticides and contaminants were found in over 96 percent of previously washed apples, grapes, and strawberries. Potatoes, cilantro and spinach were also high on the list.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a pesticide is “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.” This term refers to insecticides, as well as herbicides, fungicides and other substances to control pests (insects, weeds, mice and other animals, microorganisms and others).

On the positive side, the PDP report found that most of the foods we consume are safe according to standards set by the EPA for these particular pesticides. The PDP stated, “Overall pesticide residues found on foods tested are at levels below the tolerances established by EPA.”
That’s good news, but when did consumers become indifferent toward daily exposure to dozens of chemicals?

Because pesticides have been implicated to cause cancer and other diseases, it’s wise to minimize risk of daily exposure. One simple way to do this, according to the USDA, is to rinse produce in water before consuming. The EPA encourages consumers to continue eating a healthy diet including fruits and vegetables, stating the risks of pesticide exposure still outweigh health benefits.

Farmers have used pesticides to grow high-yield, vigorous plants for decades, but many are now opting to use natural methods to control pests while increasing nutritional safety. Buying organic or Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) produce, especially those on the Dirty Dozen™ list, from stores or farmers markets is now a reasonable option easily accessible to most.

By shifting our thinking and making healthier decisions, everyone can live a healthier, more meaningful green life. Find more information at www.ewg.org and www.usda.gov.

(Send e-mails to meaningfulgreen@gmail.com or follow on Facebook.)

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