Want to get the latest facts on one of America’s most popular weed killers while supporting a government whistleblower in his battle to do science in the public interest? Then head up to Northeast Minneapolis Wednesday, Oct. 10, for a special forum/fundraiser. The event, which will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Ritz Theater (345 13th Ave.), is a legal defense fund fundraiser for Paul Wotzka, a former hydrologist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency who has conducted cutting-edge research on pesticide contamination in southeast Minnesota. Wotzka was not allowed to present his research to the Minnesota Legislature in March. He was fired soon after he made the request to testify at the Legislature. Wotzka has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the MPCA, charging that his First Amendment right to free speech was violated by the agency. Besides Wotzka, also presenting at the Oct. 10 event will be Tyrone Hayes, an internationally-respected expert on pesticides and health risks who has had his own freedom of speech run-ins with the MPCA. Paul Metsa will even be there to provide a little musical support. To reserve a seat for this event, contact Bobby King at 612-722-6377 or bking@landstewardshipproject.org. More details on the event and how you can help Wotzka in his legal battle are available by clicking here. Read more about the hydrologist and his research in the Summer 2007 Land Stewardship Letter (page 28).

This entry was posted on Friday, September 21st, 2007 at 1:21 pm by Brian DeVore, Land Stewardship Project and is filed under Food and Sustainable Agriculture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.