How do you register for the Nov. 14th conference in Worchester, MA?

I LIVE IN THE LEONARD OKLAHOMA AREA IN A HORSESHOE SHAPE LAND FORMATION. THE ARKANSAS RIVER SURROUNDS THIS LAND FORMATION ON THE NORTH, EAST AND WEST. THE LAND IS SANDY LOAM. OUR COMMUNITY IS IN GREAT NEED OF A SOIL CONSERVATIONIST TO DO A SHORT AND LONG TERM STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF SOD FARMING OPERATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO ALONG THE ARKANSAS RIVER. FROM OUR INVESTIGATIONS, THE SOD FARMERS IN THE REGION, APPROXIMATELY 8 FARMING OPERATIONS IN A FIVE MILE SQUARE AREA, HAS BEEN OPERATING IN THE AREA FOR ABOUT 15 TO 20 YEARS. MANY OF OUR CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY, APPROXIMATELY 500 CITIZENS, HAS REPORTED UNUSUAL ILLNESS BUT THESE SYMPTOMS ARE BEING REPORTED BY THE MAJORITY AND NOT THE MINORITY OF OUR CITIZENS. THE SOD FARMERS HAS BEEN USING BIOSOLID WASTE ON THEIR SOD FOR FERTILIZING FOR OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD UNTIL THE DEQ WAS NOTIFIED OF POSSIBLE NON-COMPLIANCE OF APPLICATION OF THIS WASTE. ONCE INVESTIGATION WAS PERFORMED BY THE DEQ THE SOD FARMER WAS NO LONGER ALLOWED TO PURCHASE AND USE THIS WASTE IN OUR AREA. MY QUESTION, HOWEVER IS WHAT EFFECTS MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED PRIOR TO THEIR STOPPING THE PRACTICE OF USING BIOSOLID WASTE. OUR WATER WELLS HAVE BEEN NOTABLY CONTAMINATED WITH HIGH LEVELS OF NITRATES IN AND AROUND THE MAIN AREA OF THIS DUMPING. THE LEVELS ARE FROM 10-20PPM. WE HAVE NOT TESTED THESE WELLS FOR ANY OTHER CONTAMINENTS. ALSO, OUR HOMESTEAD WELLS ARE GOING DRY, 7 IN ONE 1/2 MILE AREA IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. FOR OVER 50 YEARS OLD TIMES INDICATED SETTING SAND POINTS AND REACHING GOOD QUALITY WATER AT DEPTHS OF 10 TO 15 FEET, SINCE THE HEAVY IRRIGATION OF THE SOD FARMERS OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, THE CITIZENS HAVE HAD TO GO TO DEPTHS OF 30 + FEET AND SOME OF US STILL HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REACH WATER, WHILE OTHERS ARE HAVING TO DRILL WELLS IN ORDER TO REACH WATER AND THEN THE WATER IS NOT THE QUALITY NEEDED TO SUPPORT A HOUSEHOLD. WE HAVE CONTACTED THE OKLAHOMA WATER RESOURCE BOARD AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE SOD FARMERS HAD BEEN USING THE GROUNDWATER WITHOUT THE PROPER PERMITS. THERE WAS A TRIAL AND THE OWRB ALLOWED THE SOD FARMERS TO APPLY FOR PERMITS AND THEY WERE APPROVED ALTHOUGH THE COMMUNITY OFFERED MUCH EVIDENCE OF HOW THEIR LONG STANDING OPERATIONS WAS AFFECTING AND CHANGING OUR ENVIROMENT. WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY FROGS IN OUR COMMUNITY IN OVER TWO YEARS. THE SOD FARMERS USES PESTICIDES, HERBACIDES AND FERTILIZERS ON A DAILY BASIS, UNLIKE FARMING OPERATORS WHO MAY ONLY USE THESE PRODUCTS ONE TIME A YEAR ON A PARTICULAR HARVEST. WE HAVE ASKED THE EPA AND AGRICULTURE DEPT. TO REQUIRE THE SOD FARMING OPERATIONS TO RELEASE THE INGREDIENTS AND CHEMICALS THEY ARE USING IN THEIR OPERATIONS, HOWEVER TO DATE THE AGENCIES PUT IN PLACE TO PROTECT THE PUBLICS HEALTH HAS NOT MOVED ON OUR BEHALF TO GET THIS INFORMATION FOR US. IN ONE FAMILY WE HAVE TWO REPORTED CASES OF BRAIN CANCER IN A SON AND MOTHER. WE HAVE MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY REPORTING DIZZINESS, BLURRED VISION, RESPIRATORY DISTRESS, CHRONIC FATIGUE, YOUNG FEMALES MENSTRUAL CYCLE CHANGING, SKIN IRRITATION, SWOLLEN EYES, STOMACH DIFFICULTY. I HAVE CONTACTED THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND ASKED WHAT STUDIES THEY MAY HAVE ON THIS INDUSTRY IN A COMMUNITY AND THEY SAID AS A RESULT OF SOD FARMING INDUSTRY BEING RELATIVELY NEW THERE IS NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE. THE 107TH CONGRESSIONAL REPORT TO PRESIDENT BUSH REPORTED DECEMBER 2002 INDICATED THAT NITRATES IN DRINKING WATER IN A SHORT TERM BASIS IF OVER THE RECOMMENED 10PPM CAN BE DANGEROUS TO THE HEALTH OF THE CONSUMER AND POSSIBLE DEADLY. 5PPM IS CONSIDERED THE HIGHEST SAFE LEVEL ON A SHORT TERM BASIS FOR CHILDREN AND ELDERLY OR COMPROMISED IMMUNITIES. OUR CITIZENS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO NITRATE LEVELS OVER THE 10PPM FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG, DEFINATELY LONGER THAN SHORT TERM EXPOSURES. SEVERAL OF THE CITIZENS HAS CONTACTED THE EPA, AGRICULTURE DEPT., AND DEQ AND REQUESTED ASSISTANCE AND TO DATE WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ANSWERS TO OUR CONCERS. THERE ARE TIMES THAT THE SOD FARMERS SPARYS THEIR PESTICIDES THAT WE CAN NOT EVEN GO OUTSIDE DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE HEAVINESS IN THE AIR. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT THE RUN OFF FROM THEIR OPERATIONS IS NOT ONLY FLOWING INTO OUR GROUNDWATER, BUT ALSO THE ARKANSAS RIVER CONTAMINATING IT. RECENTLY THERE WAS A 5000 FISH KILL IN THE GORE REGION AND SUSPECT THAT THE FISH ACTUALLY DIED UPSTREAM. WE WONDER IF THEY MAY HAVE DIED IN OUR AREA AS WE ARE ONLY ABOUT 20 MILES UPSTREAM AND AT THE TIME THERE WAS A LOT OF SPRAYING GOING ON, BUT ALSO IT HAD RAINED A LOT IN THAT PERIOD SO WE SUSPECT A LOT OF CHEMICAL RUN OFF COULD HAVE MADE ITS WAY INTO THE ARKANSAS RIVER AND THEN INTO THE ILLINOIS RIVER AND CAUSED THIS FISH KILL. WE JUST NEED ANSWERS AND WE DONT KNOW WHO TO TURN TO FOR HELP BECAUSE IT APPEARS NO ONE WILL LISTEN AND NO ONE CARES ABOUT US. WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO INVOLVE OUR POLITICAL AGENTS, SUCH AS SENATORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND CONGRESSMAN, TO NO AVAIL. WE HOPE THAT OUR CONCERNS ARE UNFOUNDED, WE HOPE THAT THIS OPERATION AND INDUSTRY IS NOT ANOTHER LOVE CANAL, OR ANISTON ALABAMA, OR PITCHER OKLAHOMA CLEAN-UP SITE. OKLAHOMA CAN NOT AFFORD TO HAVE TWO CLEAN UP SITES. I HOPE Y0U DO NOT IGNORE OUR CRY. YOU CAN CONTACT ME BY EMAIL OR PHONE OR BY WRITING SHEILA TIPTON, 14919 E. 151ST BIXBY OK, 74008, 918366-6727, TIPTONVIOLET@AOL.COM