ScienceWorks recently became aware that an herbicide was applied along portions of our property perimeter by a contracted landscaping provider without our knowledge or approval.

We are devastated and deeply apologetic that this occurred. ScienceWorks staff do not use herbicides or pesticides on our grounds, and we had not authorized their use by our contractor. The spraying began in January and was reportedly done in an effort to reduce fire risk heading into the summer months. We were alerted by concerned community members and immediately contacted the contractor to stop all herbicide application.

We are grateful to our community for speaking up. As a small organization, we rely on the vigilance and care of those who love ScienceWorks. We take our responsibility to our visitors, our neighbors, and the local ecosystem seriously, and we are committed to learning from this and strengthening our practices moving forward.

Effective immediately:

• No herbicides will be used on ScienceWorks property, ever.
• No pesticides will be used on ScienceWorks property, ever.
• We have clearly communicated this directive to our contractor.

The product used was a common glyphosate-based herbicide designed to target weeds and grasses. It is water soluble and does not have soil activity, meaning it does not spread through soil or water or affect plants not directly sprayed. While it is considered safe once applied, we do not wish to minimize concerns or make excuses. We take this seriously.

ScienceWorks is deeply committed to environmental stewardship, pollinator health, and community wellbeing. Many of our programs and partnerships focus specifically on ecology, wildfire resilience, and environmental education. This incident does not reflect our values, and we regret that it occurred.

We appreciate the trust our community has placed in us over the past 25 years, and we remain committed to earning that trust every day.

If you have questions, please contact us at info@scienceworksmuseum.org.

With gratitude,

ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum