I'm taking it to the state level. Just filled out the paper work/ application form for the State Fire marshall to review and now working on state health dept. paperwork I have a 20 hour flight to Singapore and had thought about doing a letter and photo campaign , but the 7 inch thick file that I have is so dense it would be considered as major pc. of carry on luggage, so I will just wait for that phase for when I get home. .... photos of rats - no problem on that, as disgusting as it was to take that photo. I won't bother to post it but it is on the Picasa photo page that I am uploading the past 12 years of documents and images to as an onlline source. Between my fairly well connected and affluent client base and networking with other resources at my disposal I am hoping to get this situation resolved. It's been way too long and way too stinky , not to mention the fire hazard that all that oil soaked cardboard and wood pallets that are piled up against my wood fence, ... which by the way, Novato fire chief Bill Tyler does not find to be in violation of the CFC - which boldly stipulates that "waste accumulation is prohibited. I'm not ready to plaster photos all over the neighborhood. I want to go about this as legally as systematically as possible in the advent that I hire an attorney and want to present the most compelling and level headed case. Personally I think the past 12 years worth of photos and pathetic lack of documented response from the Novato City offices is pretty compelling and damaging evidence.

Debris will still blow in or wash in with rains - regardless of whether you lay down the mat or not - and it does accumulate, and provides a growing substrate for any type of seeds that also blow, wash, or fall into the area. Maintenance/clean out will still be on the agenda. You can save yourself some money by initially using a weed killer (or outright plant killer) of some sort such as Round-Up (not sure if this is available in NZ but surely there's something available) first - and then covering the area(s) where you intend to set stones down with wettened layers of old newspaper. Layers of wettened newspaper will be just as effective and have the added benefit that, unlike "landscaping fabric" (and other names it goes by), when stuff does try to grow up through it and on top of it (it still will with landscaping fabric, debris and seeds aren't biased one way or the other), you can actually tend to the newspaper much easier than landscaping fabric. You can also use old cardboard (like boxes broken down flat and soaked with water). There's a blueberry "patch" on my property (was put in by previous owners) and they religiously used "landscaping fabric" around all of the bushes. Now what I have to contend with is yards and yards of landscaping fabric with debris that has collected on top of it - become a prime growing environment not only for grass/weeds, but also has "stuff" growing up through it. Unlike newspaper or cardboard - the landscaping fabric is VERY time-consuming and labour-demanding to try and pull up/free and I have to CUT it in little (tiny/very small) sections as I get it to turn loose. If they had used newspaper or cardboard (even if they allowed all of the debris to remain on top of it), then I could just kill the "stuff" off with a spray and re-layer it with newspaper/cardboard or I could at least till it under and start from scratch. The landscaping fabric can't be tilled - it gets tangled in the tines, screws up the tiller, and is just a hair-pulling personified Frustration that makes one want to scream. Newspaper and/or cardboard wettened and laid down before your stones go in, will be much less work-intensive in the longrun and definitely cheaper. I spend no small amount of my volunteer gardening/landscaping time for other people's yards/landscapes/gardens, trying to rip out landscaping fabric and tarps and heavy, non-degrading plastic that 5 or more years beforehand they were told was exactly what they needed to lay down before they put in stones, pebbles, etc. I have yet to encounter anyone who has used such who "down the road" (whether a few years or a decade or more) didn't end up wholly regretting the choice/decision and the expense, which in retrospect they found to be a complete waste of their money. Me, I've ingrained it in my memory so as to learn by their mistakes. I've seen (and have had to contend with the aftermath) of the same mistake being made by people using old full pieces or scraps of linoleum and other similar "floor coverings" in their efforts to prevent weeds and grass from coming up in landscaped areas. The only advantage I have found to the linoleum is that it tends to tear less/get fewer holes for things to grow up through and when it is laden on top with accumulated debris, if I can get a good hold on it with the right equipment and attach to a vehicle or tractor or have several extra pairs of hands/arms, it can be pulled/tugged loose and out a fair bit easier than landscaping fabric that has its days numbered. So, aside from going with biodegradable paper products that you can recycle/reuse in landscaping, the next thing to remember is perpetual maintenance to clean out debris regularly to slow down eventual accumulation. You can still use plant/weed-killing sprays over rocks and in between them as well - and unlike resistant landscaping fabrics and plastics, that spray can soak down through paper-based material to continue to inhibit growth underneath the layers beneath the stones. Oh, and paper-based reused material also "breathes" better - and you have less issue with moisture-retention or build-up underneath - something definitely to be taken into consideration if you are working around the foundations of a home, outbuildings, etc. You don't want more moisture trapped and "driven" towards the edges to escape right around the foundation of such buildings. The paper-based reused materials also make it conducive if you decide that you want to clear a little circle and dig down to put in a specimen plant or plants amongst the stones - such as cacti, succulents, and other "rock garden" conducive plants. Trying to cut through already laid landscaping fabric is a PITA! and rain would also run towards such openings and could end up flooding out future plants and causing them to rot. Hope this saves you some effort and money... best wishes for your gardening - I am semi-ignorantly envious of your locale (in other words, I've never been to NZ and don't know the climate[s] of NZ firsthand, but from what I've seen... *drool* ya know?) and gardening possibilities!

Yowza!!! The only statement that approaches any degree of accuracy in the above post is the one that suggests you do the research. Which the above poster has obviously not done. "Ask yourself basic logical questions like, how in the world can a toxic chemical intuitively know not to poison your tomato or your dog, but to target that bad dandelion only (for example)." The answer to that is simple and is the same principle behind the development of beneficial pharmaceuticals that target disease organisms. It's called 'mode of action' - glyphosate's mode of action is to disrupt a metabolic pathway that allows for the biosynthesis of certain amino acids. This metabolic pathway (shikimic acid pathway) is specific to plants and some microorganisms. The absence of this pathway in mammals explains the low toxicity of glyphosate to non-target organisms. "It is extremely hazardous, and it is toxic to all life" Again, a completely erroneous statement. After some 40 years of the most extensive scientific testing any pesticide has ever undergone, glyphosate is considered to be of very low toxicity and therefore is NOT considered to be "extremely hazardous". And it is obviously not "toxic to all life" - it just simply does not work that way (see above re: mode of action) and if it did, it would not be on the market. And the declaration that it is a causation for cancer is still under debate by world health authorities. First, it has never been documented that gylphosate is carcinogenic with humans - that's probably the major bone of contention with this assessment. The association was made based on very limited epidemiological studies which have been disputed by non-consistent patterns of positive associations indicating a causal relationship between total cancer or any site-specific cancer and exposure to glyphosate. The bulk of the determination was based on studies based on animal experiments submitted by the producers of glyphosate as evidence for the carcinogenic effect of glyphosate. And these findings were considered by various other agencies involved in this assessment (IMPR, FAO/WHO) who concluded that “In view of the absence of a carcinogenic potential in animals and the lack of genotoxicity in standard tests, the Meeting (IMPR) concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans” (does glyphosate cause cancer?) Finally, had the above poster done her research, she would be aware that glyphosate is a non-specific herbicide. It does not just target weeds nor was it intended to just target weeds. This is a basic premise of any understanding of herbicides and to bother to post without knowing this elementary fact gives no credence to the rest of her rant. Junk science will always be junk science and simply spewing back sensationalized conclusions plucked from the online press without knowledge or understanding is merely ignorant fear mongering.

How about planting an assortment of sedges to take over the area. Many sedges can tolerate varying amounts of shade and moisture. Look for sedges that can also protect your bank from erosion. Garlic mustard is a biannual. First year plants forms a rosette close to the ground and it is not likely to flower. Second year plants gets much taller and will flower and set seed. After releasing seeds in the second year, GM dies. The problem is that GM reseeds prolifically and seeds can lay dormant in the soil 7 years or more. Pull plants as often as possible before plants begin to flower. Remember that once GM flowers, the task becomes more difficult because GM will need to be bagged and removed from the site. The downside of pulling is that pulling will expose more seeds to sunlight, encouraging more of the garlic mustard seed-bank to germinate. Spraying with herbacide is another effective method. Spray herbicide in very-early spring because GM is one of the first plants to emerge in late-winter, allowing you to isolate and target the GM better. Weed-whacking is another effective solution. This is best accomplished when plants are freshly in flower, but before seeds are forming. Weed-whack plants as close to the ground as possible. If you leave too much of the plant still standing it might have enough energy to set a second round of flowers. You can correct this by repeatedly weed-whacking if necessary.--better to get right to the ground the first time. Remember, you'll not likely eliminate the problem in one year but with each passing year you'll see progress.