Permanent Injunctive Terms Against Alpine Helicopter Services, Inc.

This letter supersedes the information in ENF 2021-08. Pursuant to the enclosed court order, now in effect, Alpine Helicopter Services Inc (Alpine) was found responsible for numerous pesticide-drift incidents, must pay multiple fines, and is required to take the following actions, among others:

• Provide 48-hour advance notification of planned pesticide applications to residences, schools and businesses (“sensitive sites”) within 1/4 mile of the application site. The notice must be manually provided in writing in both Spanish and English in the form of a door-hanger or by hand delivery.
• Notify DPR and the local county agricultural commissioner’s office (CAC) at least 48 hours in advance of all restricted material applications and of all applications within 1/4 mile of a sensitive site (as defined in the Order) and include a copy of the notice provided to sensitive sites and a list of all sensitive sites notified.
• Notify DPR and the local CAC if the application did not commence within 96 hours of the application’s intended start date. If the application did not commence within 96 hours of the intended start date, Alpine must submit a new notice before the application may occur.
• For all aerial applications, have licensed spotters, on the ground at application sites, to ensure applications are being conducted lawfully.

DPR is responsible for monitoring and assessing Alpine’s compliance with all 16 terms described in the court order. DPR Enforcement staff may periodically reach out to individual counties to determine whether Alpine is providing the required notification to the local CACs. Historically, Alpine operates in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Amador, Sonoma, Marin, and San Mateo counties.

If you have any questions, contact the Enforcement Branch Liaison assigned to your county. Also, please notify your Enforcement Branch Liaison of any potential violations and incidents involving Alpine Helicopter, at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,