FREEPORT - State officials netted a sparse crowd at a Friday morning
meeting to gather public input about current rules for spraying to
control browntail moths.
Populations
of the moth, a European import whose toxic larval hairs pester only
Casco Bay and Cape Cod in the United States, boomed during the past
decade along Casco Bay shores and islands. Although recent rainy
weather has quenched the magnitude of the moth problem, it may return
with drier weather and its next 10-year population cycle.
The
state's Board of Pesticide Control, which operates under the Department
of Agriculture, held the hearing in Freeport on Friday because the town
is one of the communities hit hardest by browntail moths, or more
specifically the insect in its caterpillar stage.
But
only about 20 people attended the session to comment on an emergency
law legislators passed in April limiting spraying of browntails because
of its potential impact on marine life.
The
temporary law — which sunsets March 31 and affects only coastal parts
of York, Cumberland and Sagadahoc counties — bans pesticides on trees
within 50 feet of the high water mark and only allows specific
pesticides applied on trees between 50 and 250 feet of the shore with a
hydraulic handgun when winds don't blow toward the water.
Friday's
hearing formed part of the law's assessment by the seven-member board,
which also will monitor water and solicit opinions from biologists and
toxicologists before issuing a report in January.
While
none of the speakers liked the moth problem, they balanced pesticide
spray and marine health differently. Jennifer Andersen, of Environment
Maine, advocated keeping the current regulations. She suggested the
board explore natural moth control treatments such as distributing
chemicals secreted by the female moth to disrupt mating and ultimately
the number of eggs laid, a method promulgated by a British company
called Exosect.
Toxicologist
LeBelle Hicks, noting the suggestion's drawbacks, said browntails in
the United States form webs in taller trees, making it difficult to
reach the webs to administer the female's pheromone.
"I'm
absolutely a proponent of restricting chemicals that will impact
aquatic life," South Freeport resident Elizabeth Ring said. "But
browntail moths in particular are a huge health hazard in South
Freeport."
Ring
said it's been years since she's hung laundry outside because of
caterpillar hairs that cause itching and, for some people, respiratory
problems.
But
solutions for eradicating moths without compromising marine resources
fall beyond the board's reach. "I think it unlikely that we can come up
with a solution that's going to please everybody," board member Lee
Humphreys said.
Another
speaker said most pesticide applicators like himself abide by the
rules, but wanted to see evidence justifying the restrictions.
"Scientific
evidence that what we're putting down is harming the lobsters — where
are the facts?" he asked, suggesting that the state would do better to
watch how boat gasoline and diesel fuel affect lobsters.
Responding
that such a study lay outside their purview, committee members
acknowledged they wouldn't know how particular pesticides affect
lobsters before their report comes due.
But
the mere uncertainty of the pesticides' effect on marine resources drew
lobster industry advocates like the Maine Lobstermen's Association to
urge the committee to err on the side of caution.
"Our
concern is that we don't really know, and we want to be careful," a
Lobstermen's Association representative said, even if that requires
pushing back spray limits 250 or 500 feet.
Board
members have heard much from the lobster industry but hoped to hear
from more coastal community speakers than the session yielded, Board of
Pesticides Control chairwoman Carol Eckert said after the hearing.
Still,
board members, who may discuss holding another session during evening
hours, are accepting written comments on the current browntail moth
pesticide regulations until Aug. 4.
Comments
can be mailed to Henry Jennings, Acting Director, Board of Pesticides
Control, 28 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0028 or e-mailed to
henry.jennings@maine.gov.
