News
The weed managers for Eagle and Pitkin counties said last week they need to use chemical spot spraying to accomplish their mission, rather than rely on bugs and pulling or cutting unwanted plants as suggested by a critic of their programs.
Tom Girard of Eagle County and Crystal Yates-White of Pitkin County said they don't have the manpower or the budgets to adequately deal with weeds without the use of chemicals. Both also said they have doubts about how effective alternative methods can be on their own.
The weed debate regularly sprouts up because some people are concerned about the use of herbicides, even in small doses. The latest debate flared last week when renowned Basalt permaculturist Jerome Osentowski asked the Basalt Town Council to join his effort to try to convince Eagle County to stop chemical spraying along the 12-mile stretch of the lower Fryingpan River.
Osentowski said other governments have realized that spraying along waterways poses an environmental threat. He contended he had convinced Eagle County to stop spraying earlier this decade, but they started again this season. Osentowski claimed a “handshake agreement” was in place since the mid-2000s for Eagle County to wage war on weeds without spraying.
Girard, who took the post in June, said he has no record of an agreement. He also said the records kept by his office indicate selective spot spraying has occurred every year, which Osentowski disputes.
Osentowski wants the counties to rely more on weevils to battle thistles. He said the bugs, when left alone, eat the seeds in sufficient numbers to eventually bring and keep the noxious weeds under control.
In separate interviews, both Girard and Yates-White said weevils are effective against musk thistles, but biological control doesn't work so well on plumeless and Canadian thistles. Girard said plumeless thistles produce tens of thousands of seeds every other year. Even if weevils devour half, that leaves thousands of seeds spreading through the environment.
“The weevil question, the jury's out a little bit,” Yates-White said, citing scientific information she has reviewed. Cutting or mowing weeds doesn't kill them. They grow back. Pulling can be effective, but it is time-intensive, Yates-White said.
Therefore, the counties use chemicals in the weed wars. Girard said they are careful to only spray the noxious weeds, rather than blanket spray. Use of chemicals has been effective along the Fryingpan River, where patches of noxious weeds could be so thick it would block access to the river, he said.
“We'd hate to give that back to the noxious weeds,” Girard said.
He said he will discuss the issue with Osentowski and would consider proposals to let citizen groups pull the weeds as an alternative to spraying. But any alternative must prove effective from the start.
Girard said Osentowski's concerns run counter to many that he receives.
“I probably get more complaints about not spraying enough rather than spraying too much,” he said.
Yates-White said Pitkin County uses a chemical called Milestone, which is labeled as safe for use up to the river's edge. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency works with chemical manufacturers on creating the labels for use, she noted. Milestone is directed for use in non-crop areas, road right-of-ways and rangeland.
Pitkin County uses seven ounces of Milestone per 200 gallons of water and applies it at 150 pounds per square inch, which Yates-White described as a low level that is spot sprayed directly on the weeds.
Her department's budget is $9,000 for materials and supplies. Typically, about $5,000 or less goes to the purchase of herbicides, she said.
“We're not dumping tons and tons of chemicals out there,” Yates-White said.
Pitkin County manages weeds on its own roadways, like Maroon Creek, Castle Creek and Woody Creek roads, and numerous others. It also contracts with the Colorado Department of Transportation to control weeds along Highway 82 and 133, and with the U.S. Forest Service for some select forest roads.
Osentowski said he has tried for eight years to convince the counties not to use chemicals. He gets irritated by claims that chemicals can be used safely, especially along rivers and creeks. The historical pattern is a chemical gets certified as “safe,” then found, after years of use, to have harmful health or environmental effects, he said. He believes the same pattern will occur with Milestone.
He urges people to check out a YouTube clip that discusses natural controls as an alternative: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2BQyfaywuw.
He is critical of the counties for relying almost exclusively on spraying chemicals and ignoring use of bugs.
“They're mandated to do integrated pest-management programs,” he said. “They're not doing that. They're breaking the law.”
scondon@aspentimes.com
Tom Girard of Eagle County and Crystal Yates-White of Pitkin County said they don't have the manpower or the budgets to adequately deal with weeds without the use of chemicals. Both also said they have doubts about how effective alternative methods can be on their own.
The weed debate regularly sprouts up because some people are concerned about the use of herbicides, even in small doses. The latest debate flared last week when renowned Basalt permaculturist Jerome Osentowski asked the Basalt Town Council to join his effort to try to convince Eagle County to stop chemical spraying along the 12-mile stretch of the lower Fryingpan River.
Osentowski said other governments have realized that spraying along waterways poses an environmental threat. He contended he had convinced Eagle County to stop spraying earlier this decade, but they started again this season. Osentowski claimed a “handshake agreement” was in place since the mid-2000s for Eagle County to wage war on weeds without spraying.
Girard, who took the post in June, said he has no record of an agreement. He also said the records kept by his office indicate selective spot spraying has occurred every year, which Osentowski disputes.
Osentowski wants the counties to rely more on weevils to battle thistles. He said the bugs, when left alone, eat the seeds in sufficient numbers to eventually bring and keep the noxious weeds under control.
In separate interviews, both Girard and Yates-White said weevils are effective against musk thistles, but biological control doesn't work so well on plumeless and Canadian thistles. Girard said plumeless thistles produce tens of thousands of seeds every other year. Even if weevils devour half, that leaves thousands of seeds spreading through the environment.
“The weevil question, the jury's out a little bit,” Yates-White said, citing scientific information she has reviewed. Cutting or mowing weeds doesn't kill them. They grow back. Pulling can be effective, but it is time-intensive, Yates-White said.
Therefore, the counties use chemicals in the weed wars. Girard said they are careful to only spray the noxious weeds, rather than blanket spray. Use of chemicals has been effective along the Fryingpan River, where patches of noxious weeds could be so thick it would block access to the river, he said.
“We'd hate to give that back to the noxious weeds,” Girard said.
He said he will discuss the issue with Osentowski and would consider proposals to let citizen groups pull the weeds as an alternative to spraying. But any alternative must prove effective from the start.
Girard said Osentowski's concerns run counter to many that he receives.
“I probably get more complaints about not spraying enough rather than spraying too much,” he said.
Yates-White said Pitkin County uses a chemical called Milestone, which is labeled as safe for use up to the river's edge. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency works with chemical manufacturers on creating the labels for use, she noted. Milestone is directed for use in non-crop areas, road right-of-ways and rangeland.
Pitkin County uses seven ounces of Milestone per 200 gallons of water and applies it at 150 pounds per square inch, which Yates-White described as a low level that is spot sprayed directly on the weeds.
Her department's budget is $9,000 for materials and supplies. Typically, about $5,000 or less goes to the purchase of herbicides, she said.
“We're not dumping tons and tons of chemicals out there,” Yates-White said.
Pitkin County manages weeds on its own roadways, like Maroon Creek, Castle Creek and Woody Creek roads, and numerous others. It also contracts with the Colorado Department of Transportation to control weeds along Highway 82 and 133, and with the U.S. Forest Service for some select forest roads.
Osentowski said he has tried for eight years to convince the counties not to use chemicals. He gets irritated by claims that chemicals can be used safely, especially along rivers and creeks. The historical pattern is a chemical gets certified as “safe,” then found, after years of use, to have harmful health or environmental effects, he said. He believes the same pattern will occur with Milestone.
He urges people to check out a YouTube clip that discusses natural controls as an alternative: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2BQyfaywuw.
He is critical of the counties for relying almost exclusively on spraying chemicals and ignoring use of bugs.
“They're mandated to do integrated pest-management programs,” he said. “They're not doing that. They're breaking the law.”
scondon@aspentimes.com
