Irate residents blast decision not to spray
Property owners irked at Jackson officials and caterpillar damage
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

JACKSON - Residents whose property has been significantly affected by gypsy moth caterpillars demanded answers last week to several questions, among them: How come Jackson did not participate in a spraying program? What will happen next year?

At the June 12 Township Council meeting, residents voiced their concerns about defoliated trees, possible health issues, dead caterpillar removal and what will happen next year.

"We are all aware that many residents have concerns about the gypsy moths and why the township decided not to spray and where do we go from here," council President Angelo Stallone said.

He said Steven Chisholm, the chairman of the Shade Tree Commission, and Gary Lovallo, the township's forester, were on hand to answer questions.

Stallone said the public is no longer allowed to use chemicals that were previously used to control the caterpillars. Today a bacterial treatment (referred to as Bt for the name of the chemical) is used.

"That only controls them and doesn't eradicate them," Stallone said. "It can only be sprayed at certain times in the early stages of the caterpillar" and under certain conditions.

Stallone said that based on the area state environmental officials recommended to be sprayed, which was less than 8,000 acres of Jackson's 66,000 acres, most of the township would not have been treated.

"The cost would have been somewhere over $520,000 and would have raised taxes another 2 cents per $100," he told the residents.

Stallone said that due to the timing, weather conditions and other considerations, municipal officials concluded it was not a good idea to participate in the spraying program.

"The decision not to participate in the gypsy moth program was made before the Shade Tree Commission designed its budget," Chisholm said. "The commission did not have the gypsy moth program in its budget. It's not part of the commission budget."

Chisholm said one commissioner suggested spraying even though it would not have resulted in very good control based on last year's results.

Municipal engineer Dan Burke pointed to a 2006 township spraying map and said, "This is state land, Colliers Mills, and if you would have sprayed Bt there the gypsy moths would have simply moved over and destroyed these trees [in a neighboring area]. It would have been ineffective. We would have spent the money and you would have the same type of [defoliated] trees you have right now."

"The results down there [Colliers Mills] last year looked like it wasn't sprayed," Ocean County Forester Richard Reenstra said. "I can tell you that some areas there, even with the double application, should be sprayed again with an effective product."

Reenstra said Bt must be sprayed at the right time, in perfect weather with just the right moisture, and all the gypsy moths have to hatch at the same time.

"If you spray at the wrong time, you have less control," he said. "If everything is perfect, you may get a 60 percent kill rate."

Gloria Carlon, a 30-year resident of Willow Tree Lane, said the last time Jackson had this kind of infestation was 1984.

"Are you telling us it has to be the right time, the right weather conditions and it wouldn't have worked anyway? I just want to ask, why did Lakewood, Lakehurst, Brick and Howell all spray?" Carlon asked the council members.

Former mayor Mike Kafton said surrounding towns sprayed and they do not have the problem that some Jackson homeowners have experienced.

"Your forester is here and I read in the paper that he recommended to spray every single town in our area," Kafton said. "Are you telling me he didn't recommend that Jackson be sprayed?"

Mayor Mark Seda said Bt works and only works in a limited window of opportunity.

"You knew the state was going to possibly fund 50 percent (of the spraying cost) and you still didn't fund it," Kafton responded.

Pulling out a letter from the state Department of Agriculture, Kafton said Jackson's engineer made a request for an egg mass survey in July 2006.

"In November the Department of Agriculture sent a letter that the survey was completed," Kafton said. "The survey showed that heavy outbreaks of the pests [were] expected in [Jackson] this spring."

Stallone interjected, saying, "You skipped the paragraph that said they were only going to spray 6,700 acres."

Kafton said that in February a letter was sent to the state to inform officials Jackson did not want to participate in the spraying.

Seda reiterated that fewer than 7,000 acres would have been sprayed out of 66,000 acres in the township.

"The spray does not kill them," the mayor said. "It [only] suppresses their numbers."

Seda said there was a possibility of a 50 percent reimbursement from the federal government. He said those numbers came out in March, after the municipal budget was adopted. Seda said it was his belief that more money should come from the federal government or the state to fund the spraying.

"My property has been destroyed," said Gwinn Urban, of Reed Road. "I am devastated. I have 15 yards of mulch that I put around my property by hand and I have stuff pouring out of the sky."

Urban said she spent $700 trying to get the problem under control.

"My house is filthy," she said. "I've lived there 20 years and I never had this problem. I live next to Colliers Mills and my whole [property] is being destroyed. This is overwhelming to us."

Seda said he did not believe her property was in the area that would have been sprayed.

"Are you going to give me a reduction in my property taxes because I spent over $1,000?" she asked.

Lorraine Lombardi, of Bennetts Mills Road, said, "My property is devastated from the gypsy moth infestation. My problem is knowing that you all knew. When you were called by the residents of this township I never got a phone call back from my mayor. I left a message [about the] gypsy moths and nobody called me back. I hold you, Mr. Seda, personally responsible for my property, because you didn't answer my phone call."

Stallone said he saw the mayor make more than 100 phone calls.

Former Mayor Sean Giblin said when he was mayor, the municipal engineer collected a list of residents who had made complaints about gypsy moths the prior two years.

"That was in anticipation of the state summer survey for the next year," Giblin said. "The state was given the list in the hope they would be included in the spraying."

Muzik Miller, of Leesville Road, thanked Seda for returning her call, but said she is aggravated by the caterpillars that have entered her house and made her pets sick.

Pointing to the Jackson symbol hanging on the wall of the council's meeting room, Miller noted there are the pine trees on the symbol.

"You let the caterpillars eat them alive," she said. "What are you going to do about it? When I have to cut a tree, I have to ask your permission and I have to pay money for that. How are you going to help me save my trees?"

Stallone said most trees can withstand the caterpillars for two years. Lovallo said it depends upon the situation.

"With good rain the trees can refoliate, but some of them will die," the forester said. "Don't count all your trees out yet."

Lovallo explained that only Bt may be sprayed from the air, but he said ground spraying permits the use of other chemicals. He said he is looking toward the future and suggested the use of Dimilin. He said Dimilin will cut the costs and is an eradicator, not a suppressant.

"We need to start the process now," he said. "We need to apply for a waiver. We need support from the public to get that waiver."

Seda said next year he will again get his information from the state and make a determination as to how to proceed.

After the meeting Councilman Scott Martin said, "I feel for the Jackson residents whose properties are being affected. I can't help but wonder if this could have been avoided if the state had simply listened to its own Department of Agriculture and allowed for the use of Dimilin for the gypsy moth spraying."

Martin said Dimilin is far more effective than Bt at one-third the cost. He said if Jackson had been permitted to use Dimilin, it would have allowed Seda to provide for the spraying in the operating budget and still maintain a stable tax rate.

Martin said he spoke with officials from Brick and Toms River and noted that while those communities did participate in the state spraying plan, the cost was substantially less than what Jackson was looking at.

"In the case of Brick Township they sprayed a total of 76 acres at a cost of $2,997," Martin said. "In Toms River they sprayed a total of 300 acres at a cost of $13,000, while we were being asked to spray in excess of 13,000 acres (6,700 acres, two sprayings) at a cost of over $512,000."

Councilwoman Emily Ingram said it is a shame some residents had their property damaged, but she said that during the decision-making process the council's main concern was to make a monetary decision that would not affect residents negatively.

"The few residents who showed up for the budget workshop were in agreement with this cost elimination," Ingram said. "I believe that in the future, we as a community need to communicate better and take advantage of the town meetings and the open budget workshops in order to become part of the decision-making process."