Jackson eyes N.J. spraying program, does not commit
Council members may deliver some answers during Jan. 22 meeting
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer
Decisions regarding how Jackson officials will deal with an expected gypsy moth infestation this spring may be made at the Township Council's Jan. 22 meeting, according to Councilwoman Ann Updegrave.

Without committing to participating in an aerial spraying program that is provided by the state, Jackson officials met a Dec. 21 deadline and signed up for an initial state survey for gypsy moth spraying.

Jackson Mayor Mark Seda said, "It's an initial survey of the towns that would be willing to commit to the gypsy moth spraying. We signed up (and indicated) that we would be willing to be sprayed, so long as the state takes care of its responsibility. It is the initial OK to see what the (cost to Jackson) will be."

He reiterated that the action taken by Jackson officials does not lock the town into participating in the state's aerial spraying program.

Seda said Jackson officials will have to make that commitment by the end of January. If they decline to participate in the state's spraying program they will have to determine the course of action they would like to pursue.

"We are going to have a forum," Seda said. "Joe Zoltowski (state Department of Agriculture gypsy moth program administrator) is coming down to give a better explanation of what is going on at the state level, and the council members will have to decide what they will do."

Seda said it was his job to present every option that he could from a financial perspective and how to deal with the impending infestation.

"I think I've done that," he said. "We've presented the only other option in accordance with state law, which is a ground spraying program. I've done my part. We could save a substantial amount of money if we do a ground spraying program. Obviously the most effective would be an aerial spray of Dimilin or another alternative to Bt."

Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) is not effective, according to Seda.

"It has been proven based on the statistical data that we've looked at over the past four years," Seda said. "We sprayed in 2005 and we sprayed in 2006 and nothing happened except that the numbers of gypsy moths doubled from 2005 to 2006 and from 2006 to 2007."

Seda said not spraying for gypsy moths in 2007 had no effect.

However, residents of some areas of Jackson complained bitterly that the township's lack of action last spring resulted in a significant infestation of gypsy moths and damage to their property.

"The concern is to look at it and see what (the state is) going to do this year," Seda said. "If the state does an aerial spraying of Dimilin it makes more sense. The effect of Dimilin vs. Bt is light years apart. Ifwe continue to spray Bt then I would consider that a complete waste of money."

Seda said Bt does not have the ability to curtail the gypsy moth population.

"If (the councilmembers) choose to spray by air and it is a Bt program, they will need to find $1 million to do it," the mayor said. "If they opt for the alternative we're prepared and ready to go."

Seda said it is not an easy decision either way, but the mayor said that is part of the job.

Updegrave said that at the present time she was not in favor of spraying with Dimilin. She said only three states she knows of spray with Dimilin.

"It just doesn't seemlike something that has been given the approval yet to do" the councilwoman said. "I read an article about the effect Dimilin has on birds. The gypsy moth happens to be one of (the birds')mainstays.

"When you totally annihilate the (gypsy moth population) you are changing the whole circle of life. If you are getting rid of something completely then you are affecting another form of life which uses that to keep themselves alive. I have a problem when one thing totally offsets the cycle of another thing. I would have to be 100 percent convinced and I don't think they are going to convince me that Dimilin is the way to go," Updegrave said.