MOTH MARATHON UPDATE

A marathon is an endurancc contest and Chebeague's battle with Eurproctic Crysorroea certainly qualifies! There is a ~reat deal to report this month, so I'll try to be as succint as possible The ice storms brought down many trees and branches laden with webs. While clean-up is going well, it should also include destroying these webs, some of which had been beyond human reach leven with a pole-saw). Please follow recommended procedures beforc chippingr or removin~g the branches to the wood dump Severe rashes are reported even now. so take precautions

FACT - Browntail moth caterpillers emerge in mid-April Clippin~ webs m mid-April through August is virtuall~, useless Chemical control should be done In May and completed by May ~ Ist A chem-free buffer strip of 100 feet alon~ the shore is recommended

Last year. CRC sprayed the corner of North Rd and Schoolhouse Rd, including the area in front of the school. They had no success at the recent SA- 51 budget workshop in convincing them to spray this year. I have a place on the Chebeague School Advisory C ouncil Feb. 24th meetin~ agenda (this meeting has been postponed) to address the Browntail Moth problem with an eye toward next Spring.

Dick Bradbury. the State F.ntomologist. met with 'Y'armouth Forum Council last Fall. and after horror stories from residents, the Council voted to spray the 400 acres affected It will be carried out this Spring The same scenario in Falmouth was not successfill, and their Council basically told taxpayers: "It's your problem-deal with it". Our own Cumberland Town C'ouncil has finally agreed to hear Dick Bradbury and our impassioned pleas. Unfortunately, the new budget is being voted upon immediately afterword, so we are "dead in the water" for this year. We need to bombard our elected officials with our concerns about this serious health problem (Did anyone write them yet?) Our Cumberland Town Council has seven members, and Town Manager Robert Benson attends Council meetings.

John Lambert, Chairman,7 Ocean Terrace Cumli.Foresicle, 04110(207) 781-5282

Jim Phipps, Box 190 Chebeague Island 846-6274

Steve Moriarty, 24 Blanchard Road, Cumb. Center, 04021, 829-5095

Phil Gleason, 10 Stoney Ridge Road, Cumb. Forside, 04110, 781-3787

Harland Storey, 45 Middle Raod, Cumb. Ctr, 04021, 829-3939

Peter Bingham, 19 Brook Road, Cumb. Ctr, 04021 829-5713

Robert Benson, po Box 128, Cumb. Ctr, 04021 829-5559

Mark Kuntz, 66 Blackstrap Rd, Cumb. Ctr, 04021 829-6482

If you've had the rash caused by the browntail moth, had the rash repeatedly, had respiratory problem~ if you used over-the-counter medications or if your reaction was severe enough to require a visit to your doctor. and you needed a prescription. make the above mentioned people aware of it. These mainland people haven't ~ot a clue what we're going through with these moths But now the browntail moth is infesting the mainland as well, so perhaps we'll have some allies there next year.

There is in the Chebeague Library file (by the phone) a folder on PEST, which contains a great deal of browntail moth information Please avail yourself of it and copy what you want I have compiled some of these into a packet, which the Island Council will send to each person on the foregoing list. It is also available from me, by mail, for $5.00. These and other publications are also available from the following

Dept of Conservation, Maine Forest Service, Insect/Disease Management Div, 50 Hospital St., Augusta, Me 04330 (207) 287-2431

Voter apathy is our greatest hurdle. I shall be working in the coming months towards getting documentation on browntail moth as a health hazard, so that we have a better case to present in the Fall.

Again, I am available with information LouiseDoughry 846-3128

 

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