Under pressure to spray

Finally, some uncommonly good sense from a mosquito control district, and right here in Colorado.

Paonia is seeing an unseasonably intense attack by mosquitoes. The North Fork Mosquito Abatement District reports receiving many calls from citizens asking or demanding that the district “Do something!” about the mosquito problem.

According to board president Kevin Parks, “Callers seem to generally assume that what is needed is that the District spray poison to kill the mosquitoes. Most callers have seen spray operations in the past, and have the idea that spraying is the reasonable response to this problem. Our board members have felt tremendous pressure to go along with this idea — to even go against their own judgment — just to relieve some of the pressure being placed on them.”

So far, the board has resisted the pressure to “go along to get along.” From their evaluation of the pros and cons of spraying, they are convinced that spraying would actually, unquestionably, do more harm than good.

This is not what most callers want to hear, according to Parks. They just want the problem to go away, and it is clear to them that spraying is the answer.

You can read the whole article, Under pressure to spray, in the Delta County Independent.

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