Residents let fears fly during hearing

No one at Wednesday's public hearing liked mosquitoes, but some feared the cure more than annual pest.

McGregor Rhodes called the risk of West Nile virus "greatly exaggerated." He urged the commissioners to exclude aerial spraying in the resolution forming a countywide mosquito district.

He said he had gathered 100 signatures from people opposed to the practice.

"These chemicals are not safe for humans," Rhodes said.

He asked the commissioners not to be swayed by West Nile virus "hysteria" to add killing adult mosquitoes to their safe program of killing larvae with nontoxic chemicals.

A resident of an existing mosquito district, Ed Speelman, took the opposite view. He opposed forming any district in which killing adult mosquitoes was prohibited, because sometimes killing the larvae doesn't work.

Speelman asked that the new district produce a map each year showing which areas were treated with larvicide.

Organic farmer Judy Owsowitz said she was not opposed to a mosquito district but worried about aerial spraying and ground fogging. She said chemical residue would eliminate her income.

"It's hugely important to me that I not have toxic chemicals near our farm or home," Owsowitz said.

She also questioned the risk of West Nile virus, calling mosquitoes more a nuisance than a threat.

Lorraine Thorton disagreed, saying she heard from a veterinarian that several dogs had come down with West Nile virus.

She said she preferred having licensed experts applying chemicals rather than homeowners.

"I worry about the pesticides we've been using," Thorton said.

Delores Bunyea also supported efforts to broaden mosquito control in her brief testimony on the countywide district.

"If one person dies of West Nile virus, it would eliminate any protests," Bunyea said.

According to County Health Officer Joe Russell, two people in North Dakota have come down with West Nile virus but none in Montana.

"That doesn't mean it's not here," he said.

Russell said that most cases first appear later in the summer in August or September. He urged the public to take precautions such as using repellents and dressing to prevent mosquito bites.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.