“This is not a spray versus non-spray issue,” said Carol Kwiatkowski, Alliance for Informed Mosquito Management (AIMM) spokesperson. “We recognize that there will be times when spraying is appropriate. But weekly spraying is not an effective form of mosquito control.”
A political committee, AIMM is endorsing Tara Budinger, Michael Soule and Kris Kropp for the board, which governs an area with more than 4,000 residents. The election will be held May 6; three of five board positions will be open.
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“Either as a majority or a minority on the board, these candidates will work for an aggressive, safe and effective mosquito control program based on IPM principles,” AIMM stated.
The principles rely on close monitoring and careful identification of mosquito populations, particularly when in the larval stage, to determine when and where to spray, the group said. It involves three strategies: prevention, monitoring and control.
Other candidates running for a four-year term on the board are Terry G. Wilson and John L. Marta; Ronald J. Sims is running for a two-year term.
The North Fork Valley has wrestled with mosquito issues for decades. A 2007 study by Colorado State University found that mosquitos collected near Paonia and Hotchkiss were growing increasingly resistant to the insecticide, Malathion. The district sprayed this insecticide weekly for five years.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported six verified human West Nile Virus infections in 2007 in Delta County. This figure was significantly higher the previous year, which had 34 cases and one death from the virus.
Before 1980, the Health Department carried out aerial spraying. Then the Paonia Mosquito Control District was formed, followed recently by AIMM.
According to the group, other Colorado mosquito districts that successfully switched from calendar spraying to IPM methods include Boulder, Weld, Montezuma and Denver counties.
For more information on AIMM, call (970) 527-4047.
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