Why don't we care enough to end weed spraying?

As I drive down Bottle Bay Road, and other roads in the county, the dead debris left behind from the Bonner County Road Department spraying chemicals for weed and snow removal control is visually haunting. I will never understand why the people of Bonner County feel that this is acceptable.

For years, we have filed the proper paperwork and posted the county-approved “no spray” signs. Last summer, a Bonner County Road employee sprayed our property. My husband was standing near the road when this happened. He stopped the employee, who was clueless that he just sprayed our property, ignoring the posted signs. The sprayed chemicals reached approximately 10 feet high to 20 feet deep. Although the county has the right of way of 25 feet, which I was told is measured from the middle of the county road, they do not have the right to adversely affect our land.

We have owned our land since the 1970s. We go out of our way to make sure that the obnoxious weeds are taken care of without using chemicals. We have an organic garlic garden. We have never sprayed any chemicals on our land.

When I questioned about the chemicals that were sprayed, I was told the Bottle Bay Road was sprayed for weeds and encroaching shrubs or small trees on July 25, 2012, with the following products: Milestone VM, Telar XP and Weedar 64 with an adjuvant Liberate. The two primary products, Milestone and Telar have a soil life of about 18 months; the Weedar has a residual of usually less than 60 days.

Normally vegetation is thick enough to prevent very much herbicide from getting on the soil and remains absorbed in the plant tissues sprayed. All grasses will not be harmed. These herbicides rarely move or leach unless the plants or soil treated is disturbed after treatments. Most all established shrubs or trees will be affected where the herbicide is applied with the remaining parts of the plant unaffected. It’s very rare that the herbicides currently used on county rights of way do more than prune limbs of woody plants.

This road will not likely be treated in 2013 since we don’t treat the same roads every year. If there’s a water supply or intake within 10 feet of the asphalt it should be marked as potable water. Water wells more than 15 feet deep have never been known to get contaminated by herbicides. All our herbicides are safe and have very few restrictions for use where mammals or birds frequently are.

These herbicides rarely move or leach unless the plants or soil treated is disturbed after treatments. The deer and their babies walk through both sides of the road to reach the water. Oh, and all our herbicides are safe and have very few restrictions for use where mammals or birds frequently are.

Yeah, those herbicides are so safe. How many people do you know who are sick and/or who have dies of cancer?

One of our trees died. Many of the lower limbs of the rest of the trees are dead. In the past, it was obvious that our mailbox was sprayed. When it rains it flows downhill to the lake.

We are blessed to live in an area surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains, landscape and lake. Why don’t we care as a community to stop this type of weed and snow removal control?

ROBBIN McCRUM

Sagle