PORT TOWNSEND — An organized citizen protest against treating weeds with toxic chemicals took over the public comment section of Monday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners.
“We were drawn together in April by our mutual horror and outrage that the 30-year moratorium on roadside application of herbicides had been quietly broken two years ago and was about to be violated again,” said Alea Waters.
“Toxic chemicals are not ever necessary to achieve weed control on our roadsides.”
Commissioners had OK’d limited spraying of herbicides three years ago under the auspices of the weed board and sprayed three times this year using the systemic herbicide glyphosate, known by the trade name Roundup.
County Administrator Philip Morley said the spraying has been “on a very limited basis, in a few locations where hand removal is not practical.”
It’s directed at the most virulent weed, wild chervil, he said.
Speakers at Monday’s meeting called for a ban on chemical spraying by the county, asking for a resolution to that effect.
There was no motion from the three commissioners to draft a resolution.
Afterward, Morley said he’d like the protesters to meet with the county Noxious Weed Board to collaborate on a solution.
“Collaboration between our group and the Noxious Weed Board can only be possible after a ban is instituted,” Waters said.
“Once the toxic threat is completely off the drawing board, then we can proceed with the collaboration that is so necessary to restore our roadsides to a natural native plant balance.”
Commissioner Phil Johnson said, “That doesn’t seem like collaboration, when you demand that kind of condition before you agree to sit down and talk.”
The group presented a petition with 2,600 signatures calling for a spray ban ordinance.
Roadside spraying has an impact outside of the immediate area, said commenter Gail Chatfield.
“This ordinance would protect organic farmers from unwanted contamination of their properties and protect their crops from any spraying that would happen on county roads,” Chatfield said.
“Many residents farm organically and depend on food from their gardens all summer, and people who get their drinking water from their own wells fear contamination from roadside spraying.”
Chatfield presented letters from 15 local food producers that urged “an ecologically sound method of weed control.”
Norm Norton suggested that the county mow areas of wild chervil three times a year, which will satisfy the state-mandated control issue.
In response to the comments, Morley said the county “didn’t have the resources” to get rid of the weeds with mowing, and urged the citizens group to participate more actively in the actual removal.
“I would like to see some of the effort that was made today to be channeled toward going out and pulling the weeds,” he said.
“The problem is bigger than we can handle with our existing resources, and we could use volunteers to help get this done.”
“We have been out there,” Chatfield said.
“The county doesn’t know what we have been doing, which is working very hard to remove these weeds ourselves.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
