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MONROE COUNTY LANDOWNERS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR GYPSY MOTH PROGRAM
Monroe County landowners are now eligible to participate in the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s (WVDA) Cooperative State-County Landowner (CSCL) Gypsy Moth Suppression Program for 2007, West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass has announced.
Monroe County Commissioners signed an agreement approving their county’s participation in the program July 5. Landowners in Monroe County that have had problems with the gypsy moth may sign up for the program any time between now and the end of August at the West Virginia University (WVU) Extension Service county office in Union, or through the WVDA offices at Elkins (304/637-0290) or Charleston (304/558-2212).
The completed applications must be submitted by August 31, 2006. Brochures about the gypsy moth and the 2007 CSCL Program are also available from Extension agents or they can be downloaded from the WVDA website at www.wvagriculture.org.
A gypsy moth egg mass survey is needed to determine if your property qualifies for the CSCL Program. Contact your local Extension agent or the WVDA’s Charleston or Elkins offices to obtain an egg mass survey application. This form may also be downloaded from the WVDA website.
Landowners must provide a 7½-minute topographic map with their property boundaries clearly marked. The WVDA cannot map your property for you. Topographic maps are available from the United States Geologic Survey at 1-800-ASK-USGS or their website at http://store.usgs.gov.
The minimum acreage required to participate in the CSCL Program is 50 contiguous acres of wooded land. If you have fewer than 50 acres, you may contact neighbors and join their property with yours to meet the minimum acreage requirement. Treatment blocks must be made as rectangular as possible in order to be treated properly by aircraft without incurring significant overspray. The presence of electrical transmission lines, communication towers, etc., may prohibit some proposed treatment blocks, or portions of these blocks, from being treated.
For the 2006 CSCL Program, landowner costs were $11.51 per acre for Btk (a bacteria-based insecticide) and $8.58 per acre for Dimilin (a synthetic insect growth regulator). However, the treatment costs for the 2007 program may be higher. Also, a 50 percent cost-share on treatments may be available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USDA-FS) through a cooperative agreement with the WVDA. The total cost depends on the USDA-FS cost-sharing, total acres proposed for treatment, and the cost of the insecticide and aerial application.
A final decision to participate in the program must be confirmed by the landowner signing a contract and making a deposit to the WVDA by December 6, 2006. The amount remaining must be paid to the WVDA prior to actual treatment. Notification of the deadline for final payment will be made by mail.
For more information, contact S. Clark Haynes, WVDA, Assistant Division Director, at 304-558-2212 or Quentin “Butch” Sayers, WVDA, Gypsy Moth Program Manager, at 304-788-1066.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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