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<br />Vemal,Ublh, gets $15,OOO.for mosquito control
<br />
<br />Residents of Vernal, Ut3h, and the
<br />surrounding area have fewer mosqui~
<br />toes to 'swat, ,thanks, 'to,pest-control
<br />funding provided by 'a multi-agency
<br />'program to recover endangered fish.
<br />ill response to concerns' expressed ,
<br />by local citizens, the top-level commit-
<br />tee of the Recovery Program for En-
<br />dangered Fish of the Upper Colorado
<br />River Ba.siri voted in September at its
<br />meet.ing in Denver to inakea one-time
<br />contribution of up to "$15,000 to the
<br />Uintah County Mosquito Abatement.
<br />, District.
<br />'The district, used, the .money 'in
<br />spring 1995 to curb mosquito ptoduc~
<br />tionthat can accompany water releases ..
<br />frOIl). Flaming Gorge Dam to benefit,
<br />endangered fis'h. , ",' ' ,
<br />The dain releaSes, combined with
<br />already high water from melting snow~ '
<br />paCk iri the Yampa River, can force wa- '
<br />ter over the banks and' onto nearby
<br />flood plains, creating slow-water areas
<br />necessary for growth of young end31).~
<br />gered fish. These same areas, however,
<br />, are prime breeding grounds for mos-
<br />quitoes.
<br />'We are sympathetic to the public
<br />,health concerns this situation creates for
<br />the local community, and in response;
<br />we are providing an interim souree of
<br />money to address the problem,". said
<br />John Hamill, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service biologist who directs the, Re-
<br />covery Program. 'We are providing this
<br />as 'seed money"for 1995 only, ,with the
<br />understanding that the Mosquito Abate- ,
<br />ment District will look for other,funding
<br />
<br />
<br />'ManagerS of the Recovery Program for Endangeretl Fish of the Upper Colorado
<br />River agreed to provide as muCh as' $10,000 to the Uintah Counly"Mosquito
<br />Abatement Distnct for use In spnng 1995.Th,e nioney would help offset
<br />increased mosquito production that may ocaJr if higher volumes of water ara
<br />released from Flaming Gorge Dam for endangered fish.
<br />
<br />anything else, Romney. said.
<br />','BT! acts almost exClusively on
<br />mosquitoes, does not accumulate in the
<br />environment and is recognized by en-
<br />vironmental 'experts as a safe 'alterna-
<br />iive to traditional pesticides," he said.
<br />The active ingredient is a "crystalline
<br />protein endotoxin" p~oduced by com-
<br />mercially grown bacteria
<br />Jnaddition to being annoying pests
<br />to area residents and tourists, mosqui-
<br />toes can create stress in livestock and
<br />occasioniilly transmit 'certain strains of
<br />'encephalitis, potentially serious viral'
<br />infections that can afflict' people and
<br />horses, according to Romney.
<br />, 'Although Flaming GOlge Dam re-
<br />leases for endangered fish are aimed at
<br />increasing Green River" flows in the
<br />'spring, much of the river's water volwne
<br />'comes fro~ melted snowpack in the
<br />free-flowing Yarnpa River.
<br />For example, while in May 1993
<br />Green River flows 'peaked at about
<br />20,000 cubic feet per second, only about
<br />'2,000 cfs of that came, from Flaming
<br />Gorge releases. The Yampa River Con-
<br />tributed around 18,000 cfs. Before
<br />Flaming' Gorge was built~ Green River
<br />flows upstream of the Yampa averaged
<br />7,800 cfs. '
<br />
<br />everi' a dent m the number of mosqui- '
<br />toes in this flood plain is no small feat.
<br />The Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
<br />, holds Utah's record for collection of
<br />these tiny tormentors. During an ex-
<br />,perimentthere.in 1978, scientisticol-
<br />lected more than 400,000 mosquitoes ~
<br />in just' orie night. " "
<br />, , The Mosquito Abatement District.
<br />used the money to pay for aerial spray-
<br />ing along 56 miles ofthe Green River,
<br />from b'elow Dinosaur National Monu-
<br />ment to, the town of Oura:y, , Utah.
<br />Workers completed mostofthe spray-
<br />'ing in May and June, when mosquito,
<br />breeding is at its peak, arid will supple--
<br />, ment with ,additional sprayings as,
<br />needed through AuguSt: ' ,
<br />"Dwmg spring; the Green River is
<br />the most productive of any mosquito,
<br />'habitat in the county," said Steve Rom-
<br />ney; Ph.D., director ,of the Uintah
<br />County Mosquito Abatement District.
<br />"Spraying in tjIis area kills hundreds of
<br />millions of mosquitoes and m3kes a
<br />tremendous difference to citizens."
<br />The spray used is a larvacide caJied
<br />BT! (bacilluslhuringiensis israelen-
<br />sources for the future." , sis), a biodegradable, "environnien-
<br />'As local residents know, making" tally-friendly" toxin that kills mos-
<br />quit<i,larvae but has almost no effect on,
<br />
<br />'Spraying in' this area,
<br />,kills hundreds of mil-
<br />, ,
<br />lions, iJfmosquitoes
<br />and will make a tre-
<br />mendous difference to
<br />
<br />. . ,.
<br />cltizens.
<br />- Steve Romney, Ph.D.
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