A Few Minutes With: Director Kelly Smith of the Newaygo County Road Commission
I would like to address the concerns over the use of chemical sprays for brush control. For years we have struggled to keep up with the overgrown roadsides, we have purchased larger more modern equipment, we have contracted with commercial roadside mowers, we have dedicated more finances and resources than ever just to fall further and further behind. Our customer concerns over shortened sight distance and obscured signs had grown to epidemic proportions and mowing has shown to give us a very short window of relief as well as in some cases just spreading the regrowth. In short, we needed a longer lasting, cost effective remedy to resolve our safety concern. Now that does not mean we completely ignore the environmental, we rely on those governmental entities as well as the industry professionals to guide us in a program. That is where MDEQ ( now known as EGLE) comes in, our licensed spray contractor must work with and through EGLE for their approval before spraying. What next? So we decided it was time to work on a plan to reclaim the r-o-w and provide a reasonable amount of clear vision along and down the roadsides. The plan would entail picking those townships that were deemed most in need, and move our “ brush hogs” as we call them in and start mowing. We then would schedule the application for the following late spring, early summer, and our intent is to mainly target the regrowth at ground level and avoid as much as possible the low hanging limbs. Now keep in mind we have 2 machines to cover 24 townships with 1400 miles of roadway and it can take 2 months to cover a township depending on brush density and terrain. Also keep in mind depending on weather , we may only get 8 months of mowing, as once snow banks get established mowing stops and not to mention that sometimes other issues take precedence over mowing and it is put on hold. So in reality, 5-6 years is a realistic timeline to cover the county and that simply will not keep up with the growth. We have been spraying for 3 years now, the first year was in small targeted areas to see how it performed on the woody/brush, and what impacts it had on the vegetation we were not trying to address and what if any regrowth we saw the following year. The results were promising, virtually zero regrowth of brush, non targeted vegetation seemed unaffected, and it was cost effective. We then moved forward with a plan on a township to township basis, again we mowed one year and sprayed the next and only targeting woody/brushy vegetation with a select spray formula and only spot spraying, not wholesale complete roadside spraying. For the most part it went unnoticed for a couple seasons until now. Yes, we see the dead and dying leaves in the non-mowed areas, not at all what we are looking for. Again, we are hoping to target ground level sprout regrowth and the fact is we stepped our program and at this time it is unsightly and we apologize for that. But we also see the results from the previous years application and there is a dramatic difference in appearance and we expect the same in a few months from this years application. Now as for the debate over the use of chemicals in general, I am not going too. We rely on the agencies that govern their use, professionals that are trained in the field and those that have the knowledge of the proper, safe and effective uses of said chemicals. But what I will say is, we see them everywhere in everyday uses, farm fields, powerlines, drain ditches, yards, golf courses, they are everywhere. We have conservation districts asking for herbicide treatment for invasive species, we have been required to spray/treat areas as part of bridge projects. Yes we know that some are completely against any and all chemicals and we certainly will entertain alternatives that are approved and proven to be effective. The Reader's Digest version. We know some do not like the application of chemicals, we hear you and we will be mindful of it as we work to provide you a reasonably safe and efficient road system. We ask that you have some faith in us and know we aren’t just out there looking kill all vegetation known to man and we do try and be educated on these sensitive issues. We see the results of this years application at this stage of the program and we do not like its appearance either, we can do better and we will. Moving forward we will have the contractor back for a road trip around the townships treated this year versus previous years and give them guidance as to our wishes for them to mainly focus on ground spray more than low hanging limbs. In closing, I can assure you all, staff here takes your impression of them and the work they do, seriously and even personally, as they are out there for you. We will make adjustments moving forward in an effort to provide the road system you need in as safe, cost effective and environmentally friendly manner. Kelly
Amy
7/25/2019 04:11:23 pm
I completely understand the need and support their efforts. Unfortunately not all land is the same. I find it disturbing that they will not allow exemptions for those of us who have wetland close to the roadway. As these herbicides will have an effect on much more of my land then just the road. Why is it they can not simply tell their contractors to not spray into the wetland on my property? It does not need to be so black and white.
Amy
7/26/2019 02:23:33 pm
I have spoken with the director at the road commission and it really helped clear a lot up for me. I appreciate her communication and willingness to address my concerns :). Thankfully it appears the contractor did skip my wetland area as required by the EGLE/DEQ.
Sally Wagoner
7/26/2019 12:37:12 pm
Thanks, Director Smith, for addressing the public with the details of this program. I understand the enormous task that the Road Commission is faced with regarding clearance of roadside vegetation to help with unobstructed views, better spotting of wildlife running into the roads, etc. As addressed in some of the over 130 public comments on the Newaygo Watercooler Facebook site, there is concern not so much with the visual outcome of the spraying but with the cumulative use of herbicides & pesticides throughout the environment. You did put it well that these products are used everywhere, "farm fields, powerlines, drain ditches, yards, golf courses,...". This does not calm my concerns. Chemical companies have ve$sted interests in keeping known or unknown health effects of products from general knowledge. How many decades did the tobacco companies affirm that nicotine was not addictive and smoking did not cause cancer or COPD? Now we know better but it took years of research and litigation to put a label on the package.
ken
7/26/2019 12:57:28 pm
a few decades ago, wolverine world wide was given the go ahead to dump their waste in landfills. the chemicals that were dumped were considered non harmful. now, the town of rockford and wolverine have a huge problem with PFAS and contaminated water supplies. i would hope that the chems that you use for brush control dont someday come back to haunt us all. and i wonder about the deer and rabbits that feed in the ditches this time of year. what effect does this have on them? thanks
Amy
7/28/2019 05:40:27 pm
I appreciate the road commission's effort to help keep road side visibility clear. I would suggest that those of us that are able to trim our own drives, street corners, and signs if necessary. Just like Grandpa and Grandma used to do. This would go a long way to increasing visibility and the road commission could concentrate on sections with no housing. When done every year the results should be noticeable. Thanks to those who trim their own as good stewards of their land. Simplistic, but better than no action or personal responsibility for our own general welfare.
Bill Kerry
7/28/2019 05:47:25 pm
I totally agree with all the voices who disagree with the spraying. Why do I or we need to spend pur taxes on programs such as this add more toxicity to our environment? I do not vote for continuing to suppirt chemical companies who are more interested in their pocket books than for our health and environment. How loud doe the public outcry need to be before we start listening? I am curious how many workers, bosses, officials or whatever did the spray proposal cross their desk and NO ONE could see a potential problem. Monsanto makes enough money. Wake up everybody before its too late.
Ted Nelson
7/29/2019 07:20:14 am
As a local beekeeper I am concerned about any chemical that is sprayed on plants that bees visit and return to their hives. It is difficult to trust companies that make these chemicals when they tell us they are not harmful. Too many times in my life I have heard that a certain chemical is safe and then learn years later how the damage done is irreversible. Comments are closed.
|
CategoriesArchives
November 2024
|