Shifting LBAM Alliances
Old LBAM foes team up, maybe
STORY BY STEVE HAHN
Befuddled wouldn’t begin to describe the reaction LBAM spraying opponents have had to the change of tone from state and federal agriculture officials charged with fighting the pest from down under. Not only was the aerial pheromone-spraying program thrown out the window last month, but now the sworn enemies of the LBAM eradication program are being welcomed with open arms to a state-sponsored research conference from July 22-24 in Foster City that could help determine the next chapter of the LBAM saga.
Not all opponents agree on how to read the sudden shift in mood. Monterey environmental activist David Dilworth, who won a lawsuit in May forcing CDFA to conduct an environmental study before aerial spraying, worries the ag officials fresh from doing battle with him in court are insincere in their sudden desire to hear more about his ideas. Dilworth will advocate for tracking the moth to major population clusters and surrounding those areas with traps at next week’s conference. He holds a pessimistic view of what the reaction will be from state and federal officials in the room.
“It’s my speculation that they’re letting me make this presentation so they can shoot at it, like all other alternatives, and then go on their merry way,” says Dilworth. “I feel like they’ve just been forced to make a token acknowledgment that there are other alternatives. I don’t think they want to, but I think they’re sort of forced into it.”
Some critics of the LBAM eradication program are more optimistic. Jeff Rosendale, who owns Rosendale Nursery in Watsonville and co-authored a report advocating for control rather than eradication of the pest, believes the new attitude is authentic.
“I have to say my interactions with CDFA recently have been pretty cordial,” says Rosendale, who will be presenting his findings from New Zealand at the conference. “I don’t know if I’d say the tide has turned, but there’s definitely some sort of shifting of gears happening here. It is interesting that there are speakers coming in from New Zealand and Australia that will be talking about natural controls and the use of natural predators.”
Dave Cavanaugh, who has taken the lead on LBAM issues for the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, is similarly relieved state and federal ag officials seem to finally be listening to his suggestions.
“This is a step in the right direction,” says Cavanaugh. “There is a lot of [scientific] information out there that needs to be weighed and agriculture officials with the state and federal government haven’t done this so far.”
The official sponsors of the conference are, however, downplaying the significance of this new - albeit temporary - alliance. Ted Batkin is the chairman of the agricultural consortium California Invasive Pest Coalition, which is co-sponsoring the event with CDFA and USDA. He says the eradication goal is being held fast, with the release of sterile insects now replacing the spraying of pheromones. He suggests not reading too much into the conference.
“This is not a conference about policy. That has already been set,” says Batkin. “This is just an attempt to fill in the gaps in research and eliminate the hearsay about the science of this pest. It’s an attempt to find answers to questions everyone is now simply guessing at.”
This may be true, but Nuz has an inkling that the conference could usher in some kiss and makeup moments that would make for a perfect Hollywood ending to this nasty controversy.
