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The Herald Mill The Lantern

Wednesday. Auguat 13.1188

A Place to Be This Weekend

Wc echo columnist Boyd Tyler's comments last week regarding the Children's Zoo at the County Park when, in recommending it to resident and visitor, he said: "The zoo is one

of our highlights in Cape May County.”

And after giving just plaudits to the County Board of Freeholders, park director Leon Fulginiti and park supervisor 'Skip KChr, columnist Tyler continued: “If you’re .looking for a pleasant afternoon off the beaten path, why not visit our County Park and enjoy the outdoors. A great many of our visitors make it a must and it's right in our backyard for us ' rniT WKEKKISO, WE AM, HAVE the opportunity to go over to the park for extra added attractions in the form of a two-day County Park Fair. It's a fund raiser for the lienefit of the zoo by various organizations and individuals throughout the county helps pay the cost of feeding the delightful creatures, there are also many other expenses in

maintaining this quality little zoo

As you'll see by the entertainment schedule included in the news article %bout the fair in this w'eek's paper, there will be some top notch performers on hand - singers, dancers, musicians, karate experts . Rides, displays, booths..amusements, games will also.be part of the two-day entertainment package this, weekend at the County Park, on Route 9 just

north of the county scat community.

MAKE SURE YOU STOP IN. Especially if you've never been there before. The park, the

zoo —they're great! >

Good Idea The Borough of Avalon is considering buying up a valuable piece of bayfront

y for an equally valuable, two-fold

th« SOVEREIGN STATE of AFFAIRS

WMV DO IHt DEMOCRATS WANT TO CHANG! TWI« CONVfNTKDN SOUS’

DAVID BOYD

Parasites seen Limiting, Not Replacing Pesticide Use in Gypsy Moth Control

property for an equally valuable, two-iota purpose — to take the parcel off the market anif thereby, preclude its development; and,

to provide a putrlic marina park

Since the land, which is almost three acres and includes over TO boat slips, is considered a prime location for townhouses or tondominiums — it will undoubtedly command a high price. If public sentiment is with the borough officials and they are successful in buying the land, it won’t come cheap for the

taxpayers.

TO OFFSET THE PURCHASE price and subsequent maintenance of the proposed public marina park, the borough would rent

the boat slips to the public.

Borough officials are to b® applauded for even considering such a bold move; and a

refreshing one at that.

AM, TOO OFTEN PUBMC officials are heard poor-mouthing and calling for more and more ratables. Here, for a change, elected leaders seem to be saying: Let’s buy the land for its fair market value, keep it undeveloped and at the same time derive revenue from it

while providing a public facility.

The proposatmay never come about. Maybe it will prove too expensive; or the public will consider it extravagant. The Aug. 22 public hearing, to which all taxpayers are being urged to attend by officials, will help decide the matter * ^ BUT HERE’S HOPING THE idea of keeping land open and undeveloped through focal government purchase and public use will spread to other Jersey Cape municipalities.

CAee'jwAv r j a X. flmaiu fyey W»d»««>4®y »y R.O.ftaaO TW >■■»»■»» »!♦« A ■■law. HJ MM1 John H. An4ro« H tditor WllllMi Dor roll Ko** Publlthr phono 9*7-3311 for Now* or Arfvortlilnf Information DCADtMMl Now* A Photo* 1hur»Aoy Arfvortlslng frIAoy • 3 p.m. Cto*slfl#4 A4vortl*lr*f

by B«Uy Adam* It looks like an uneven fight - an average-size fly against a three-inch long gypsy moth caterpillar. But as sure as David beat Goliath, this little fly - a gypsy moth parasite — will

win.

Jockeying for position, the fly carefully places a tiny egg on the back of the gypsy moth caterpillar. Later, a fly nlhggot hat ches and feeds on the caterpillar — killing it. Gypsy moth caterpillars strip leaves from hundreds of thousands of acres of forests every year in the Northeast. This year their devestation came to Cape May County AT LEAST NINE species of parasitic flies and wasps are helping the U.S. Dept, of Agriculture and state agencies wage biological war against the gypsy moth In infested areas - most of New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, plus parts of northern Maryland and Delaware and a small area in central Michigan. Laying eggs in or on the moth’s eggs, caterpillars or pupae, these parasites are helping keep some of the moths’ damage under control. Some parasites attack only gypsy moths; others also attack other destructive caterpillars. HOWEVER. USING parasites to eliminate gypsy moths is nothing

.new.

Beginning in 1906, USDA * scientists began working with parasites from Europe and Japan, bringing them to Massachusetts to try to establish them. The scientists expanded the work in 1912 but disbanded it when World Wtfr 1 made normal foreign travel

impossible.

"lit 1923.' USDA sent insect explorers through Europe,” notes Stanley McNally, an area USDA gypsy! moth parasite

coordinator.

B they had' dif-

ding infestations where parasites the moth well, d an infestation

about 120 miles east of Budapest;--Hungary, and

set up a laboratory.

■•The scientists placed caterpillars on wooden rearing trays with cloth bottoms, and every day they fed them fresh-picked foliage," McNally said •When the parasites hatched, they packaged ’ them in a box filled with damp sawdust to pupate,” he said ‘They put them in larger boxes and shipped them by ship in cold storage to a USDA lab at Nelrose Highlands, Mass, for increase and release." WILT DISEASE, a virus, was also a problem in the caterpillar collections But

in spite of all the difficulties, more than 100,000 caterpillars were reared and more than 44,000 parasites were shipped back during this phase of the program “Most of the parasite* we see in the Northeast today are descendant* of these early introductions, including some in Pennsylvania that helped contribute to the recent collapse of gypsy moth populations there. Wet, cold spring weather, caterpillar diseases and state and federal treatment programs also helped," he

said.

By 1933, all the parasites then believed suitable for release in the United States had been tried and the 4 program waa dropped. Enthusiasm for parasite research waned, particularly after 1945 when DDT and other "miracle" pesticides became available. ••PEOPLE PONDERED* why rid* the uncertainties of biological control methods against insect pests when chemicals could provide a quick and sure kill," McNally said. "DDT was effective and believed safe. The parasites were hard to establish and sometimes it took them years to have any^ffect." Between 1945 and 1958, USDA and state government* treated more than 12 million acres with DDT in gypsy moth programs. ••Then, however," McNally said, "came the knowledge of possible adverse ' environmental effect*, and authorities phased DDT out of the gypsy moth program between 1958 and 1994. The limits on pesticide use brought back renewed interest in parasites." The New Jersey Dept, of Agriculture was one of the first to revive their parasite program in 1993. An old hand at parasite rearing ahd other biological control work, New Jersey had worked since 1923 with natural enemies of the Japanese beetle and other pests "WORK CONTINUED at our parasite laboratories, even during the 40s and 50b, when other paraiste work was at a low ebb," said William Metterhouse, deputy director of New Jersey's Bureau of Plant Industry, who is in charge of the parasite lab today. "So when interest renewed in biological control through the nation, we had the background to help. "We’ve always believed it's best not to rely solely on pesticides." Metterhouse

development and action programs,, in cooperation

with USDA..

"An overall goal of gypsy moth programs is to develop integrated pest management systems to deal with the pest." McNally said. "We want to keep the damage and nuisance it causes down — but without disrupting the environment in other ways. Obviously, parasites will

play a large role."

A PILOT PROJECT, conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources with USDA assistance, is underway in a Pennsylvania state park Gypsy moth experts will survey plots intensively every

year and apply light doses of chemical or biological insecticides only when infestations reach a critical level. In other years, parasites and other natural controls will be allowed to

work on their own.

"This is the role we see for para Kites," McNally emphasized. “Not a replacement for pesticides, but one of a variety of tools that can reduce gypsy moth damage within the jnfested area while allowing, pesticides to be

used less often.

reader's forum l

New Jersey

still conduct gypsy moth parasite research.

Belay Adamants a public irtformation specialist with USDA'a Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Washington, D.C. Imtt»n f th» editor

Sea Isle's Done Well Under The y Commission Gov't by Raymond Briscuao The Council-Manager form of government recommended by the Charter Group is the worst possible form of government Sea Isle City could possibly consider. The decision not to mail the so called Cliarter Study Commission to all the taxpayers in Sea Isle City is h deliberate attempt not to inform all of the taxpayers what this study is all about. The taxes to operate Sea Isle City are paid by 90 percent of the land owners who have no voice in what or how our city is operated. IT'S HIGH TIME THE PEOPLE of Sea Isle City realized that in 1980 the land owners of Sea Isle City contributed in excess of $3 million dollars in property taxes. I would estimate $2.5 million was paid by the socalled non registered voters. They have a right to choose our form of city government ; if nothing else we

should be informed.

, I do not feel any referendum should go to the voters without telling everyone now what is going on This proposed form of government will leave our city with an elected mayor with no real voice in the

operation of the city.

ONE SHOULD IX»OK TO Belleville Town, N.J., a city of approximately the same size as Sea Isle City. In 1962 it went from Commissioner form of government to Council-Mamgcr. In 1967 it reverted back to Com-

mission form of government. V

Does the report show the advantages and4Hsadvantages of this form of government. Belleville Town

would be good to look at.

The report makes mention-of $30,000 salary to a manager. My estimate would be the Council-Manager form of government will increase our city operating budget by $100,000. This would be an increase of 10 percent on our local purpose tax which in 1990 was

$1,138,176.

WE SHOULD FURTHER LOOK at what has happened to taxes in Sea Isle City in the past five years. The Commission form of government under the direction of Mayor Raffa has done miracles. County taxes skyrocketed 104 percent, $500,000 to $1,036,000, the school Tax zoomed 73 percent from $485,000 to $843,000 while the local purpose tax - which is controlled by our City Commissioners — went up 26 percent or a little more than 5 percent per year, from $903,000 to $1,138,000. This indicates to me our City Fathers are looking out-

for the taxpayers.

I SEE NO PURPOSE IN HIRING a $30,000 plus manager to operate a 12-week nusiness.

The City of Cape May has had seven city managers in seven years. There is no way Sea Isle City can get along with a paid manager The best form of government is Commissioner or Mayor-Council form of government. Raymond J. Briscuao has been a resident of Sea Isle City for 20 years, president of the local Chamber of Commerce, built the Spinnaker Condominium and Island Plata and has developed over 300 homes in the

area.