FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] hemlock Adelgid control

[Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi folks,

Below is a letter I wrote to the superintendant of Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.  Below that is the official announcement of
an Environmental Assessment regarding control of Hemlock Wooly
Adelgid.

Loss of Eastern Hemlock trees would mean a big environmental problem,
resulting in loss of bird species that nest in these trees (including
Black-throated Green Warblers, Blackburnian Warblers, Acadian
Flycatchers).  It would also mean less shade for the 800 miles of
streams in the park.  This would cause warming of the water reduced
oxygen, and likely decrease in trout and other cold water-loving
fish.

Please make your opinions know.

Charlie

Dear Superintendant,

I thank you for this opportunity to comment on the EA regarding the
park's control of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.

I lived in the Poconos during the outbreak and ensuing loss of
Hemlock trees there.  It was terrible.  In addition to loss of shade,
damage to scenery and reduction of many birds that nest in Hemlocks,
this was a major safety issue.  Many dead trees fell on roads and
across rivers and streams popular with paddlers and boaters.  It cost
parks (including Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area) a lot
of money to keep ahead of the falling trees.  management also had
difficult decisions to make regarding cutting trees before they fell.

I hope that the park will do everything in its power to reduce this
loss of trees, including sprays, injections, release of beetles (as
long as there continues to be no evidense of them preying upon native
insects) and other measures developed in the future.

In my opinion, this should be one of the highest priorities of park
management.  I sincerely hope you folks are getting a lot of support
from the leadership of the Department of Interior.

Thank you for your time.

Charlie Muise
2632 Montvale Road
Maryville, TN 37803


Great Smoky Mountains News Release

Immediate Release                               Contact:  Nancy Gray
Date:  October 26, 2005                               865/436-1208

       ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ON HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID TREATMENT
                     AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT

      Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers are seeking public
input

on an Environmental Assessment (EA) concerning the Park?s management
of

hemlock woolly adelgid.  Under provisions of the National
Environmental

Policy Act, the Park is inviting public comment on a range of
treatment

options that include pesticide use and predatory insect releases in
front

country and backcountry areas, as well as a no treatment option,
during a

30-day public review process that will end on November 18, 2005.

      Currently, biologists are managing HWA using experimental
control

strategies that include insecticidal soap and oil, systemic
insecticide

treatments and non-native predatory beetles.   ?Since the insect was
first

discovered in the Park, HWA populations have become much more
widespread

and we are proposing to expand controls to save as much hemlock as
possible

without adversely impacting Park resources,? said Park Superintendent
Dale

Ditmanson.

      Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a non-native insect that was
first

found in the Park in 2002 that poses an imminent threat to Park
resources.

The Park contains more than 18,000 acres of hemlock-dominated
forests,

including 700 acres of old growth hemlock aged to 500 years old.  The

non-native insect threatens all ages and sizes of hemlock trees.

      The EA outlines details of each proposed alternative of which
there

are five.  The alternatives under consideration are:

      1) No Treatment.  The Park would apply no treatments to prevent
the

spread of HWA throughout the Park;

      2) No Action.  Managers would continue to treat hemlocks at the
      current level;
      3) Chemical Control Only.  Under this alternative, the park
will use
      chemicals under National Park Service Integrated Pest
Management
      established procedures;
      4) Biological Control Only.  The Park will release insect
predators
      to control HWA populations. Currently, two beetle species are
      available for release with several more expected in the future;
       5) Both chemical and Biological Control.  This alternative
combines
      alternatives  3 and 4, as described above.

      Alternative 5 is indicated as the environmentally preferred

alternative.  The use of chemicals and biocontrols will allow Park
managers

a range of options to safely apply treatments best suited for
specific

areas, i.e., backcountry, high use developed areas, areas near water,
and

old growth communities.  Superintendent Ditmanson commented that ?The

varying methods provide managers flexibility in addressing specific
habitat

concerns that will best protect water resources, non-target species
and

threatened and endangered species, while ensuring that visitors will

continue to enjoy Park facilities and resources.?

      The EA is available for review and can be obtained several
ways.  A

link to an electronic copy of the document can be found under the

?management documents? section on the Park?s website at

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/pphtml/documents.html.  A copy of the EA may
also

be requested by writing to the address provided below or calling
(865)

436-1208.

      Comments should be received by the National Park Service by
November

18, 2005, and sent to:  Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains
National

Park, 107 Park Headquarters Road Gatlinburg, TN 37738 or e:mailed to

GRSM_Hemlock@xxxxxxxx

                                   -NPS-





Nancy Gray
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN   37738
865/436-1208 phone
865/436-1204 fax
e:mail:  Nancy_Gray@xxxxxxx



        
                
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the count in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual date of observation should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_____________________________________________________________
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp

_____________________________________________________________