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Mesa County approves up to $300,000 contract for Japanese beetle treatments
Summary
The Mesa County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with WDRs for 2026 Japanese beetle treatments not to exceed $300,000, citing the beetle's 2022 rediscovery and the need to protect local agriculture and green spaces.
Mesa County commissioners voted 2-0 on Feb. 24 to approve a contract with WDRs for Japanese beetle treatments in 2026, authorizing expenditures not to exceed $300,000.
Amber Martinez, Mesa County Natural Resources director, told the board the beetle was rediscovered in 2022 after earlier eradication efforts in Palisade in the early 2000s. The county issued an RFP and selected WDRs as the most advantageous respondent; Martinez said WDRs maintains a database to schedule consenting properties and has been the county's implementation partner since the rediscovery.
"Since then, WDRs has served as our implementation partner in this treatment process, and they've established a large database that allows us to outreach to consenting properties and then reschedule follow-up treatments," Martinez said, noting there is no price increase in this year's contract and the vendor has capacity to continue services.
A commissioner asked whether the county has authority to treat inside the town of Palisade. Martinez said Palisade lies within the Upper Grand Valley Pest Control District and that district designation allows the authority to treat properties in the event of a mass outbreak. Martinez also warned that a mild winter could cause earlier emergence of beetles; she said the first trapped beetle typically appears around the second week of June and there is concern about earlier activity this year.
The board approved the contract by voice vote, motion carries 2 to 0. Martinez told the board the county will continue outreach to consenting property owners and rely on the vendor's scheduling database to manage follow-up treatments.
