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Rye debate over Town Forest spraying pits public-health concerns against conservation protections
Summary
Health officials and a mosquito-control contractor recommended continuing targeted tick spraying in a 40–50-ft swath of the Town Forest to reduce Lyme risk; the Conservation Commission stressed ecological harms and had previously voted to prohibit insecticides on RCC-managed properties except for an outbreak — the matter will be revisited at an RCC meeting.
Town health leaders and conservation commissioners clashed June 2 over the limited spraying for ticks in Rye’s Town Forest, with health officials and a contractor urging continued targeted treatment while the Conservation Commission emphasized harm to pollinators and habitat.
Tim Sanborn, chair of the Mosquito Control Commission, said the current program grew from a 2018 pilot and that the treated corridor is a widely used 40–50-foot swath of trail — roughly 5 acres of the town’s roughly 200-acre Town Forest — that provides residents one lower-risk place to walk. He noted that there were about "1,700 cases of Lyme Disease in NH in 2025," a statistic Dr. Gail Snow, Rye’s health officer, cited in recommending the town continue targeted spraying for ticks.
Dragon Mosquito Control’s Sarah MacGregor described the treatment as a focused, trail-only application and said spraying is not applied in water or wetland setbacks because permit conditions restrict aquatic applications. She said the program started as a pilot and that trailheads are posted during applications; town-wide mosquito and tick treatments are also scheduled for schools and recreation areas before the school year and holiday events.
Conservation Commission Chair Shawn Joyce said the RCC manages lands to protect natural habitat, pollinators and water quality and noted the commission had "voted unanimously to prohibit use of insecticides on any property the RCC manages," with a limited exception only for serious public-health outbreaks such as EEE. Joyce warned that broad-based spraying "readily kill[s] butterflies, fireflies, lady bugs" and can saturate soil and affect aquatic life.
Residents voiced both positions at the meeting. Susan Shepcaro and others said the spraying has been effective and important because children use the trail to bike between the junior high and recreation fields. Ritchie White and others urged that any exception be narrowly tailored and not expand to permanently protected conservation areas. Several speakers asked that the RCC and Select Board follow the Rachel Stevens conservation plan and ensure any changes comply with easements and forestry-management plans.
Outcome: The Select Board and RCC agreed to put the matter back on the RCC agenda for further discussion; no policy change or expansion of spraying was authorized at the joint meeting.
Why it matters: The decision balances immediate public-health concerns about Lyme and other tickborne diseases against long-term conservation goals (pollinator protection, water quality). The RCC’s forthcoming deliberation will determine whether a targeted exception or continued prohibition is appropriate.
Next steps: The RCC will review the spraying request at its next meeting and consider the Rachel Stevens conservation report and potential procedural or easement constraints before authorizing or expanding treatments.
