Rye conservation commission bans routine insecticide spraying on conservation land

Rye — The Rye Conservation Commission voted May 14 to prohibit routine insecticide spraying on town conservation properties, a response to members’ concerns about the ecological effects of tick-spray insecticides used along trails.

The motion, introduced by Commissioner Victor Odryna, directs that "no spraying of insecticides on any conservation property in Rye" be allowed except in the event of a public-health outbreak, and that any such spraying must come before the Commission for approval. The motion passed unanimously.

Commission members described the difference between larvicide and adulticide treatments. Treasurer Gary Terhune said the company performing the town’s mosquito control uses a larvicide (BTI) for standing water that he said does not impact surrounding insects, animals or people, while the tick spray (Cross Check) is applied in a roughly 50-foot swath along trails and "is toxic to fish and other aquatic invertebrates." Member Glenn Suchocki noted that New Hampshire State Parks may spray in the event of a public-health determination, but that the RCC can make exceptions where needed.

The policy shift follows Commission discussion of where spraying has been applied — the west side of the Town Forest and the trail from Parsons Field to the recreation area — and reflects a precautionary position intended to protect vernal pools and aquatic life. The Mosquito Control Commission conducts spraying decisions on behalf of the Select Board; the RCC’s motion does not directly change that body’s authority but requires the RCC’s approval for any spraying on Commission-managed conservation land except in emergency public-health situations.

The Commission did not set a separate enforcement mechanism at the meeting; members said any future requests for spraying in an outbreak would be brought to the next available RCC meeting for a decision.