Spray debate
Sebastopol has little choice in battle against pepperweedTuesday, March 1, 2005
When the battle is between nature and philosophy, nature always wins. This is the reality the Sebastopol City Council must confront tonight when it decides whether to allow spraying on public land.
On the side of philosophy is the council's longstanding opposition to spraying herbicides. On the side of nature is the non-native pepperweed, which is thriving on two city-owned acres and which threatens to invade the Laguna de Santa Rosa.
The Laguna is home to hundreds of species whose environment could be destroyed by the pepperweed. By hand-spraying the weed and stopping its spread, the council can avoid another ludwigia debacle.
Because of jurisdictional and liability disputes, government agencies delayed spraying the invasive water weed when it first appeared in the Laguna. Now, ludwigia covers hundreds of acres and the agencies have embarked on a five-year eradication plan.
Sebastopol risks a similar outcome with pepperweed unless aggressive action is taken before summer. Nature has the upper hand in this dispute, and for this reason, the council should move forward with a spray plan.
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