Why does Cape St. Claire, which promotes itself as a waterfront beach community outside Annapolis, condone and encourage the Maryland Department of Agriculture to use insecticides that are known to be extremely harmful and toxic to fish, aquatic life, water quality and bees?
The Cape St. Claire Improvement Association, at their own request, participates in the Department of Agriculture's mosquito spray operation, allowing crews to spray weekly more than 26 miles of public roads in an area sensitive to the well being of the surrounding waterfront and wetlands.
The recurring argument in favor of the mosquito spray operation seems to be that "we can't enjoy our backyards." Surely it can come as no surprise that the entire Cape St. Claire residential area, carved out of swampy marshes completely surrounded by water, would be heavily infested with mosquitoes. But apparently the battle against mosquito nuisance takes precedence over any concern for the preservation of water quality and aquatic life.
To compound matters, recently the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association was able to have the Maryland Department of Agriculture eliminate the 300-foot buffer zones on either side of properties whose owners choose to be exempt from the spray operation.
This change in long standing statewide policy, which applies just to Cape St. Claire, took place without full public disclosure and after failing to notify the exempt property owners who have relied on the buffer before the policy change was finalized.
David Penne, Annapolis