[Archived] City Of Alexandria Schedules January 16 Open House To Discuss 2007 Gypsy Moth Suppression Program

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	January 3, 2007 PIO# 002-07/jbh	Brian Hannigan, Director of Communications, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

CITY OF ALEXANDRIA SCHEDULES JANUARY 16 OPEN HOUSE
TO DISCUSS 2007 GYPSY MOTH SUPPRESSION PROGRAM

The Alexandria City Arborist will hold a public open house on Tuesday, January 16 to consider proposed options for the City's 2007 Gypsy Moth Suppression Program. The information session will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Charles Barrett Center at 1115 Martha Custis Drive. The public is invited to attend and make comments.

A summer 2006 gypsy moth egg mass survey conducted throughout the City indicated that a 75-acre area along Cameron Mills Rd. in Beverley Hills qualifies for the aerial application of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bt is a microbial or biological insecticide that kills the cells lining gypsy moths’ guts but is harmless to human beings as well as birds, fish, and other animals. The area is roughly bounded by Chalfonte Dr. on the north, Allison St. on the south, Wellington Rd. on the west and Old Dominion Blvd. on the east.

In order to qualify for Commonwealth of Virginia assistance, the City must prepare and submit a gypsy moth suppression proposal. The Arborist’s Office is scheduled to make recommendations to City Council for consideration at its public hearing on Saturday, January 20, 2007.

Written comments regarding Alexandria’s Gypsy Moth Suppression Program may be submitted until March 15, 2007. Comments should be addressed to:

State Entomologist
VDACS/Office of Plant Protection
c/o Alexandria Gypsy Moth Office
1108 Jefferson Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the City’s Human Rights Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials in an alternative format, please contact Jerry Dieruf of the City Arborist’s Office at 703-838-5040 (TTY 703-838-4902) or e-mail jerry.dieruf@alexandriava.gov.

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