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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1985)
In gypsy moth conflict Beware of pesticide programs Large-scale chemical pesticide spray pro grams almost invariably produce many adverse, unforeseen results, often even making the problem of the target pest worse. 1) The pest is present in enormous numbers. Some individuals in such popula tions will be more resistant than most to the pesticide and will soon reconstitute a more resistant population. The parasites and predators that exert biological control are present in much smaller populations, not having such a reservoir of Commentary_ genetic diversity to draw upon, and are usual ly wiped out or much more seriously reduced. As the resurgence of the resistant pest occurs, it finds an environment freed from its former enemies and comes back worse than before. Parasites and predators of other pests are also demolished, so such programs are often followed by unexpected increases in other pests. Many desirable species, such as birds, fish and bees, are also adversely affected, some directly by the pesticide, others through loss of insects and other small food species. Wildflowers and other plants often suffer through loss of insects that pollinate them. 2) Humans are usually adversely affected too, with troubles ranging from temporary sickness to cancer or malformed or aborted offspring. The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s apparent decision to use BT (Bacillus thur ingiensis), which is specific to moths and but terflies, perhaps combined with sex pheromone-like substances specific to gypsy moths for male confusion and trapping, is a very wise one. BT has been shown to be as good or better than the chemicals Orthene and Dimilin, which are also being considered, and avoids most of the problems listed above. The danger now is that since these biological controls are somewhat more expen sive to obtain and apply than chemical sprays, if insufficient funds are made available to use them effectively, there will be intense pressure to resort to the chemical spraying. Even for ap plication only to “hot spots” of especially heavy infestation, the chemical sprays should be avoided because they haven't been shown to be more effective than BT, and because some of the worst hot spots are in inhabited areas. We would be far better off to have no con trol program at all than to launch into another large-scale, ill-advised chemical spray pro gram. Because of the fortunes being made through large-scale use of chemical sprays, and the money that pours into the agencies carrying out such programs, there is always in tensive pressure to adopt them. The threat of the pest is greatly exaggerated, and the adverse effects of the chemical spray program played down. Let’s not allow ourselves under any cir cumstances to be panicked into such an ill advised, futile and disastrous use of our tax dollars. Bayard H. McConnaughey University Biology professor letters Bad analogy Jn response to David Hixson’s letter (ODE, Jan. 14), 1 would like to comment further about the naturalness of homosexuality. While Hixson’s five points are all excellent, I object to his image of a cat with six toes as analogous to the “uncommon but not unnatural’’ phenomenon of gay ness. Numerous sociologists and sex researchers estimate that 10-13 percent of all human be ings are gay. (For example, The Hite Report. 1976, p. 396.) This means that there are over twice as many lesbians in America as there are joggers! Cats with six toes hardly comprise 10-13 per cent of cats, and this inap propriate example reinforces the freakish stereotypes associated with homophilia. Rather, gay people for cen turies have been comparing left handedness with gayness. Like left-handed people, many gays believe that we were born gay, that nothing in our environment The Russian Orthodox Church: Conformity and Dissent in the USSR a free public lecture by JANE ELLIS (Researcher, Keston College, England; editor of Religion in Communist Lands) Tuesday, Jan. 22 7:30 p.m. EMU - Forum Room Sponsored by (JO REESC and the Department of Religious Studies For further Information call 686-4877 caused us to “become” homophilic. Like left-handed people, gays have been regard ed with suspicion and attempts have been made by the 90 per cent majority to force us to “change.” Just as a left-handed person can learn to be right handed without ever feeling completely comfortable in the new behavior, so also can a gay person live a heterosexual lifestyle without ever reaching her or his fullest potential for love and happiness. Finally, just as left-handed people have some special creative abilities because of the different ways that their right-brain and left brain connections hook up, so also do many gay people. We are often artists, writers, and teachers. We understand magic, and we enjoy a quality of agelessness! Laura Desertrain, Ph.D, Lesbian Many thanks I would like to take the oppor tunity to publicly thank Sherry Oeser, director of the Oregon Student Lobby, Senator Ed Fadeley, and Representative Grattan Kerans for their efforts in support of higher education. As you may know, the State Emergency Board approved a proposal to reimburse the University and Western Oregon State College for the tuition money used to cover legal fees of the State Board of Higher Education. The Board of Higher Education’s decison placed the University and WOSC in a very limited position to provide for the needs of their students and faculty. Through the initiative and support of these legislators and the Oregon Student Lobby, the money will remain available to the schools to fund teaching — not pay state legal'bills, ! thank them for approaching the Emergency Board with this difficult situation and ap preciate their outspoken priori ty of instruction on the universi ty campuses. Rebecca Roby CSPA ALL WELL DRINKS *1. 3 to 6pm • Mon.-Fri. Come in from the cold for Hot Spiced Wine, Warm Fireside Atmosphere and Fine Italian Food Pizzas • Pastas • Calzone • Sandwiches • Salad Bar Serving Lunch and Dinner 13th & Alder on Campus • Orders to Go—343-0681 VW’S MERCEDES BMW’S DATSUN TOYOTA Reliable service <or your O AQ4 A 2025 Franklin Blvd foreign car since 1963 I £ Eugene. Ore 97403 —- - 4-HOUR ~ PHOTO FINISHING REPRINTS 5 For$1 "Photofinishing Is Our Business Not A Sideline" On Campus South Willamette 1231 Alder, 683-2500 * 2805 Willamette, 344-1224 KODAK GLOSSY PAPER Most films in before 10 a.m. Ready by 2 p.m. Develop and Print C-41 12 Exp. Prints....81.97 24 Exp. Prints....83.97 36 Exp. Prints....$5.97 COUPON MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER. Offer Expires 1/27/85 OREGON PHOTO LAB EMCJ Cultural Forum presents TONIGHT! 7 p.m. • EMU Ballroom A screening of this Academy Award Nominee Film with Lecture/Discussion to follow with the film’s Director/Producer Julia Reichert also Director of “Union Maids’* $1.50 admission at the door. “FINE, TOUGH ...MOVING! The film is less about dogma, than about American Idealism. It's social history of a high order. ” —Vincent Candy, N Y Times “A REVELATION! SEEING RED’ is fascinating. . .a story told with warmth and humor. IT'S A PART OF AMERICA YOU SHOULD MEET.” —Judith Crist. WOR-TV A TRIUMPH! These aging radicals are the best advertisement for the spirit of survival. —Richard Corliss. TIME SEEING RED
