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
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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