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Last week, he found the native prairie plants and wildflowers he planted on one side the road brown and wilting. He knew right away what had happened: the county had sprayed the ditch for weeds.
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A Winona County Highway worker sprays along County Road 25 near Rollingstone Tuesday morning. The job is not without controversy. The workers who spray for the county say they recieve threatening phone calls at home yearly from residents upset about the program. (photo by Katie Derus/Winona Daily News) |
“I saw the results and smelled results,” he said, pointing at the browning tree leaves, grass and grape vines along the road last week. “I can feel it in my throat and taste it.”
For the past decade, Nopar has had an agreement with Winona County to maintain the ditches. In exchange, the county agreed not to spray it.
Winona County road crews admitted to spraying Nopar’s land by mistake, but with about 387 miles of road to maintain, balancing landowners’ rights and wishes with the need to keep drivers safe can be a struggle.
Kevin Lindquist, Winona County highway superintendent, said crews are simply following the law. Weeds aren’t just a nuisance, they can make it hard for drivers to see other cars and creatures that dart across roadways, Lindquist said.
About 40 county landowners like Nopar request no spraying, which requires an agreement to maintain the right-of-ways by eliminating weeds and cutting down tall brush and saplings.
“We appreciate what they are trying to do with the native flowers and grass,” he said. “We don’t like spraying anymore than anyone else.”
If the landowners don’t maintain the ditches, the county will go back to doing it for them.
For some, chemical weed killer could damage their business. Mike and Jennifer Rupprecht of Earth-Be-Glad Farm in Lewiston requested that the county stop spraying their ditches in 2001 when their farm was certified organic.
Jennifer Rupprecht said organic standards require a 25 foot buffer zone around crops. She said they’ve never had problems with the county honoring the request.
Carmene Pangrac of Prime Pastors Organic Dairy along Highway 14 wasn’t so lucky. Her farm has been organic for three years, but one summer the county accidentally sprayed a part of their property.
“We had been clipping the weeds, but they were trying to be proactive because there had been an accident at the corner,” she said. “We’ve have had no problem since but had to stop planting that section for three years because of organic rules.”
Nopar originally requested the county to stop spraying about one-third of a mile of County Road 17 when his children were young and often out on the road.
“We noticed that the county was spraying every year, and we were concerned from a health standpoint,” he said.
Nopar put up signs marking the land and had no problems until last week when he found his ladyslippers, grape vines and wild roses withering. He realized one of his signs had fallen down and the property was sprayed by accident.
“At a time when we are supposed to be outside and getting exercise, this doesn’t make me want to do it,” he said. “For an area as beautiful as this where we use the roadways for not only driving, but biking and hiking, it’s unfortunate.”
While spraying is necessary, Lindquist said the county hopes to cut back on chemical use. The county spends about $25,000 a year on 650 gallons of herbicide each spring and summer. Lindquist hopes to cut the amount of chemicals in half by next year.
The county will instead begin mowing out ditches every three years to clear out weeds and brush.
Nopar said he hopes the county will eventually adopt a request-only system for spraying problem areas.
“My real wish is that instead of the program we have now where you can opt out of your highway being sprayed, I’d like there to be a change so if people had a significant weed problem, they could ask for spraying,” he said.
Lindquist said his department wants to get ahead of the weed problem, but for now, they still have a lot of work before spraying can be limited.
“We aren’t the bad guys,” he said. “We are just doing our best to keep the roads clear.”
Emily Kaiser can be reached at (507) 453-3541 or ekaiser@winonadailynews.com.
