Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, N.J. – Naval Weapons Station Earle Commanding Officer CAPT Gary Maynard, USN, and Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry announced a partnership agreement today incorporating 607 acres of the weapons station into the county-wide aerial gypsy moth spraying program for 2008.  The agreement enhances NWS Earle’s already-aggressive ground spraying program to control these pests and compliments the county-wide plan to eradicate them.

NWS Earle agreed at a recent meeting with Monmouth County officials to allow for aerial spraying of select areas of the station recommended by the county.  The areas to be treated are along both sides of the Route 34 corridor bisecting the federal installation and along its northern fence line bordering Route 18.  The treatment will extend 500 feet into the station.

Tentative county plans are to treat these areas in late May.

CAPT Maynard says, “This project is the latest of many partnerships we have with our neighboring communities.  I’m sure our participation will assist Monmouth County in attaining its gypsy moth control and eradication goals.”   

“We are very pleased to welcome Naval Weapons Station Earle into the county’s aerial gypsy moth spray program,” Freeholder Burry says. “The weapons station is located entirely in Monmouth County and, therefore, is makes perfect sense to include in our aerial spray program those areas that are hardest hit to help limit the defoliation that is occurring there.”

NWS Earle has been partnered with Monmouth County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program since 1999, the Mosquito Control Commission since 2001 and has many long-standing mutual aid agreements for emergency services with county towns.  As part of the new partnership agreement, NWS Earle will spend $20,000 on the treatment to be applied to Navy property this year.

Monmouth County uses Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium, in its spraying program.  The county and Navy hope to use Bt to create bands that disrupt the migration of gypsy moths through Monmouth County.  Annual surveys of gypsy moth egg masses indicate a migration through the county on a roughly southwest to northeast path.  NWS Earle’s area of highest egg mass concentrations is located west of Rte. 34.

U.S. Navy and county officials are optimistic that the station’s ground spraying treatment, augmented with the county’s aerial spraying, can restore some of the defoliation seen aboard NWS Earle.