Few Residents Attend Hearing on Fire Ant Plans

What if they held a hearing and nobody came?

That was the scenario Wednesday when California agricultural officials convened an administrative hearing on how to fight the red imported fire ant, one of the most troublesome insects ever found in Orange County. Only six people showed up to testify.

The small turnout at the county Hall of Administration in Santa Ana may have puzzled many agriculture officials who recalled the outcry a decade ago over aerial spraying of the insecticide malathion to control the Mediterranean fruit fly. The four officials who had traveled from Sacramento may have been relieved by the near-empty hearing room Wednesday.

But some in the audience wondered whether their ranks were so small because residents were unaware of the situation.

“My understanding is that word just didn’t get out,” said Curtis Kendall, associate manager of the National Audubon Society’s Starr Ranch sanctuary in South County. “It’s really a shame that more people did not know about it.”

Three of the six speakers said they learned about the hearing when they read articles in local newspapers earlier in the day.

David Prather of Costa Mesa said, “If it were more publicized, the entire environmental community would have been represented.”

Hearing officer Bill L. Callison, assistant director of the agriculture department’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services, said notices went to local governments and the Board of Supervisors. No legal notices in local newspapers were required.

Because the hearing was scheduled from 2 to 7 p.m., the officials took sworn testimony from five people at the hearing’s start, then waited. And waited. One more person arrived at 5 p.m. to speak. After that, officials had nothing to do but wait until 7 p.m. to adjourn.

The final tally: Four residents opposed sprinkling pesticide from the air to eradicate the ants. One resident asked that aerial application be seriously considered. And county Supervisor Todd Spitzer urged caution.

Since the first fire ant colonies were discovered in South County in November, infestations have been found in more than 50 square miles of the county, from Los Alamitos to Fullerton, Anaheim, Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano.

Originally imported accidentally from South America, the fire ant has long infested 10 Southeastern states and Texas. Its arrival in Orange County is its first major infestation on the West Coast, stirring fears that it will spread quickly to other counties and states.

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Residents still may submit comments on the fire ant situation. Written statements must reach state agriculture officials no later than Feb. 24.

Comments should be mailed to Barbara J. Hass, Special Assistant, Permits and Regulations, Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services, Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N St., Room A-372, Sacramento, CA 95814. Comments also may be faxed before 5 p.m. Feb. 24 to Hass at (916) 654-0986.