Marianne LaBarge City Councilor | Ward 6 | Northampton, MA

WARD 6

         CITY COUNCILOR

MARIANNE LABARGE
Text Box:   Laura Krutzler, Administrative Assistant, Northampton City Council To Whom it May Concern, M.G.L. Chapter 252, Section 2A(b)(2) allows a municipality to apply to opt out of mosquito control spraying conducted by the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (“SRMCB”). For the SRMCB to recognize a municipal opt-out, the municipality must have an alternative mosquito management plan application approved by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (“EEA”). Accordingly, EEA reviewed your municipality’s application, including your regional risk level determination, alternative mosquito management plan, certified vote, and checklist. Municipal regional risk level determination served as EEA's evaluation criteria for the 2022 municipal opt-out applications. Regional risk levels were determined using historical risk level indicators, including the presence of local and regional suitable mosquito habitat and local and regional incidences of positive EEE test results of mosquito samples, animals, and humans. Your municipality was determined to be at Low Regional Risk. Given that your municipality prepared an alternative mosquito management plan with specified mosquito control education and outreach activities for residents and submitted a certified vote, your application to opt out of SRMCB spraying has been Approved. This will be shared with the SRMCB in order to recognize the opt-out under statute. When executing your plan, please be aware that approval of this plan does not relieve an applicant of the need to comply with all applicable federal, state, or local statutes, ordinances, bylaws or regulations. Further, your municipality’s opt-out does not extend to state-owned land within your municipality’s boundaries. Finally, public health outcomes are driven in part by local mosquito control actions. We encourage you to review the attached mosquito control resources to support in implementing best practices throughout the rest of the season. Sincerely, Bethany A. Card Secretary Attachment: Mosquito Control Resources CC: State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board