L E T T E R S
JAPANESE KNOTWEED INVASION

To the editor:

On November 8, Mr. Michael Burns, transportation planner, is going to present an overview of bike path projects during the Board of Selectmen meeting.

What is your plan, Mr. Burns, to prevent and correct a Japanese Knotweed (JK) contamination for the next five bike paths? The Fairgrounds Road bike path is an example of lack of pre-planning.

Can a better contract be written to protect the soil and the neighbors? When the survey on endangered species takes place prior to digging, would it be possible to also conduct an invasive species survey to prevent JK infestation?

If JK is identified, can it be destroyed on site digging? This would prevent mixing it with clean soil at the holding area once it is removed. This would be more economical for the town, taxpayers and neighbors. Can you imagine the frustration, angst and cost if Cliff Road or Hummock Pond Road is contaminated?

Once the bike paths are completed, send a botanist to check immediately and again later to see what has emerged. Destroy it immediately! Do not wait!

Japanese Knotweed is highly invasive. It spreads underground with runners reaching 65 feet. It also spreads by seed. The height of this plant can reach 8 to 10 feet. It grows in shade or sun, wet or dry soil, through inches of blacktop and between pavers. It is like cancer. Catch the young plants before they mature and spread and form a colony.

I assume it has cost a few thousand dollars to remove this plant from Fairgrounds Road after it was introduced by this project. I personally hand dug hundreds of JK starts and Bartlett Tree hand-sprayed many more. I would guess that there are at least another 50 plants to be eradicated. The bus stops, opposite the bike path, were planted at the same time, and should also be checked for JK.

Neighbors may be surprised next spring or the following year to find JK in their roses, hedges, flower gardens and brick walks. Though the homeowners should not bear the expense of eradication, the alternative is ugly.

Colonies of JK are all over the dump and spreading outward. Lily Pond will probably be lost in the next decade, and Miacomet pond has several colonies of JK, as do Surfside, Old South and Polpis bike paths.

A few thousand dollars up front will protect our tax dollars and soil, or a few hundred thousand dollars in the future will be needed to correct the blight. Please do not repeat the same errors again. The practice of spreading soil contaminated with JK is not acceptable! We would not allow the Harbormaster to pollute the harbor. Why is our countryside not protected, too?

Please present a comprehensive plan to the community on November 8 during the Board of Selectmen's meeting.

- Marcia Aguiar TOYS FOR TOTS HOLIDAY HOTLINE

To the editor: The board of Nantucket Toys for Tots wishes to announce that the 2006 holiday hotline will be available Friday, November 17 through Sunday, December 3. We would like to take this opportunity to remind the community of our guidelines for participation. To be eligible to participate in the program, both you and your children must be year-round residents of Nantucket and the children must be under the age of 16.

Those who wish to participate must call the hotline at 508-325-7576. You will be asked to leave your name and a telephone number where a member of our board may contact you. When calling the hotline, please be sure to speak slowly and clearly, so that our board members can return your call in a timely manner. The hotline is monitored daily by our board members and we do our best to respond to each call within 24-48 hours. Please note that the person contacting the hotline should be proficient in English. As always, to ensure confidentiality we request that you do not contact board members directly.

For those who would like to donate new unwrapped toys, there are drop off locations at Stop & Shop, Grand Union, Island Variety, Faregrounds Restaurant, Atheneum, and the Sparks Avenue Branch of Pacific National Bank. Monetary donations can be dropped off or mailed to Toys for Tots, Nantucket Fire Department, 131 Pleasant Street, or The Inquirer and Mirror P.O. Box 1198 Nantucket, MA 02554.

We will be wrapping the toys Saturday, December 16, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the fire station - volunteers for wrapping are encouraged!

We appreciate everyone's generosity and look forward to another wonderful holiday season. With your help we can make this a terrific Christmas for many Nantucket children. Sincerely,

- Jeanne Norton and Jessie Glidden

Secretary, Toys for Tots

HELMETS FOR SKATEBOARDERS

To the editor:

Massachusetts State Law requires all skateboarders to wear helmets when using the new facility on Backus Lane. To ensure the safety of all, the Parks and Recreation Department has 10 loaner helmets at the site. Please use the equipment when skating and return it to the receptacle when finished. Parents are urged to discuss this policy with their children and encourage them to comply with all the rules posted at the park. Failure to comply with the skatepark rules will jeopardize the planned expansion of the facility. The public's support and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

- Linda Zodda For the Park and Recreation Commission