Collier Mosquito Control District looks to expand with human population

Collier’s population is expanding, putting more people closer to mosquito breeding grounds in the county’s vast network of parks and preserves.

But even as a once-in-a-decade swarm of mosquitoes descends on that population, the Collier Mosquito Control District is looking for new ways to mitigate the problem.

Patrick Linn, executive director of the district, said the district is likely to expand, pushing out from its existing borders to cover more than the 400 square miles it presently encompasses.

Eventually, he said, the district will cover all of Collier County, save for areas such as the Big Cypress Preserve, Picayune Strand and other parks, sanctuaries and preserves.

And since mosquitoes breed in those places, then blow into the urban area, talks are underway to consider mitigation efforts in those previously untreated spots as well.

On Wednesday, Linn met with Heather Schmiege, resource administrator for the Florida Forest Service, which manages Picayune Strand, to talk about ways the district might work within the preserve.

“We’re looking into new technologies and we’re looking for ways to exert control there in environmentally responsible ways,” Linn said.

Schmiege said discussions between forestry managers and mosquito control districts are happening around the state. Mosquito mitigation is taken into account in every park’s 10-year management plan, she said.

The need to look into new alternatives was made more urgent by last year’s outbreak of the Zika virus, Schmiege said.

“Obviously, we had the big Zika scare last year,” she said. “I think that is what jump-started this throughout the state.”

Linn acknowledged that mosquito control in preserves is a touchy subject.

“Ultimately, this is the kind of thing that gets kind of sensitive,” he said. “There’s ongoing discussions between the Florida Mosquito Control Association and the (park) entities about the need to treat areas with minimal impact.”

The salt marsh mosquitoes that breed in the preserves and can travel up to 40 miles on the wind don’t carry disease. They’re just pests, Linn said.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries Zika and other diseases is more at home in urban settings, meaning spraying and other treatments in populated areas.

That’s part of the rationale for expanding the district.

“We have development going into areas that heretofore have been occupied by agriculture,” he said.

The district now covers coastal Collier County, including Marco Island, and pushes east through Golden Gate Estates. There are two isolated pockets to the east, Immokalee and Ave Maria.

Linn said that piecemeal approach isn’t ideal. So the effort is beginning to cover all the county, save for the preserves.

“Long-term, very long-term, the district will include the entire county and have the untreatable areas subtracted out,” he said.

On Tuesday, Linn made a presentation to the Collier County Commission on the district’s current battles. He gave informal notice that the expansion is on the horizon.

“I may be visiting you again in the not-too-distant future about a proposal to add some square miles to the district as Collier’s population continues to grow at a fast rate,” he told commissioners.

Notifying county commissioners is the first step in any expansion. A survey of residents in the affected area and an act of the state Legislature also would be required.

“It appears the need is going to be there in the coming years. We’d like to be ahead of it,” Linn said.

Connect with Brent Batten at brent.batten@naplesnews.com, on Twitter@NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten.