Columbia County residents speak against proposed trail before Monday night presentation

DAYTON-The Port of Columbia hosted a more than two-hour-long presentation on April 26, hearing from trail designers, various trail advocates, and agriculture representatives.

Before the meeting, a group of nearly 20 community members gathered in front of the Port's driveway, holding signs that signaled they were against the trail. The group assembled in part due to the feeling that the meeting would not let them speak or be heard. Though outside, the group did connect to the meeting through zoom.

Many of the members expressed concerns that the trail would attract vagrants, open up an avenue for drug use and distribution, and other security concerns for homes along the trail.

One local farmer, who wished to remain nameless, said that his concerns started with the chemistry of the trail committee. He said that he was worried about the lack of farmer and professional crop consultants on the committee. He was worried that the individuals on the current committee would not understand the severe implications that the trail could have on farmers, especially during spraying season.

"Jennie (Dickinson) says that we have the right to farm, but there are certain times of the year that we use certain chemicals, particularly if you have peas," he explained. "We have to use insecticides, and they are applied by tractors with long booms, and some of the labels on these products restrict access to the property for 48 hours."

He went on to say that the spray season that uses these particular chemicals falls around Memorial Days Weekend and the following week.

"That is right at the time that a lot of visitors and people in our community will want to use the trail," he said. He went on to say that, even if the farmers post signage along the trail, he was worried that trail users might not honor signs which could potentially cause legal trouble for farmers should someone fall ill.

"We have the right to farm, but our right to farm ends where trail users' noses start," he said. "It's a bit like smoking; smoking is legal, but your right to smoke outside ends where my nose starts. Sometimes there are residues or odors that can make people nauseous or feel ill, and they will believe they've been sprayed. We just have to be very cautious about that."

The unnamed farmer did say that many of these concerns may be addressed during the meeting. He was unavailable for comment after the conclusion of the meeting.

Another concern, shared by many of the groups' members, was over weed control. Members of the group acknowledged that the Port has done well at keeping grass away from the railroad tracks, but other pesky, harder-to-kill plants, like goat head vines and russian thistle (tumbleweed) were still a major issue. Goat heads, in particular, have the potential to pop bicycle tires and injure a walker's foot. They are also easily spread and spraying alone does not slow them down.

Jude Strode, of Dayton, said she was particularly concerned about the trail being so close to the agriculture air strip near Huntsville. The spraying was a big concern to her, as well as the planes being played on or messed with by trail walkers.

While some in the group were against the trail, others said that they weren't necessarily against a trail being put in, but did have strong feelings about the way that the planning and design was happening. Many of those with concerns felt that they were not being heard. The group would like to see the trail be presented as an advisory ballot measure and put up for a vote. They are currently collecting signatures, with the goal of 1,000 names, to present to the Columbia County Commissioners as the first step to getting a measure on the ballot.