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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 11, 2003 No more fruit checks going into California By MYLES MURPHY for the Mail Tribune HORNBROOK, Calif. — Drivers no longer stop at the agriculture inspection station just south of the Oregon border, but they still slow down a little. "We were expecting to stop (at the station), but we just drove through," Latoya Curry of Seattle said after passing between empty monitor booths. On her way to Los Angeles, Curry stopped for a break in Hornbrook, about 25 miles south of Ashland on Interstate 5, before heading south. She has made the trek before and was used to stopping for a moment at the "bug station" to deny carrying forbidden fruit over the border. This time, Curry just flew through. Advertisement "I kind of liked it," Curry said. Since July 1, all southbound drivers have been going through the same motions: Slowing down at first for the large stop signs at the station, but then breezing past empty booths and signs that read: "No inspection today. Proceed with caution." State budget cuts forced the California Department of Food and Agriculture to abandon its program inspecting private vehicles for agricultural commodities. The border inspection program was cut by $1.37 million this year, leaving the program without enough money to hire seasonal employees, according to Steve Lyle, department spokesman. "We reserve the right to inspect private vehicles if necessary," Lyle said, adding that there are no plans to resume car inspections. The cuts could have serious implications for state farmers, who rely on the inspections to keep non-native pests out of California and protect crops. "It is a little frustrating for me because I believe there is a risk," said inspection station supervisor D.W. Middleton, who has worked at the station for 22 years. A station of one sort or another has been in place along the stretch of Northern California highway since the 1920s, according to Middleton. The first was set up closer to Hilt, about 15 miles south of Ashland. The station was later moved closer to Hornbrook, and then down to the Dunsmuir, Calif., area. In the mid-1980s, California settled on the present site. While California’s budget troubles forced the closure of the smaller passenger-vehicle inspection program, larger vehicles are still being held up. Commercial vehicles, RVs, and moving vans have historically been more of a risk in transporting pests, according to CDFA officials. "Now we have a little more time to look at commercial vehicles (for pests)," Middleton said. "The bottom line is we don’t want to spray (pesticides on agricultural land), so we have to stop them here." The state border stations were meant to protect crops by keeping non-native pests out of California. The state’s geographical borders — the Pacific Ocean, mountain passes, and inhospitable deserts — provide a natural boundary keeping other states’ pests from arriving under their own power. The inspection stations help stop travelers from transporting pests unintentionally. With California’s varied agriculture and a mobile population, the task is difficult and never-ending. The state must be on the lookout for a host of exotic-sounding bugs, such as the pink hibiscus mealybug or the glassy-winged sharpshooter. In 1996, a boat being transported from the Great Lakes region was stopped at Hornbrook and found with unwanted zebra mussels attached. The potentially invasive species were dead, but the event highlights the range of fruits, vegetables, bugs and animals the station was on guard against. "Mostly it was seasonal things," Middleton said. "Cherries were always a big one." Myles Murphy is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456.The Associated Press contributed to this story. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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