“Letters To The Editor” And The Perception Of Weed Control Strategies: The Use Of 2,4-D To Control Myriophyllum spicatum L. In The Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Responses to hazards are controlled more by perceptions of the hazard events than the objective reality of those events. The hazard under investigation is technological, the application of the herbicide 2,4-D to control an infestation of the aquatic weed Eurasian water milfoil. Eurasian water milfoil was first noticed in the Okanagan Valley. British Columbia, in 1971 by concerned citizens who found the water adjacent to their favorite beaches to be infested, interfering with swimming. In studying the representativeness of letters to the newspapers as indicators of public opinion, several studies have found letter writers to constitute a wealthier, better read, older and more highly educated. Political commentary has characterized letter writers in the US as being largely conservative and Republican. Given the overwhelming dominance of anti-2.4-D letters, it would be unwise to ignore them as an indication of the strength of opinion.