Date: Fri 01-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

agriculture-experiment-station

Full Text:

State Stands To Lose Property And Donations By Closing Experiment Station

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

The state could lose $7 million in charitable donations as the result of

Governor John G. Rowland's plan to close the state Agricultural Experiment

Station, according to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. The money includes

assets and property tied to four trusts that fund biochemistry and other

research at the New Haven-based station, he said.

If the station closed, the state could transfer some of those assets to

another entity. But because the terms of each trust are different, it would be

unlikely the state would continue to receive all the benefits, he said.

For instance, the oldest and largest trust fund which names the experiment

station's eight-member board as trustee, is the William R. Lockwood Trust

Fund. "I think it quite clear if the board of control were unable to carry out

its role of trustee that the $3.4 million in the account and property would go

to Yale," said Dr John Anderson, director of Connecticut's Agricultural

Experiment Station. The property in this trust alone includes 50 acres of farm

and woodlands in Windsor and a 73-acre research farm in Hamden.

"We learned about [Governor Rowland's proposal] three weeks ago - and had no

idea this was coming," said Dr John Anderson, director of Connecticut's

Agricultural Experiment Station. "For 121 years we have provided trustworthy

information to and performed chemical analysis accurately for the citizens of

Connecticut."

Not only charitable donations will be lost if the governor's plan goes

through. Projects and research at the station wwould halt, and 94 people would

lose their jobs, according to Dr John Anderson, director of Connecticut's

Agricultural Experiment Station.

One example of the many services provided by the experiment station is testing

and identifying of ticks that had attached themselves to humans. "Last year

Newtown Health Department sent us 230 ticks that fed on people in Newtown for

identification and testing for Lyme Disease," said Dr Anderson. "And that

would all end."

The experiment station is also the chief regulatory agency for plant

inspection and permits for commercial nurseries who export nursery stock to

other states and countries. In 1995, the station ran 12,833 tests of crop,

lawn and garden soil for state residents; and answered 25,813 queries related

to plant, insect, soil and water concerns.

The extensive contributions and scientific discoveries made by the station

developed hybrid corn, discovered Vitamin A, developed the first organic

fungicide, established mosquito control programs on Connecticut's shoreline,

discovered the fungus that has prevented the gypsy moth from reaching outbreak

levels, identified sources of PCBs in the Housatonic River, and led the

committee that established the Department of Environmental Protection.

Hearings have been held by the Appropriations and Sub-Appropriations

committees during the past two weeks. The station director suggests people

write their local state senator, state representative, Governor Rowland, or

the chairs of the state Appropriations or Environment committees.

(An AP wire report was used in this story)