For the second spring in a row, brown-tail months have wreaked havoc upon most of Sagadahoc County and the Brunswick area. They have defoliated thousands of trees, bringing some to the brink of death. They have invaded our yards and our homes. And their toxic hairs have invaded our very bodies, causing rashes and respiratory infections far and wide.

Families have told me about infestations becoming so bad they have had to temporarily leave their homes. More families lamented being unable to spend time in their yards or let their children play outside. And people who make their living outdoors are telling me they’re afraid just doing their jobs will cause them to end up dealing with weeks of painful coughing fits.

This year the brown-tails are back again, and there is little reason to think they won’t return next year and the year after that.

Last fall, after hearing from so many in Topsham who were affected by or worried about this serious public health hazard, I submitted a bill asking the state for resources to helps towns fight off this invasion and help working families who otherwise couldn’t afford to protect their homes.

I was dismayed by the lack of concern state agencies showed to my constituents and the people of this entire region.

At the bill’s public hearing, residents of the affected towns testified that the state should do more to develop and pay for a regional solution.

The state entomologist, a well-trained and capable man who works for the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, testified that this year had brought the worst infestation of brown-tail moths he had ever seen.

Nevertheless, the department had clearly instructed him to oppose the bill without offering any alternative path forward. Normally, in a situation where there is a serious problem that needs addressing, departments are supposed to at least come to the table to try and work out a solution everyone can live with.

That wasn’t the case this time.

All they could offer was that they were monitoring the situation and sending updates to the Maine Center for Disease Control — a struggling and understaffed office in the Department of Health and Human Services, which currently carries its own troubling legacy of questionable effectiveness.

Unfortunately, testimony from executive branch departments tends to carry a lot of weight among lawmakers. And so nearly every single member of the committee voted to defer to the department’s lack of initiative in combating this brown-tail infestation, leaving our communities to fend for themselves.

When you consider that residents of Topsham and surrounding towns have readily paid their fair share to help other parts of the state facing their own crises, this is particularly disappointing.

At this point, it is too late to stop this year’s brown-tail generation from going through their regular life cycle. I intend to continue advocating for assistance and will be resubmitting browntail legislation until we arrive at a solution. In the meantime, I hope you will share your browntail stories with me throughout the spring and summer. You can reach me at 729-4018 and [email protected].

We will only have a small window next spring to take decisive action before the next generation of brown-tail caterpillars hatch. I recommend that you contact the Maine CDC (287-8016) or the Maine Forest Service (287-2791) and let them know you would like them to take more action to help roll back the threat of brown-tail moths before we’re too late again.

Rep. Denise Tepler is serving her second term in the Maine House and represents all of Topsham.