GORHAM – Faulting local volunteer work, the state declared last week in a letter its intentions to resume spraying chemicals to kill weeds and bushes along a defunct rail line adjacent to a walking trail used by hundreds of hikers, bicyclists and pets.

In response, a Gorham citizens group battling the bureaucracy to halt the spraying has turned to a celebrity environmentalist for help.

Gorham resident Den Morton, of Friends of Rails to Trails, has sought assistance from Erin Brockovich, the nationally known environmental activist and consumer advocate who was the inspiration for a movie bearing her name.

The local friends group is concerned about health and environmental risks associated with spraying on the scenic walking trail stretching along the former Mountain Division railroad tracks from Gorham and Windham to Standish. And, the group claims the spraying is a waste of taxpayer money.

But a state official, citing the needs for its rail line to be weed free, said Tuesday the risk from spraying is “extremely low” and is a more cost effective control measure that mowing weeds.

Last June, the Department of Transportation said in a statement that it “researches all vegetation control materials and approves only those with the lowest environmental risks, as well as the lowest health risks for applicators.”

The statement said materials scheduled for use on the rail lines in June included glyphosate and sulfometuron methyl and metsulfuron methyl.

“As part of its commitment to environmental and worker protection, the department uses the lowest rates possible for control of vegetation.”

“By using these materials in combination, we are able to reduce rates of application to the lowest possible rate and still get control of vegetation,” said Bob Moosmann, the department’s statewide vegetation manager.

A spokeswoman from the Toxics Action Center in Portland, who spoke publicly at a rally of opponents at the trail in August, said the center opposed the spraying. In a printed copy of the remarks, the center claimed, “According to the EPA, glyphosate can cause kidney damage and reproductive disorders in humans and the American Cancer Society links glyphosate to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.”

In a battle that began in 2010 to halt the spraying, Friends of Rail to Trails has gathered 3,000 signatures along with 50 businesses from Portland to Fryeburg. Last summer, the group, augmented by volunteers from environmental groups, held a protest in Gorham’s Shaw Park, a trail head.

“The main issue to stop spraying is to protect people and environment from toxic chemicals. The herbicide program by the state of Maine is wrong and should stop before more long-term damage is done. The fact it is a waste of money makes it even more ridiculous,” Morton said this week.

Group member Linda Mawhorter of Gorham, who lives a short distance from the trail, said Tuesday officials are not listening to their concerns.

“That makes it especially frustrating,” she said. “It’s very disheartening, they dealt with us in such a dismissive way.”

Morton has met with transportation officials about the matter and has twice requested a Saturday morning meeting with Gov. Paul LePage.

“But, I don’t think I’m going to get it,” Morton said.

The group’s efforts so far haven’t been successful in stopping the state spraying along the trail.

“We haven’t given up, but we’re re-grouping,” Morton said this week.

Last year, the group had a one-year agreement with the Department of Transportation that the state wouldn’t spray, if the 5-mile path was weed free. Volunteers weeded the rail trail, and the group asked for an extension of the agreement with the state.

But, Morton said, he received a letter dated Thursday, Feb. 2, from David Bernhardt, transportation commissioner, saying the state is planning to resume spraying.

“As you are aware, the weeds and brush in the rail corridor were not properly maintained by your group as was agreed to last year. As a result, many of the plants reached seed stage, which will only increase the difficulty of maintaining the plant growth in the corridor. As such the department will continue to maintain the entire Mountain Division rail corridor including the sections containing the trail using our best practices including herbicide spraying,” Bernhardt wrote to Morton on Feb. 2.

But, Morton said, “There were sections of the trail that Windham Public Works and Gorham Recreation Department did a really good job mowing and trimming. We had four or five individuals and groups that did pretty well, but we knew we would never satisfy the DOT.”

Morton doesn’t believe the state had any intention of spraying the trail last year when it issued the no-spray agreement.

“They were playing with us,” Morton said.

Bernhardt said in his letter that the department signed the agreement as a show of good faith.

Moosmann this week defended the spraying. He said Tuesday the state has to maintain its tracks weed free for inspection purposes every two weeks. He also said the Maine Forest Service dictates how the transportation department conducts its business.

“The key here is fire,” Moosmann said.

Morton pointed out that the rail line is abandoned.

“The weeding and trimming are not required by any governing organization and the Federal Rail Administration does not even recognize the MDR as a rail line,” Morton said.

Maine is the largest owner of railroad track in the state, Moosmann said, and tracks have to be maintained whether operational or not.

Morton claims that the state wastes $82,000 a year maintaining the Mountain Division line.

“We’ve got a budget situation in Augusta,” Morton said.

As for spraying costs, Moosmann said, herbicide is the least expensive option and the most environmentally friendly option available, citing burning of fuel in equipment and the expense of it associated with mowing weeds.

Moosmann said typical spraying cost run between $75 and $120 per mile of track, compared to $1,800 to $4,500 per track mile for mowing.

Moosmann said it sprays once every other year, while mowing would be required every six to eight weeks. “Mowing is prohibitive,” Moosmann said.

“There’s nothing to outweigh the risks,” Mawhorter said. “I would say everyone is disappointed. We put so much work in our campaign.”

Morton didn’t have a response from Brockovich by Tuesday.

“I’m going to contact their office again,” he said.

Besides contacting Brockovich, Morton is hoping to convince a Maine legislator to sponsor a bill to prohibit the spraying.

“We are not sure anything will be successful without legislation,” he said.