However, a new and far more sinister environmental threat has begun to unfold in Espanola and, if accounts are accurate, in several other northern Ontario towns as well. At issue is the activity of mysterious, low flying aircraft that appear to be spraying some sort of substance over the town itself.

"We felt this needed to be addressed as a serious public health issue" says Ben McNenly who recently presented a 250-name petition to Espanola Town Council. "We wanted the Town to take a position on this and to insist that the parties involved cease and desist. This stuff is making people sick." In his petition, McNenly suggests that the US Airforce may be operating tanker aircraft over the community on a regular basis and emitting some sort of noxious substance.

"We have many eye-witnesses who have seen large KC135 tankers flying at low altitude and emitting a brownish cloud as they go. Complaints of respiritory problems have increased dramatically, in the wake of these overflights", says McNenly.

As if that were not enough, McNenly points to numerous reports of stange cloud formations that appear shortly after these aircraft have been spraying, leading to speculation that this is some sort of secret cloud-seeding project. McNenly himself snapped a picture of strange brown colored sausage-link clouds that appeared suddenly in a clear blue sky.

This reporter is a licenced pilot, with more than twenty-six years of exposure to military and commercial aviation. I can quickly rule out the mundane explanations:

• Except in a dire emergency, fuel is never dumped over a populated area. (In one case, an aircraft was seen making seven orbits of the town while spraying!)
• Jet fuel turns to a fine mist as soon as it hits the aircraft slipstream. Under certain circumstances it can create a small, short-lived contrail, not easily confused with "spraying".
• When jet fuel mist settles on a surface it leaves a slightly greasy but mostly clear residue. The residue reported here is rust-ochre colored and quite particulate.
• The Canadian Forces does not have or operate any KC135's. The Canadian Forces uses KC130 (Herc) tankers. These two aircraft are not easily confused.
• This reporter has learned that a KC135 from a NATO country (France or Turkey) was operating from Winnipeg this summer. However, the Espanola overflights have been going on since March. I could see this foreign aircrew getting "lost" once. Maybe.
• There is little doubt that these aircraft were in fact USAF and probably based in nearby Michigan. (If you have any info on this, please E-mail me at ). Except for point-to-point trips, all USAF operations over Canadian territory must be cleared in advance with the Canadian DND and External Affairs. A USAF aircrew would have to be out of their minds to conduct unauthorized operations over Canada, especially in such a blatant form. (At least one sighting was verified by a visiting US tourist as a KC135. There are LOTS of Americans here in the summer.) There is therefore NO DOUBT that this activity was conducted with the full knowledge and consent of the Canadian government.
• The overflights ended abruptly when a reporter from the Sudbury Star interviewed a USAF Public Affairs officer. The denial from Lt.Shapiro was unequivocal. Then the flights stopped. (They don't like it when they get caught with their hands in the cookie jar.)

This is the first time, that I know of, that these kinds of overflights have been observed so extensively over Canada. However, the contrails flap (or 'chem-trails' as they have become known) has been building in the US for the last nine months or so.

What's going on? Speculation abounds: From a secret US government plan to mass inoculate the popluation against a terrorist anthrax attack, to secret weather-as-a-weapon exeriments linked to HAARP.

As for McNenly, this reporter found him to be an articulate, well-educated, reasoned individual, not apparently given to 'conspiriacy hysteria'. (He comes across more as your kid's English teacher, or maybe your local pastor.) What ever the truth of the matter, he has put together a well-documented, logical case that should cause any rational citizen to be concered. But he's starting to feel the burden of being something of a maverick on this issue and in a small town...well life is too short for that kind of aggravation. I for one, feel that the citizens of Espanola owe a debt of gratitude to Ben because something was going on. Something was making people sick. And it stopped because of the attention he drew to it. And that's about as civic-minded as you can get.

What ever went on in Espanola, it is still going on elsewhere and we must have answers NOW. And people will be held to account.

This reporter has more work to do on this. Stay tuned.

Southern Ontario UFO Research Group
http://members.home.com/shrews/souforg