| Northeastern IPM Center |
In the Center May 2002 |
School IPM is now the law in Pennsylvania. A new law effective January 1, 2003, requires Pennsylvania public schools to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) plans and provide notification before pesticide applications. IPM plans will focus on prevention, sanitation, maintenance, and monitoring to reduce reliance on pesticides. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) will assist schools in creating the plans and will maintain a hypersensitivity registry to assist in the notification of students and employees who are especially sensitive to pesticides. The Pennsylvania IPM Program, a collaboration between Penn State and the PDA, houses a web site (paipm.cas.psu.edu) that provides valuable information and resources about IPM for schools.
NE PMC was represented with a poster at the International IPM Conference held in Toronto in March. The event drew visitors from as far as Pakistan and New Zealand. Topics included new technologies, IPM measurement systems, removing barriers to IPM, IPM as a marketing tool, and the future of IPM.
NE PMC’s Fruit Commodity Working Group held its first meeting in March to plan what contributions they will make to fruit IPM in the Northeast. With representatives from all twelve states, the group will document fruit IPM resources available throughout the region, such as fact sheets, production guides, videos, treatment thresholds, and people with IPM expertise. The group also hopes to survey regional stakeholders to determine research, regulatory, and education priorities.
A national integrated pest management (IPM) symposium is planned for April 8-10, 2003, in Indianapolis. The theme will be “Building Alliances for the Future of IPM,” and topics addressed will include biological control, risk assessment, invasive species, the building of alliances, urban IPM (landscapes, schools, homes), international IPM, new technologies, IPM for vertebrate pests, communicating and marketing IPM, and the transition to ecologically based IPM. Details are on the web at http://nautilus.outreach.uiuc.edu/conted/conference.asp?ID=244.
In March, the Northeastern Pest Management Center (NE PMC) held its second annual meeting in Baltimore. The Center’s advisory council, leaders of information network projects and commodity working groups, and the NE PMC leadership and staff shared expertise and discussed the organization’s goals and activities.
The group heard from national pest management center leaders and from the Southern Region PMC. We discussed the progress of information network and commodity working group projects. Decisions were made to establish a listserve that will facilitate better communication among key Center participants, and to increase outreach to professional societies and other groups. The advisory committee also reflected on and assessed the Center’s communication efforts, including the website and newsletters.
The Center’s leadership expressed interest in gathering some key information about readers of this newsletter. This information will help us to determine what kind of content and distribution methods will best serve our readers. With this goal in mind, we ask you to complete the postcard survey on page 4. You may find it easiest to complete the survey online (nepmc.org/inthecenter/may2002/survey.html), or you can fill it out by hand and drop the completed postcard in the U.S. mail. Your feedback is crucial to our efforts, so we appreciate your willingness to spend a few moments to help us understand your needs.
–Jim VanKirk
NE PMC Coordinator
A message from the Coordinator - NE PMC annual meeting, about the survey
Networking in New England - NEPMNet, the New England Pest Management Network
News and updates - PA School IPM law; International IPM Conference in Toronto; Fruit CWG progress
Crop profiles offer a critical snapshot - Everything you always wanted to know about crop profiles
Fourth National IPM Symposium Planned - Indianapolis, next April
Veggie Group Finds Fertile Common Ground - About the Vegetable Commodity Working Group
This newsletter is online at www.northeastipm.org/inthecenter/may2002. For more information on NE PMC, visit our web site (www.northeastipm.org) or contact NE PMCs Coordinator Jim VanKirk (315-787-2378; jrv1@cornell.edu) or Information Specialist Liz Thomas (315-787-2626; egt3@cornell.edu), NE PMC, PO Box 462, Geneva, NY 14456. Publication supported by CSREES, USDA, project number 1952-CU-USDA-9759. Writing and design: Elizabeth Myers.
Printed on recycled paper. 2M ACT 5/02