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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01042005 - C101 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: TRANSPORTATION, WATER AND INFRASTRUCTURE �»* Contra COMMITTEE (SUPERVISOR GREENBERG, CHAIR) Costa DATE: DECEMBER '13, 2004 /�,j C0umy SUBJECT: Annual Report of the Integrated Pest Management Task Force SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPT the Annual Report of the Integrated Pest Management(IPM)Task Force(See Exhibit A) and DIRECT the Task Force to report to the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee on the status of the Program in one year, as recommended by the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee. FISCAL IMPACT None directly. The activities of the Task Force are incorporated into the annual budgets of the agencies that participate. Grant funds are sought to implement activities beyond the current resources of these agencies. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS On November 12, 2002, the Board of Supervisors adopted an IPM policy for Contra Costa County and directed the interagency IPM Task Force to report to the Committee in one yearon the status of a program to implement this policy. On January 13, 2004, the Board of Supervisors accepted the 2003 Annual Report of the IPM Task Force and directed the Task Force to report to the Committee on the status of the Program in one year. On December 13, 2004, the Committee reviewed the 2004 Annual Report and recommends that the Board consider accepting it with the Committee's comments. The Committee recommended that the goals for the Task Force in 2005 include seeking grant funding to support the IPM coordinator position. For future grants,the Committee advised staff to consider the condition of the General Fund if matching funds are required, to consider opportunities for coordination with the Clean Water Program, and that a grant application should be circulated to the Supervisors for comment prior to submitting the application to the grantor. The Committee expects the Task Force to report on its progress in one year. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER r ' r e SIGNATURE(S): Supervisor Millie Greenberg (Chair) Super visor Gayle B. Ulikema ACTION OF BOARD OSI APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN _ UNANIMOUS (ABSENT } AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE AYES: NOES: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SHOWN. Contact: Steven Goetz (9251335-1240) ATTESTS ; y, ktl ` ' //d , IAX cc: Community Development Department(CDD) HN SWE TEN; CLERK OF E. Meyer, Agriculture Commissioner THE BOAR OF SUPERVISORS M. Kent, Health Services Department AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR g:\transportation\twi6board orders\2004\imptaskforce.doc �, BY (.( p < ,,.- , DEPUTY EXHIBIT A Contra Costa County Integrated Pest Management Task Force Annual Status Report for 2004 Introduction This is the second annual report of the Contra Costa County Integrated Pest Management(IPM)Task Force. Last year, the annual report provided a detailed description of the history of the Task Force, the goals and objectives spelled out in the County's IPM policy that was adopted in November of 2002, and the activities of the Task Force during the 2003. It also provided a detailed description of the activities of each of the four County Departments that use pesticides. The 2004 annual report describes the activities of the Task Force in 2004, provides an update on the pest management programs of the County Departments, and lists the goals for the Task Force in for 2005. The IPM Task Force met five times in 2004. The activities of the Task Force are organized and presented by the priorities identified for the Task Force in the 2003 annual report. These activities were accomplished within the County's existing administrative structure and financial resources.The IPM coordinator position recommended in the IPM policy was not funded for 2004. Task Force Activities 1) Further refine the job description and cost for the IPM coordinator position identified in the IPM policy and continue to seek grant funding to support the IPM coordinator position. This task was accomplished in a proposal that was developed in 2004 for a United States Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide Stewardship Program grant(attached).This was a highly competitive grant with only one grant being awarded in EPA Region 9, which includes all of California and several other states. Unfortunately, Contra Costa County did not receive the grant. 2) Continue to work with the staff at the 12 pilot county work-sites to educate them about how to implement an IPM control program. At the twelve IPM pilot sites,Department of Agriculture staff and representatives of Orkin made site visits to educate staff and to review pest problems and pest modes of entry at each facility. In some cases large gaps and entry points were found.In other situations shrubs and trees were found to be in contact with the building, providing an avenue for pest entry. These problems were referred to building maintenance at General Services for pruning back trees/shrubs and necessary structural repairs. During these visits,recommendations were also made involving the sanitation ofstaffbreak rooms and the use of least toxic cleansers to eliminate ant trails. 3) Coordinate the pest control efforts at the 12 pilot sites with the County's pest control vendor to implement an IPM program at those sites. Pest control services were put out to bid in 2003. The bid specified an IPM pilot project at 12 sites as well as the intention to move towards an IPM approach at all County buildings. The successful bidder was Acurid/Orkin,and in 2004 the Departments of General Services and Agriculture continued to work with Orkin to implement IPM. Orkin provides regular pest control services at 30 sites. In the first 11 months of 2004, Orkin also provided pest control services to 101 other County buildings. Orkin adopted an IPM orientation on service calls to all County buildings. During scheduled service visits at county offices,Orkin routinely made building maintenance recommendations that helped to reduce the need for pesticide applications. For example, if a pest problem was related to bushes or other plantings that were too close to a building, the technician noted on the work slip that the plantings should be trimmed. These recommendations were forwarded to the General Services Department. In most cases, the recommended IPM measures were accommodated in a building's budget. In addition to changes to grounds maintenance, facilities maintenance staff have installed door sweeps and caulked cracks to limit pest entry into buildings. 4) Continue to educate and distribute IPM information to County employees and the public. Contra Costa County Watershed Program brought a comprehensive IPM Awareness Campaign to all Public Works Department employees through their Division Staff Meetings;a series of Brown Bag Seminars; IPM-based articles for publication in County newsletters; a creation of an IPM Library; and pre-and post-IPM Campaign surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Overall,the results demonstrated that the IPM Awareness Campaign had a positive impact on employees. One hundred and thirty five employees in twelve Divisions of the Public Works Department were inspired, surveyed, educated, and engaged on the understanding of key IPM concepts: the County TPM Policy; identifying actions they can take to integrate IPM concepts into their work and home environments;identifying common office pests and IPM-based approaches to controlling them;and what a watershed is and ways to improve water quality. Major findings from the TPM survey: • Prior to the TPM Campaign, over 22% of employees were not sure or had no answer when asked what they could do to reduce ant problems at work. At the end of the Awareness Campaign, less than 11%were unable, or chose not to answer that question. • Fewer employees view spraying of pesticides as a viable option for controlling ants. At work, 10%of those surveyed reported using sprays to control ants in the pre-survey. On the post survey, this number had dropped to less than 1%. At home, 46% of those surveyed controlled ants with sprays before the Awareness Campaign, and only 20%report doing so upon completion of the program. • The number of employees reporting use of non-or less-toxic control to control ants at work and home increased. • More employees knew about and understood the purpose of the County's new IPM Policy. Prior to the IPM Campaign, 19% of the respondents were not sure why the County had an IPM Policy. Upon completion, only 3%were not sure. The Contra Costa Watershed Program also provided TPM education to Watershed Groups throughout the County: ■ IPM article on ant biology and control reached 3,500 citizens in the Baxter Creek,San Pablo Creek, and Pinole Creek Watersheds. Article on IPM for Mosquitoes was published in the Watching Our Watershed News and sent to 2,600 alumni of the Watershed Projects' educational programs. ■ A one-hour presentation, "Beat Pests the Least-Toxic Way", was given at the El Sobrante Library. ■ 1,400 IPM fact sheets were distributed in West County at Composting Workshops. ■ 2,800 IPM fact sheets were distributed in South County at IPM Workshops. ■ We partnered and provided funding for creation of"The Weed Worker's Handbook-A Guide to Techniques for Removing Bay Area Invasive Plants". Contra Costa County Watershed Program held a free Sustainable Landscape Practices Workshop in January 2004, for landscape maintenance professionals. The practices taught were to benefit the environment,save time,money and improve worker safety. Seventy people came to hear how these practices can help them to maintain the health and appearance of their landscaping through water conservation,mulching,reduction of pesticides,grasscycling,appropriate plant selection,and ways to reduce stormwater runoff. CCTV video taped the Workshop and has aired the Sustainable Landscaping Practices Workshop on television twice. In addition,the University of California Cooperative Extension office in Contra Costa provided basic IPM four hour training for 32 Master Gardener Interns in 2004.Advanced training was offered to an additional 15 volunteers who then gave 27 TPM talks around the county to various audiences in sites ranging from libraries to nurseries. Over 270 homeowners attended the talks. 5) Provide support to County Departments in evaluating and improving IPM programs. Four staff members from the Department of Agriculture attended IM training seminars held in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties during 2004 to stay informed of new developments in IPM techniques.The Public Works Department continues to provide ongoing educational support for its staff, with the goal that their employees will be the best trained in the industry. They provide, at department cost, all of the training necessary to meet or exceed the requirements of the California EPA.They require that all vegetation management personnel obtain and maintain their professional licenses as a condition of employment.Additionally,Contra Costa County Public Works Department is home to a new TPM library. Over 30 books, periodicals, and resource binders are housed in the employees break room at the Public Works Department allowing staff the opportunity to continue educating themselves on a variety of IPM-related topics. Departmental Activities The four county departments that used pesticides in 2004, Agriculture, General Services, Health Services and Public Works,continued the IPM activities they reported on in detail in the 2003 annual report. Some of the highlights from this year were: • The Maintenance Division of Public Works continued their efforts to eradicate populations of Arundo donax (giant bamboo) and Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife) through an intensive campaign of monitoring and control activities. Department staff have been quite successful in controlling Arundo and limiting its spread. They are still learning how to best monitor and control Purple Loosestrife. • As part of the Public 'Works Maintenance Division's permitting requirements, they have developed an Aquatic Pesticide Application Plan(with the assistance of a consultant).This plan helps them to ensure that the appropriate Best Management Practices(BMP's)are used at each site they maintain. • Contra Costa County Public Works Department, Maintenance and General Services, have significantly reduced the amount of pesticide use throughout the County. They reported a significant decrease (3/4 ton) in the use of pesticides throughout their operations. Furthermore, the County has begun to use and track alternative control methods. A 30% increase in IPM Trap Use has been reported for fiscal year 2003/2004. • The Department of Agriculture released a new biological control organism for yellow starthistle (YST) in April, 2004. YST is an invasive noxious weed infesting much of the county's rangeland and open space. The new biological organism, Puccinia 'a�ceae, is a fungus that has shown promise in controlling YST in field trials conducted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.The release site is a habitat restoration and revegetation project site maintained by the East Bay Regional Park District located in the foothills of Mount Diablo. Subsequent monitoring of the site has shown the organism to be active in the area.It is too early to tell what level of control we can expect from this bio-control agent and if it will survive over the winter. The department will continue to monitor the site for the presence of the fungus and assess its potential as a viable alternative to herbicides. Goals for 2005 The IPM Task Force has the following goals for 2005: • Use the Master Gardeners program to respond to pest complaints at County sites and to educate county staff when they have pest complaints. These activities will be provided initially at the 12 pilot sites,but will be expanded as resources allow. • Clarify the process of implementing the IPM program at the 12 pilot sites with the site coordinators, and continue to implement the program. • Continue to work with Orkin to implement the IPM program at the 12 pilot sites. • Improve the methodology to track the costs of implementing the IPM program at the 12 pilot sites. • Renegotiate the IPM contract with Orkin. • Continue to assist county departments in implementing IPM techniques and obtaining training opportunities. • Continue to provide educational opportunities for county staff and the public about IPM. • Continue to seek grant funding for the IPM coordinator position.