Facility Masters — Training for Educational Facility Professionals

• What do you recommend for storage of bagged snack like cookies animal crackers mice seem to make a buffet out of them?
  • Never store in plastic bags, always store in locking plastic or glass containers.  You can recycle old pickle jars, peppers and other large kitchen supplies for good classroom storage containers.

Hi Roger,

I watched the recent IPM webcast and found it very informative!

I see you have a pretty extensive blog, too. We do IPM here in Nebraska with schools and I have started a blog about our experiences here. I was wondering if you might send out a link to our blog to your listserv or on your website: http://nebraskaschoolipm.blogspot.com  We are trying to get the word out about it to other states and schools doing IPM, and it looks like this would be a good place that would reach the people who serve as IPM coordinators or are heavily involved in IPM in schools.

 Thanks, Erin Bauer, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

• Is there a liquid drain cleaner that can go into the drain to keep it clean?

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  • There are several microbial drain cleaners that are sold through pesticide distributors and custodial cleaning companies.  You want something that is deemed Natural or Microbial – no synthetic products
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        • InVade™ Bio Drain Cleaner
        • Drainbo® Natural Drain Cleaner
        • Drain Gel  by PestWest

• How to get rid of Died Eye Fruit Flies

I’m not sure what a Died or Dead eye fruit fly is but check out this management plan linkhttp://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcfilthflies.htm

  Teachers can save lives through education.  In Texas, school grounds are the number one location for exposure to rabid bats and many teachers have first hand knowledge of this fact.  Make a difference by becoming more knowledgeable yourself and making your “kids” smart about this fatal disease and preventive actions they can take at school and home. 

 Using this poster contest can generate enthusiasm (and some very neat prizes for the winners) while educating them about how to protect themselves, and their pets, from rabies!   Information on rabies can be found at:  http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies/.  Also attached is a DSHS flyer concerning bats and rabies.   

 Contest details (including some of the past winning posters) can be found at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies/information/contest/.  This would be a perfect activity for schools participating in C-Scope as an informational text or procedural text assignment. Poster submission deadline is April 6, 2012.

 Bonny C. Mayes, MA, Rabies Epidemiologist

 Phone:  (512) 776-2888  Email:  bonny.mayes@dshs.state.tx.us

Ernest “Skip” Oertli, DVM, PhD, Director of the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program

Phone:  (512) 776-3306  Email:  ernest.oertli@dshs.state.tx.us

Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control Branch

Web:  http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/health/zoonosis/

Mailing Address:

Texas Department of State Health Services

Zoonosis Control Branch, MC-1956

P.O. Box 149347

Austin, TX 78714-9347

• Would it be smart tio use plastic large containers instead of storing boxes?

YES – always – cardboard is a great source of habor for bugs

• Q: Is each state required to have an IPM in place for K-12 schools?

• A: No, not every state requires this rule. To find out if your state requires IPM, visit this website and check out the section called “School IPM Programs Where You Live and Related Information”:  http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/ipm/#bkmrk8

• Q: What is the best thing to fill holes and cracks in areas that a mouse could use to gain entry to a building?
• A: It will depend on the location, but steel wool, mesh or other hard substances work best.

Hosted by Roger Young, featuring Janet Hurley (Texas AgriLife Extension Service), C.G. Cezeaux and Dave Henderson (Spring ISD, TX)

Watch Now

Awards

EPA understands the important role that public recognition provides for our partners and stakeholders who are advancing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and pesticide risk reduction. We provide public recognition to partners and stakeholders for their extraordinary commitment to IPM performance while simultaneously demonstrating how their accomplishments are collectively making a difference. Our awards also provide an opportunity for IPM stakeholders to showcase their accomplishments as they relate to the goals of the EPA Administrator and Office of Pesticide Programs.

With this in mind, we broadened our awards program in 2011 beyond our historic Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Champion Awards. In 2011, we will confer the first PestWise Awards.  PestWise Awards foster collaborative innovations among PESP stakeholders and highlight innovative IPM solutions to pest management problems. PestWise Awards are comprised of three distinct competitive award categories – IPM Innovator, PESP Shining Star, and Sustained Excellence in IPM. Two awards will be presented in each category.

IPM Innovator

Recognizes a PESP member and a non-member organization’s accomplishments in risk reduction and IPM promotion beyond their own internal operations. The award is based on evidence, from the previous calendar year, of substantial impacts on the following PestWise goals:

• Goal 1 – Increasing public understanding of pests and pesticide risks
• Goal 2 – Promoting reduced-risk practices and IPM adoption
• Goal 3 – Expanding biopesticide use and technology transfer
• Goal 4 – Promoting IPM adoption by implementing the IPM Roadmap
• Goal 5 – Achievements in regulatory transition assistance

PESP Shining Star

Recognizes a PESP Silver member and a PESP Gold member for accomplishments in implementing IPM principles. The award is based on evidence of impacts in risk reduction, education/promotion, and economic benefits of IPM.

Sustained Excellence in IPM

Recognizes a PESP Silver member and a PESP Gold member who have received multiple PESP awards for their continuing commitment to demonstrate the economic benefits associated with IPM, participated in education and outreach activities, reduced risk to human health and the environment through IPM implementation, and promoted environmental stewardship through the adoption of best management practices.

How Do I Apply?

If your organization has been actively engaged in furthering the adoption of IPM, we encourage you to apply for the PESP Shining Star Award http://www.tfaforms.com/208520 or Sustained Excellence in IPM Award http://www.tfaforms.com/208520 and the IPM Innovator Award http://www.tfaforms.com/208526 by August 19, 2011.

An EPA review committee will review the applications. Each applicant’s IPM performance will be evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively using the established evaluation criteria to determine awardees. To ensure the integrity of the awards and the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, EPA will conduct a criminal and environmental compliance screen on all awardees.

Agency Contact

Should you have questions concerning the awards program, please contact Raderrio Wilkins ( 703-308-1259; wilkins.raderrio@epa.gov ) not me – I am just passing on this announcement.
Janet A. Hurley, MPA
Extension Program Specialist II – School IPM
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
17360 Coit Road
Dallas, TX 75252
Phone: 877-747-6872 or 972-952-9213
Fax: 972-952-9632
Email: ja-hurley@tamu.edu
Web: https://schoolipm.tamu.edu
Facebook: http://facebook.com/SchoolIPMTexas
Web for bats: http://agrilife.org/batsinschools/

For more information about school IPM, go to http://schoolipm.tamu.edu