Integrated Pest Management Technical Assistance to Professional
Landscapers, Gardeners, and Schools - the PRISM Grant

Funder: State Water Resources Control Board

Funding Source: Pesticide Research and Identification of

Source and Mitigation (PRISM) Grant - Prop 13, Costa-Macado Water Act of 2000

Funding Level:  $665,260

Program partners: City and County of Santa Barbara with the Green Gardener Program, Phil Boise with Urban Ag Ecology, and Marin and Madera Counties with the Model School IPM Program

Timeline: Work started in October 2004 and will continue through March 2007.

Staff members working on project:  Kyrrha Sevco is the Project Coordinator with the State and manages the Schools IPM Program. Kurt Hurley is the Program Manager for the Green Gardener Program. Sherry Bryan and Molly Ober will also be lending their expertise and skills to ensure success of these programs.

There are several levels of work to be accomplished in this program, from actually duplicating the Green Gardener Trainings in Santa Barbara here in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, to formalizing the curriculum into an "off-the-shelf" format that can be used anywhere in the state.    The Green Gardener program certifies individuals as having successfully completed the training, which addresses alternatives to chemical use, solid waste reduction and composting, sustainable design, etc.  The trainings will focus on pesticide use reduction since that is the funding source priority.  Provided in English and Spanish, these trainings have proven to enhance a landscape professional's marketability, and also helps businesses who employee these folks to attract and retain clients. The program will also target public agency landscapers.  We will partner with another PRISM implementer in Northern California who will be developing a certification program for IPM Professionals to ensure our training is inclusive of their criteria.  A professional market study will be conducted to determine the market, price points and values of green landscaping services in our area.

Target audience(s):  Professional Landscapers, Public Agency Landscapers, Consumers and Public Agency Pollution Prevention Staff 

Desired behavior changes:  Locally we want to see landscapers incorporating water and resource conservation, healthy garden practices and reduced pesticide use practices into their operations.  We want to see consumers aware of and purchasing these Green Gardener services to drive the industry in that direction.

Desired outcomes of program: We are looking for reduced pesticide runoff from non-point sources (our yards, parks, and roadsides).   Other outcomes resulting from this should be water conservation achieved and waste reduction achieved. We are looking for public agencies statewide to take the resources we develop (formalized curriculum and a "how to implement" binder) and implement a consistent program statewide. We will also seek a program partner to continue delivering the training post grant period.

Schools IPM Program

In this program we will expand what worked well in the Marin and Madera Model School IPM Programs and assist schools in adopting IPM as their strategy for managing pests.  Activities include provision of trainings (Green Gardener Program) for maintenance directors, IPM Coordinators and their grounds and custodial staff and facilitation of regional networking meeting of management level district staff. We will be providing the trainings and technical assistance in Madera, Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. In addition, we will do a base line survey before and after this program to establish efficacy. Finally we will be working in depth with six pilot schools in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties to address one pest at their site with IPM. We will be developing an IPM policy at each school site, which will include a site assessment that addresses the physical constraints and issues of each school site. In addition, we will be working with school decision makers to facilitate the prioritization of resource use and assess risk by mapping each school site using the PHAER Zone method developed by Phil Boise, developer of the Green Gardener Program in Santa Barbara.

Target audience(s):  School District Superintendents, district landscape staff, maintenance managers and other administrators

Desired behavior changes:  Adopting IPM and other reduced risk approaches to pest management at schools.

Desired outcomes of program: Reduced risk to kids, teachers and water quality from chemical use in schools, thus reduced pesticide runoff from non-point sources.  Increased communication and participation between these parties about environmental impact of activities and coordination of efforts.

Results:  None yet!  See the Marin Model School program webpage for more information http://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/AG/Main/IPM/schoolipmprogram.cfm or the Madera County final report.

Santa Cruz County Integrated Pest Management Grant  

Overview and Scope of Work:  Retail  store partnership, Community workshops and info  booths, Mainstream media campaign

Target Audience(s): Residential  consumers of pesticide products, employees and  managers of participating stores, the gardening  community

Funder:  County of Santa Cruz, through the California Integrated  Waste Management Board.

Funding Level: Funded  at $160,471

Program Partners:  Origins  in BASMAA, California Integrated Waste Management Board, County  of Santa Cruz HHW, OWOW store partners, and e-waste  community partners

Timeline:  Current project: Implementation began in winter 2003  and will end in April 2005. Past similar projects:  SVSWA funded at $286,642; 16 store partners and  10 agencies in 2002, ended spring 2003

Staff Members Working on Project: Sherry and Kirsten

Desired Behavior Changes: Store  partnership: Direct pesticide consumers away  from buying "Problem Pesticides" and  their pyrethroid replacements by labeling less-toxic  products on store shelves. Community  workshops and info booths:

    1. Introduce  the public to the concept of Integrated  Pest Management (IPM) as a new paradigm for understanding the limitations of chemical pest  control. 

    2. Increase  pubic awareness as to the effects of  pesticides on water quality and human health. Increase use of County HHW and e-waste disposal  facilities

Desired Outcomes of Program:  Santa  Cruz Urban Creeks are cleaner, people are healthier Grant Objectives are met:  (See results)

Results: A  total of 18 IPM events throughout the County  during the 2003 season.  Planning Cabrillo Comprehensive community workshop for June. We  have successfully recruited 14 locations to participate  in the IPM Partnership Program (13 stores and  one City Hall Office) a total of 65 employees during the grant period were trained in less-toxic  pest management. Increase the awareness of the general public as to the hazardous nature of  certain types of common household and garden  products and E-wastes.

Website: We have completed Phase II. Approximately  270 :60 Radio ads and 213 :30 TV ads have been  aired during this reporting period.. We have also  completed the initial phases of editing an additional "Lawns" spot  that will air during the spring of 2004.