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Press Release
September 24, 2004
IPM, for Integrated Pest Management, is a new policy and approach at Vancouver Public Schools. A formal IPM policy, drafted by George Bryant, director of facilities management, was officially adopted by the board of education in March of 2002. Bryant drafted the document from existing models by US EPA and others, and with input from staff and community members. The policy clearly states a commitment to preventing and avoiding pest problems with non-chemical methods as the first line of defense.
IPM is a smart approach to pest management that includes learning all about pests and using that information against them. For example, if you spot a mouse, you can be fairly certain there is a mouse nest within 30 feet. “That’s as far as they typically travel from home,” according to Dr. Tom Green, an entomologist who heads up the IPM Institute, a non-profit research and education organization based in Madison, WI.
To correct pest problems, IPMers look for the cause and solve it, rather than relying on temporary fixes such as pesticide applications. “Fixing the crack under the door helps keep the mice out,” says Green. When a pesticide application is needed, the IPM philosophy is to choose the least-toxic approach.
Along with Carrie Foss, plant pathologist and urban IPM coordinator with Washington State University, Green evaluated Vancouver’s program in the spring of 2004 as a candidate for IPM STAR Certification. The IPM STAR program is voluntary, and includes a rigorous evaluation of the school by an IPM professional, a comprehensive set of reports and recommendations, and concerted action by school administrators, staff and contractors to meet a high standard for effective, least-risk pest management. IPM STAR was initiated by the IPM Institute with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Foundation for IPM Education. More than 15 school systems across the country have taken on the challenge in the last nine months.
Bryant relies heavily on John Weber, assistant maintenance crew leader, to implement the program in the district’s 35 schools which serve 21,000 students and employ more than 3200 staff. District facilities include 520 acres of grass, mowed twice weekly by a staff of 7, and 3 football, 2 baseball and 3 soccer fields.
The program is guided by a diverse IPM committee, including Bryant, Weber, science education
coordinator Karen Hall, school nurse Polly Ernst, Cary Armstrong representing public works, and Elizabeth Hall, a parent volunteer. Hall was instrumental in urging IPM as a solution for VPS, and found Bryant very receptive.
“I’ve long had a personal interest in the environment,” relates Bryant, who formerly served as public works director at Fort Lewis. “Working under Paul Stuckey, our environmental director at Fort Lewis, we had to deal with two separate Superfund sites. That was a great learning experience for me.”
The level of thought that has gone into the program is evident in the outstanding documentation and record keeping system developed by the staff. A detailed IPM plan and protocol specifies practices regarding notification and posting, record keeping, and roles and responsibilities for the IPM committee and director of maintenance.
The plan also details when and how pesticides and fertilizers are to be used, and includes a definition of “high hazard” pesticides to be used only when all other methods have failed. The plan specifies procedures for an annual review, which includes quantities of all pesticides used, target pests, non-chemical approaches, a summary evaluation, and a plan for improvements during the coming year.
One of the biggest pest problems for the district is stinging insect nests. Building operators regularly check playground equipment and building exteriors for nests. If removing a nest is possible, Weber calls in Eden Advanced Pest Technologies, VPS’s pest management contractor, to do the job. Pavement ants are also a challenge, occasionally entering buildings or nesting in seams between concrete slabs and building walls. Cleaning out and sealing these seams is a long-term, non-chemical solution.
Weber coordinates training for the building operators, both classroom and “on-the-job” sessions. “Building operators are our eyes and ears,” says Weber. “When a pest-related problem comes up, I encourage them to contact me. We work through the protocol, to assess the problem, and try to identify and address the cause. Not every potential pest sighting, such as ants outside of a school building, calls for action. We’ve worked to get people used to the idea of seeing pests. If they’re not a threat, we don’t do anything.”
Obtaining approval for a pesticide application is not easy. The building operator must file an electronic work order/request for approval. Then Eden staff will come out to visit the problem site along with Weber. Weber and Bryant must be convinced the application is necessary, or it won’t be approved. Bryant acknowledges this process is an intentional hurdle. “If it’s too easy to default to old ways, the changes won’t stick,” he says. “So we make it a little difficult to make sure we use chemicals only as a last resort.”
Non-chemical approaches employed by VPS include selecting native plants when possible. Natives can be less susceptible to pests than imported plants, which have not had the long-term opportunity to evolve survival strategies for Vancouver’s climate and conditions. Kelly Putney, VPS’s half-time landscape architect, takes pest susceptibility into account when specifying material for new or renovated plantings.
Other strategies include placing light poles on hard surfaces, rather than in adjacent turf, to reduce the need for time-consuming weed trimming around the base. Weed trimming is also limited by “planting low-maintenance asphalt or concrete under fence lines, or by raising the fence a couple of inches above the turf to allow mower deck or weed trimmer access underneath.
Weber has extended the environmental and health focus to cleaning products as well, including attending a seminar on “green” cleaning products sponsored by the Washington State Lung Association. As a result, a number of cleaning products have been discontinued, and substituted with less toxic options.
The VPS IPM team doesn’t plan to rest on their laurels. They’ll be revising a facility inspection form that is currently used by building operators to note fire, health and safety issues, to include pest-related items such as dumpster cleanliness and condition.
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