The 1998 IPM Innovators Awards

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The 1998 Awardees are:

Baefsky & Associates, Orinda, established in 1985, provides IPM consulting services to residential, commercial, and urban government clients. The firm has distinguished itself with strong public outreach efforts that communicate reduced-risk practices to urban audiences. Baefsky & Associates promotes environmentally friendly landscaping through monitoring, biological and cultural controls, and use of reduced-risk pesticides such as soaps and oils, if necessary. The consulting firm works on IPM research projects with Contra Costa County and East Bay municipal utility districts. Media contact: Michael Baefsky, (925) 254-7950.

Bay City Flower Company, Half Moon Bay, is one of the country's largest greenhouse operations, producing flowering potted plants for national distribution. In the past 10 years, Bay City has dramatically reduced pesticide use in its greenhouse spaces. Regular company tours highlight IPM techniques for the floriculture industry. Most notable is Bay City's adoption of an IPM scouting program developed by the University of California. Bay City also uses "scouting and counting" practices to find pest "hot spots" before insect populations get out of control. Media contact: Sumiko Higaki, (650) 726-5535.

California Lettuce Research Board (CLRB), headquartered in Salinas, is a state marketing board for lettuce packers and shippers, originally created as the Iceberg Lettuce Advisory Board in 1973. The board has funded more than $8 million in research grants on iceberg lettuce, expanding to include leaf lettuce in 1998. About 60 percent of funds go to lettuce breeding research, emphasizing development of pest- and disease-resistant varieties. Remaining funds support research in areas such as pest management, cultural practices, and post-harvest quality. Working closely with industry, the University of California, and others, CLRB has been a leader in IPM research for lettuce. Media contact: Edward A. Kurtz, (831) 424-3782.

The California Tree Fruit Agreement (CTFA), headquartered in Reedley, represents more than 2,000 growers and 325 packers of fresh market peaches, plums and nectarines statewide. CTFA publishes a quarterly research newsletter, A Closer Look, to provide timely information and alternative IPM strategies for the industry. Through CTFA, the industry funds a comprehensive research program that encompasses post-harvest handling, disease management, cultural practices, and research on reduced-risk pest management alternatives. Since 1978, CTFA's Research Subcommittee has spent more than $1.3 million for IPM. At least 45 projects have contributed to development of reduced-risk pest management practices. Media contact: Jonathan Field, (209) 638-8260.

The City of Santa Monica established an IPM program early in 1996 as part of its Toxics Use Reduction Program for city-owned buildings and parks. The program includes comprehensive pest management training for facility managers and extends to custodians, carpenters, and office workers. Santa Monica sends IPM messages into homes, businesses, and schools via retail store programs, community events, and newsletters mailed to 48,000 city households. The city also uses an innovative contract bidding process to identify pest control companies with superior IPM services. Media contact: Judy Rambeau, (310) 458-8301.

Community of Harbor Bay Isle Owners Association, Inc. (CHBI), Alameda, serves the community's 3,000 property owners. Since 1995, CHBI has incorporated IPM practices into its landscape management plan and shares its information with six companies that provide landscape maintenance for 2,300 single-family homes. The association also sponsors IPM workshops and seminars for residents, and shares IPM news in a bi-monthly publication. CHBI also designed its own oxygen infusion system to control algae growth and surface booms to assist in algae and weed removal in a community saltwater lagoon. Media contact: Thomas Jordan, (510) 865-3363.

Living Resources Company, Citrus Heights, has provided organic landscape maintenance services and wholesale organic fertilizers throughout the Sacramento area since 1977 while promoting urban IPM and reduced-risk pest management. Outreach includes a regular newspaper column, presentations to various groups, educational materials, and a quarterly newsletter, "BUGS Flyer -- The Voice of Ecological Horticulture." Living Resources encourages techniques that reduce or eliminate herbicides in lawn maintenance and landscape care, and experiments with new products and techniques to reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides in urban settings. Media contact: Steven M. Zien, (916) 726-5377.

Robert Mondavi Winery, headquartered in Oakville, helped create the Napa Sustainable Wine Growing Group and the Central Coast Natural Vineyard Team. The winery's reduced-risk practices include forecasting for mildew control using computer software and weather stations; planting cover crops and using composted grape pulp to add organic matter to the soil; replacing pre-emergent herbicides with mechanical cultivation and restricted use of glyphosate; monitoring pesticide use through a database tracking system, allowing for review of pesticide practices and promoting reduced pesticide use; and identifying differences in vineyard performance through the use of global information systems and satellite imaging. Media contact: DeWitt Garlock, (707) 968-2042.

S & J Ranch, Inc., headquartered in Madera, is a major farm management company that grows citrus, almonds, pistachios, and olives in five San Joaquin Valley counties. S & J also operates a commercial citrus and pistachio nursery and a commercial insectary. The ranch began converting from conventional to IPM practices in the late 1980s and now follows an aggressive reduced-risk pest management program. One of the company's most impressive accomplishments is a 70 to 80 percent overall reduction in use of high-impact pesticides. In 1993, the company built a commercial insectary for rearing and releasing beneficial organisms to control scale and mites. S & J Ranch offers tours and its IPM program serves as a model for other growers. It demonstrates how a large farming operation can achieve superior quality while using environmentally sound IPM practices. Media contact: Kevin Olsen or Fritz Helzer, (209) 439-2598.

Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, headquartered in Elk Grove, suppresses mosquitoes and other vectors (disease-carrying organisms) over a 2,013-square-mile area. The district gave more than 100 school presentations last year and regularly participates in public events to promote safe and effective mosquito and vector control. District research projects include a model surveillance program for vector-borne diseases. The district is also conducting field trials for a recently-registered larvicide for mosquito control, native predatory fish, and global information and positioning systems to analyze control measures. The district's IPM approach includes pest surveillance and trapping to identify problem areas; consultation with landowners and resource groups to minimize mosquito problems; management of ponds to produce mosquito fish; and use and promotion of insect growth regulators. Media contact: David Brown, (916) 685-1022.

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