In recognition of long-standing efforts to safely and sustainably manage pests, UC Santa Cruz has earned the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award.
Integrated Pest Management is any approach that uses the least-toxic, effective method to solve pest problems. Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) is a whole-system approach that builds on the decades-long practice of IPM to include the wider consideration of pest management impacts on communities and the environment; impacts of climate change and extreme weather on pest pressures; and availability of economically viable pest management solutions.
“We have a talented and dedicated team in Ground Services that continually looks for safe, sustainable, and creative ways to steward the UC Santa Cruz lands that it manages,” said Ed Reiskin, Vice Chancellor for Finance, Operations and Administration. “It’s an honor to have the state of California recognize our team for this longstanding commitment to sustainability.”
UC Santa Cruz Grounds Services practices an IPM approach that considers the campus’s natural ecosystem when making pest management decisions. The unit must safely and sustainably manage pests within the campus’s urban-wildlife environment. In addition to roughly 10,000 campus residents, the campus is also home to endangered Ohlone tiger beetles, threatened red-legged frogs, mountain lions, bobcats and more. UCSC Grounds Services is responsible for maintaining the 440 acres of developed campus grounds, including landscaped and hardscaped areas, roads, turf and athletic facilities, as well as the 1,500 acres of undeveloped campus property that remains as natural habitat for wildlife.
UCSC Grounds Services developed its IPM Program in 2016 and was the first UC campus to establish a Pest Management Coordinator position specifically tasked with in-house pest exclusion work, which has led to cost savings. Grounds Services staff focus on non-chemical preventative methods, use insecticides and herbicides sparingly, and do not use any rodenticides.
Other award recipients include San Francisco-based Pollinator Partnership and University of California Master Gardeners of Ventura County.
“As we work to foster sustainable pest management (SPM) in California, the leaders and innovators we are recognizing at this year’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Awards provide a model for others looking to increase practical adoption of IPM and SPM,” said DPR Acting Director Daniel Rubin. “Our winners this year have many significant investments in advancing IPM, conducting outreach to train others on safe, effective and sustainable pest management approaches, and are notable leaders in environmental stewardship.”
