Training

The central lesson of urban IPM project implementation over the past decade is that the complex ecological and social context of IPM argues for a sustained effort combining elements of technological development, education, local organization, alliance building and lobbying.

Scientific excellence and adherence to ecological principles provide a strong technical basis for IPM development, and the application of participatory, non-formal adult education methods represent a real advance over models based on information dissemination and the delivery of simple messages. But these in themselves are not enough.

The long-term development of a sustainable IPM program also requires strong leadership and cooperation among user groups and the linkages between these groups and the wider community. The interactions of the people involved in a pest management system are the key to the success or failure of the program. When the respective roles of all the people in the pest management system are identified and agreed upon, and when these people communicate well with each other, effective and less expensive protection of the site and the people can be achieved with fewer risks.

Training is often identified as a major need or bottleneck in IPM projects, but uptake of lessons learned is often rather limited for various reasons. It can be argued that in some contexts, urban IPM requires a generally knowledge-intensive approach.

From this perspective, Santa Clara County's IPM trainings are not an end in themselves, but rather a good starting point for the development of a sustainable awareness among the public agency's user groups and the public at-large, enabling participants to design, implement and manage pest management plans beyond pesticides.

Training all employees on the basics of the County IPM policy, their department's IPM program, specific maintenance standards and IPM strategies will help ensure comprehension and consistency. Implementing the IPM approach from design through daily maintenance will eliminate unnecessary applications of chemicals. In addition, full implementation of a well-understood IPM approach will create a more efficient and safer environment, saving time and money and increasing worker safety.​

Who should undergo IPM training?

All staff associated with the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of open space, parklands, roads, rights-of-way, parking lots, landscaped facilities and other areas where pests may need to be controlled should receive an orientation to the County IPM ordinance, their own department's specific IPM program, and these guidelines.

Department IPM coordinators, management groups, facility managers, procurement managers, policy analysts, public & environmental health managers, occupational safety managers, pest control contractors, gardeners and other ground maintenance workers for vegetation and/or other pest management activities should receive subject matter specific training on:

• An IPM overview, including: identification and life cycles of typical pests, weeds and beneficial insects; determining pest threshold levels for different types of landscapes and facilities; and pest monitoring techniques
• Noxious weed and other public-health pest identification, control, and regulations
• Pesticide laws and safety
• Specific best management practices as appropriate
• Pollution prevention, source control, hazardous material and waste management, green building concepts, eco-systems, watershed conservation, structural and landscape planning, etc
• Budget preparation

To reduce the potential for pesticide pollution from run-off and to conserve water, staff responsible for maintaining and scheduling irrigation systems should receive training on:

• Irrigation system maintenance and irrigation audits
• Scheduling based on evapotranspiration (ET) and seasonal fluctuations
• Backflow prevention​

Agency-wide and subject matter specific training modules

To the extent practical, IPM training should be shared across departments within an organization. This will minimize training costs and maximize outreach. Ideal training will also have on-the-job or field training components. Some subjects of interest are as follows:

• "I am the County IPM Guard" - An Administrative Training for Department IPM Coordinators, Facility Managers, Procurement Managers and Policy Makers
• "My Contribution to The Healthy Environment" - An IPM Awareness Training for Santa Clara County Employees (Sanitation, Housekeeping and Maintenance Awareness training)
• "Sanitation, Maintenance and Housekeeping - Role of Facility Managers and Building Occupants in Preventing Pest Problems" - This training is in a movie format, a collaborative effort of the County IPM Program and Orkin Exterminating Inc. The movie is available in VHS and DVD format, accompanied with "IPM Guidance Manual for the Facility Managers". The training through this media is capable of reaching all 16,000 county employees. We are also planning to disseminate the same to other interested public agencies and the pest control industry.
• "Kindergarten to K-12" - IPM Grass Root Campaign
• "The Bug that does not Bug Anymore" - Bug Safari
• "Rights-of-Way Pesticide Applicator Training" - Santa Clara County IPM Program has adopted this training manual as part of "SCC Annual Rights-of-way Pesticide Applicator Training". For more information please contact [email protected].
• "Meeting the Experts" - Technical Training for Pest Managers, Subject matter specific training for various pest management projects
• "Reducing Risk Through Pesticide Safety and Education" - A training video designed (by UC Pesticide Education Program) for pesticide applicators to minimize self and environmental exposure to pesticides: The Pesticide Education Program strives to educate all pesticide applicators and users across the Santa Clara County about pest management alternatives, including the safe, proper, and legal use of pesticides. The program promotes responsible decision-making, which will protect pesticide users, public health, plant and animal health, and the environment. (The 109-page Reducing Pesticide Risks instructor's manual (PDF 2782K) is designed to be used with this video. Copies of this public-domain video are available from each state pesticide regulatory agency and from Cooperative Extension Service pesticide applicator training coordinators). This training video is currently in use by SCC IPM Program as part of "Annual Pesticide Applicator Safety Education (IPM-PASE)" for pest control license holders, pest control maintenance workers and management staff in Department of Roads & Airport, FAF custodial and grounds staff and Department of Parks & Recreation. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation - Pest Management and Licensing branch has assigned 7 hours of continuing education units (CEU) to SCC IPM-PASE training. The training also meets State-mandated training requirements. For more information please contact [email protected].
• "Regional IPM Conference" and "Regional IPM Resource Manual" - Lack of training is often cited as an obstacle to the wider adoption of IPM methods, where each individual has to understand their role and participates to promote pest prevention and minimize pesticide use. Establishment of a collaborative IPM training program and conference, inclusive of several public agencies, organizations and industry has been a long-term goal of the program. A collaborative approach among participating public agencies in the Bay Area is designed to enable participants to develop and implement pest management plans beyond pesticide applications in their respective jurisdictions and to provide public education and outreach at a broader horizon. Santa Clara County has taken a leadership role in forming the IPM Regional Alliance.
  
  The first ever-Regional IPM Conference was hosted by Santa Clara County held on June 7, 2004 at the 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA. The County IPM program was also successful in compiling and editing the first "Regional IPM Resource Manual". Approximately five hundred (500) copies were developed and distributed to the participants and other interested parties. Bio-Integral Resource Center, a non-profit organization and the co-author of the "Regional IPM Resource Manual", has requested to distribute this version through their IPM publication department. The proceeds will help their organization to further assist in improving and updating the manual as and when needed.
• "Precautionary Principles for Pollution Prevention" - A training module designed for policy makers and executive management, this training module provides an in-depth look on understanding environmental policy development and management, precautionary principles towards environmental stewardship, budget preparation, program/portfolio consolidation, grant and fund management, environmentally preferable purchasing, green building concepts, organic gardening, resource conservation, etc.