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Pest Management Issues in Urban Settings Discussed - March 2003
March 31, 2003
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - Pests and pesticide use in schools and other urban dwellings can result in unhealthy indoor environments, especially among those with asthma. Can these situations be alleviated by the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and if so, what strategies exist for IPM education and implementation? These questions were presented and discussed recently at a meeting of community, agency, non-profit and university members in Philadelphia, PA.
IPM aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe and environmentally compatible.
Hosted by the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Philadelphia, the meeting was initiated and organized by Teresina Bailey, the Community IPM Outreach Coordinator for the Pennsylvania IPM Program. "The purpose of the meeting was to gather together people interested in learning and sharing more on these subjects, inform each other about our school, youth education, health and/or community programs, and identify ways in which we might collaborate in areas of common concern. We are continuously finding local groups whose missions and activities can contribute to this effort," says Bailey.
Participants included people involved in education, policy and outreach from EPA Region III, Clean Air Council, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Delaware Valley EarthForce, PA Department of Agriculture, Pittsburgh Area School District, American Lung Association, Philadelphia Department of Health, Philadelphia Zoo, Cobbs Creek Environmental Center, Holly Garden and Literary Association, the Academy of Natural Sciences and Cooperative Extension youth programmers.
During this introductory meeting, participants shared information about their programs, received updates on regulations and resources on IPM implementation in PA schools, as well as an overview of IPM curriculum and the Academic Standards in Environment and Ecology. In Pennsylvania, two new legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania are encouraging IPM in schools:
1) IPM is now required to be taught K-12 as part of the new PA Academic Standards in Environment and Ecology. This creates an opportunity for combining IPM education and implementation using service-learning models.
2) IPM is now required to manage pests on Pennsylvania school property. This creates opportunities to partner with schools and school students to improve pest management practices in their schools and surrounding community.
Subsequently, participants answered and prioritized responses to the question: "What steps should be taken in the next year to build a community-based approach to IPM awareness in Philadelphia?" Twelve key goals with specific objectives were identified. "We are collaborating with EPA Region IV and Michigan Department of Agriculture to emulate highly successful school and community IPM programs led by Mr. Larry Swain. Hopefully we can work together to implement similar programs here in Philly. This meeting is a good first step towards that goal," says Ed Rajotte, PA IPM Coordinator.
The PA IPM Program is dedicated to partnering with others to overcome obstacles and to promote IPM education and use in both schools and urban communities. For more information on School IPM, go to the PA IPM Program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu. Under the "Schools" link find out more about the School IPM effort in Pennsylvania and links to educational material from across the country. You can also download several publications, including IPM for Pennsylvania Schools, A How-To Manual. In addition, there is an interactive database on the Web site to assist teachers with IPM background information, lesson plans and support materials throughout the U.S.
The Pennsylvania IPM Program is a collaboration between Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting IPM in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, call (814) 865-2839, or visit the program's Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.