2006
Annual Report
UC Statewide IPM Program
HIGHLIGHTS |
From the director
Director
Roush leaves UC IPM
I write this column with a deep sense of regret. After serving
as Director of UC IPM since March 2003, I am leaving UC IPM at the
end of November 2006 to return to Australia as Dean of the University
of Melbourne's Faculty of Land and Food Resources.
I want to thank all of the UC
IPM staff, UC staff more generally, and all of you who have
taken time from your busy days to contact me over the last three
and a half years. I have learned a great deal in my time with UC
IPM, where the staff are extremely professional, and have gone
well above the call of duty to make me feel welcome and to enrich
my life with new perspectives and excellent advice. It has been
a pleasure to lead UC IPM and develop stronger links with government
agencies, environmental groups and agricultural communities to
try to meet new challenges in air and water quality. We have
also forged new relationships for pest management in urban environments
and natural ecosystems. I plan to keep following progress
at UC IPM in the future.
UC IPM Advisor Coordinator Pete
Goodell will serve as interim director until a permanent director
can be recruited.
–Rick Roush
UC IPM looks to the future
In 2006, UC IPM embarked on two significant efforts aimed at improving
the program and moving into the future. ANR's Program Council requested
a program review of UC IPM to examine whether it's been meeting its
mission, in what ways the program could be improved, and how to grow
it.
To get ready for the review, UC IPM engaged an external consulting
firm to help conduct a strategic planning effort and asked stakeholders
throughout ANR and outside the university to determine the program's
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The consultants
independently obtained comments and criticisms from four focus groups
and nearly 40 phone and e-mail interviews, including from within
the University, Cooperative Extension, other government agencies,
environmental groups, and commodity representatives.
Stakeholders strongly supported the past and current efforts of
the UC IPM Program and suggested that the program should move aggressively
to address urban pest management and new trends, continue to respond
to public policy issues such as air and water quality or biodiversity,
and maintain and grow the cadre of IPM practitioners. An assertive
new vision for the UC IPM Program was adopted: “Making ecosystem-based
integrated pest management the way Californians manage pests.” The
process identified a need to establish clear strategic priorities
based on the nature and scope of the pest management need and the
likelihood a solution can be developed and will be adopted. UC
IPM expects to invite stakeholders from agriculture and urban pest
management to help begin the priority setting process early in 2007.
New
Mission of the UC IPM Program
The UC IPM’s mission was derived
from language in the originating legislation. The statement
was revised in 2006 during the course of strategic planning
to reflect changing program priorities.
- Increase utilization of ecologically based integrated
pest management programs
- Provide leadership in IPM including building coalitions
and partnerships that link with communities and public
agencies
- Increase the predictability and effectiveness of pest
management techniques
- Develop science-based pest management programs that are
economically and environmentally sustainable, and socially
appropriate
- Protect human health and reduce pesticide impact on the
environment
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