Area IPM Advisor Cheryl Wilen was awarded bronze or third place for her pest and weed identifiers by the international Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences.

Wilen and Community Educator Scott Parker developed the easy-to-use pest wheels to help residents quickly identify pests and weeds they see and distinguish them from the beneficial insects. The wheels include a photo along with a brief description of where the pest is found, its damage, and the least-toxic control options. One pest wheel shows a dozen pests, such as insects, diseases, snails and slugs. The other wheel focuses on common garden weeds. Pest information is in English on one side and Spanish on the other. UC Master Gardeners helped distribute the pest wheels as part of their local programs.