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Back to IPM Innovator Award Winners Page
The 2003 IPM Innovators Awards
The 2003 Awardees are:
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California Association of Winegrape Growers,
Sacramento
This voluntary association represents growers who
produce about 60 percent of California's wine grape tonnage. As a national
wine industry leader, CAWG has developed and supported sustainable farming
practices that are environmentally sound, socially responsible, and economically
viable. Recent CAWG activities include an eco-labeling seminar, a sustainable
agriculture conference, and a collaborative workshop on vineyards and wildlife
habitat. CAWG also has played a key role in DPR's California Winegrape Pest
Management Alliance, which focuses on reduced-risk pest management. In October
2002, CAWG introduced the "Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices" in
cooperation with the Wine Institute. This program of best management practices
includes a 490-page workbook to promote social responsibility and environmental
stewardship. It provides a comprehensive guide to help growers conserve
natural resources, protect the environment, and build good working relationships
with neighbors. To promote these goals, CAWG and the Wine Institute have
distributed more than 2,000 workbooks and held more than 60 workshops statewide
in the past year. Media contact: CAWG President Karen Ross, (916) 924-5370.(For
more details, see the Wine Institute award description.)
- Wine Institute, San Francisco
Established in 1934, the Wine Institute represents
more than 650 California wineries and affiliates who produce more than 90
percent of California's wine shipments and 80 percent of all U.S. wine shipments.
The Wine Institute supports sustainable agriculture through a variety of
business alliances. The institute also publishes "Sustainable Winegrowing
Practices -- Highlight of the Month", a semi-monthly newsletter that discusses
IPM techniques. The institute's Web site http://www.wineinstitute.org highlights reports and studies that support sustainable practices. Working
in cooperation with the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG),
the Wine Institute co-produced the "Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices"
and an associated workbook to help members of the industry self-assess their
business practices for sustainability. More than 600 vineyard representatives
and almost 100 winery employees have completed these assessments to date.
The Wine Institute and CAWG also have undertaken a "Performance for Sustainability" project in partnership with the California Environmental Protection Agency.
This model partnership seeks to protect and enhance the environment by supporting
sustainable economic development. Media contact: Director of Communications
Kari Birdseye, (415) 356-7520.
- James Berry Vineyards, Paso Robles
This 71-acre farm, owned and operated by the Pebble
Smith family, offers a notably successful example of low-impact agriculture.
The vineyard has not been tilled in 20 years, reducing the potential for
erosion. No insecticides have been used for the last 18 years. Instead,
Smith maintains 15 acres of surrounding natural habitat for pest predators.
Herbicide use is minimal. The vineyard is a member of the Central Coast
Vineyard Team, which encourages reduced-risk pest management practices.
Smith has hosted a variety of industry meetings and tours to promote non-tillage
and other sustainable techniques, and his vineyard and wines have been the
subject of articles in Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and the Los Angeles
Times. Media contact: Pebble Smith (805) 238-7378.
- Nord Coast Vineyard Services Inc., Napa
A family-owned vineyard management company, Nord
Coast oversees 600 acres in Napa County and 300 acres in the Gilroy-Hollister
area. The firm also does vineyard consulting work with an emphasis on sustainable
production. Only reduced-risk pesticides are applied by Nord Coast, and
Pierce's Disease is managed primarily with non-pesticide options. These
include stream bank restoration projects to reduce pathogens and erosion,
and encourage native plants that harbor natural pest predators. Nord Coast
has received three grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for these
efforts. The firm also installs nesting boxes and perches in vineyards to
attract owls and other raptors that reduce rodent problems. Wildflowers
and cover crops are planted to attract beneficial insects and reduce runoff.
Nord Coast has played a key role in DPR's Winegrape Pest Management Alliance
and undertaken notable IPM outreach and education efforts. These include
programs for Spanish-speaking vineyard workers, as well as growers, pest
control advisers, and the public. In addition to other public education
events, Nord Coast holds an annual Vineyard Open House where neighbors and
other community members learn about Nord Coast's innovative pest management
techniques. Media contact: Jon Kanagy (707) 226-8774.
- City of Palo Alto
Palo Alto's municipal government has used IPM techniques
since the early 1990s. In 2001, the city formed a committee to adopt a citywide
IPM policy. Using that policy, the city halted use of some insecticides
on city property to avoid potential runoff problems. The IPM program reduced
rodent chemical control use by 80 percent; launched specific IPM programs
for weeds, yellowjackets, and mice; and provided extensive IPM training
and assistance for city staff and the public. An annual IPM report posted
online provides public information on when, where, and what pesticides are
used on city property, and ranks those pesticides on toxicity. The report
also assesses the progress of city departments in meeting IPM goals. To
help city residents reduce pesticide use in their own homes and yards, Palo
Alto's Web site www.cityofpaloalto.org/cleanbay/pest.html offers user-friendly IPM suggestions and resources. Residents can also attend
city-sponsored "Bug Buster!" workshops for more help. On another front,
the city provides some funding for the regional "Our Water, Our World" program.
This regional pollution prevention effort focuses on preserving Bay-area
surface waters and distributes IPM information online
www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/cleanbay/pest3.html and through 174 commercial
outlets, including hardware stores and nurseries. Media contact: Environmental
Specialist Julie Weiss (650) 329-2117.
- Riverside Municipal Museum, Riverside
The museum is a department of the City of Riverside.
In 2000, the museum staff adopted an IPM plan to deal with pest management
issues unique to such a facility. In the process, the museum created a model
IPM program for other museums and public agencies. Climate control is used
to reduce humidity and prevent mold and mildew problems. Trapping controls
rodents, and large freezer chests are used to kill insect pests without
damaging museum specimens. The museum staff documents its pest monitoring
and prevention efforts using computer database software. These efforts helped
eliminate the use of pesticides inside the museum, and the museum is now
renovating landscapes to reduce the need for pesticide use outside the building.
As part of an outreach program, the museum has sponsored workshops and created
exhibits on IPM and pest management themes. More than 6,700 museum visitors
received information about these IPM activities in 2002-03. Media contact:
Communications officer Sharon Cooley (909) 826-5997.
- U.C. Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program,
Santa Rosa
The Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program
in Sonoma County provides IPM education and outreach through its Pesticide
Use Reduction Education (PURE) project. Funded by a grant from the City
of Santa Rosa, this group of Master Gardeners provides a basic IPM education
aimed at residential audiences. The PURE project demystifies IPM by making
it more understandable and accessible to the public. For example, the project
developed a system called "BUGS" to convey IPM concepts. (Be sure you know
the problem. Use common sense [tolerating some level of pests]. Get physical
[with traps, water sprays, natural enemies]. Substitute less-toxic products.)
The project has developed notable outreach efforts, including workshops
and a demonstration garden at the Sonoma County Fair. In two years, more
than 50,000 people came in contact with PURE through these efforts. Media
contacts: Paul Vossen (707) 565-2621or Alexandra Devarenne (707) 565-3444.
- Ventura Unified School District,
Ventura
Since 1999, the district has operated an IPM program
that has reduced herbicide use by 90 percent. Indoor pesticides are restricted
to pastes, gels, and baits. With a student population of about 17,500, and
28 sites that occupy 326 acres, the district has adopted some innovative
techniques to reduce the use of pesticides, and save money on pest management.
For example, teachers and district staff control ants by eliminating their
trails, using plastic spray bottles filled with a soapy solution. A hot
water device used on weeds controls them as effectively as a popular herbicide.
Owl nesting boxes have been installed on school property to attract predators
against rats, mice, and gophers. And a "zone management system" was developed
to identify areas where weed control is needed, and where alternate controls
can be used. In addition to educating its own employees on IPM, the district
has encouraged IPM adoption through seminars and news articles. Media contact:
Operations Manager Jorge Gutierrez (805) 289-7981 x1010.
If you would like to find out more about IPM, our IPM Innovators, or the IPM Innovators Program, you can contact:
IPM Innovators Program
c/o Bob Elliott
Department of Pesticide Regulation
Pest Management & Licensing Branch
P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento, CA 95812-4015
916/324-4100
E-mail:
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