04/07/2026 | Blog

Celebrating Impact: Event Highlights from the IPM Achievement Awards

DPR Director Karen Morrison asked keynote panelists about the importance of partnerships in SPM implementation and what gives them hope in the future of SPM in California.

Last month, we welcomed partners and community members to CalEPA headquarters to participate in our 32nd Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Awards. The IPM Achievement Awards recognizes organizations that demonstrate leadership in adopting and promoting safer, more sustainable pest management (SPM) practices across California’s agricultural, urban, and wildland settings.

This year’s event opened with a keynote panel moderated by DPR Director Karen Morrison and highlighted the critical role of collaboration in advancing sustainable pest management statewide. Panelists included:

  • Kamal Bagri, San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures
  • Jonathan Evans, Environmental Health Legal Director at the Center for Biological Diversity
  • Jamie Fanous, Policy and Organizing Director with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.
Left to right: DPR Director Morrison, San Joaquin County Ag. Kamal Bagri, CAFF Director of Policy and Organizing Jamie Fanous, and Center for Biological Diversity’s Environmental Health Legal Director Jonathan Evans.

Together, they discussed the partnerships, resources, and innovative approaches needed to accelerate safer pest management practices across communities and landscapes in California.

Deputy Director of Sustainable Pest Management, Sapna Thottathil, presented this year’s IPM Achievement Awardees with their awards.

Following the keynote panel, Sapna Thottathil, DPR Deputy Director of Sustainable Pest Management, hosted the award ceremony and honored this year’s three award recipients:

  • The CDFA/USDA Medfly Preventative Release Program for preventing the establishment of an invasive species (Mediterranean fruit fly) through safer, more sustainable practices that reduce pesticide use and demonstrate significant economic benefit in California.
  • LakeTech, Inc. for advancing sustainable pest management practices for aquatic ecosystems and maintaining healthy environments for community recreation.
  • Wild Farm Alliance for promoting and facilitating the use of IPM practices that support sustainable agriculture and wildlife through bilingual outreach and collaborative projects.
Left to right: DPR Director Morrison with Wild Farm Alliance’s Jo Ann Baumgartner, CDFA/USDA Medfly Preventative Release Program’s Ian Walters, LakeTech Inc.’s Eli Kersh, and Deputy Director Thottathil.

The event also featured remarks from agency and legislative representatives. Catalina Hayes-Bautista, California Environmental Protection Agency Undersecretary, offered opening remarks. Congratulatory messages and certificates of recognition were provided in person from Assemblymember Tri Ta and representatives from the offices of Senator Christopher Cabaldon and Assemblymember Lori Wilson. Additional legislative certificates of recognition were provided by the offices of the Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, Senator John Laird, and Senator Tony Strickland.

Networking event attendees watch the California Invasive Plant Council’s Dr. Jutta Burger demonstrate Weed-CUT, a DPR-grant funded SPM technology for weed management.

Following the award ceremony, event attendees participated in a networking session featuring this year’s and previous award recipients, partner state agencies, and organizations involved in statewide IPM and SPM efforts. Exhibitors included the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Invasive Plant Council, UC Statewide IPM Program, UC Master Gardener Program, the State Water Resources Control Board, and more. Demonstrations of DPR Grant–funded tools — RodentLog and WeedCUT — showcased practical technology supporting SPM in the field.

Videos from the event and additional information about the IPM Achievement Awards are available on DPR’s YouTube channel.

IPM Achievement Awards Nominations

Nominations for the next award cycle are open through June 30, 2026. To submit a nomination, visit the IPM Achievement Award – Nomination Form.

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