IPM in Schools Coalition

We had a great half day educational IPM in Schools coalition meeting today! In addition to the donuts and pizza, there were a lot of great reasons that people joined us :-)

About 22 people attended, including representatives from OPS and LPS, child care (Lancaster County Health Dept and Dept of Education), pest management professionals, UNL Extension, EPA, and NDA. Presentations included Clyde's introduction to Nebraska IPM projects, including tribal IPM, the revision of the IPM manual, and the completion of the "Conducting IPM in Schools" video. Barb presented about bed bugs and James Pelowski and Spots from K9 Bed Bug Detection did a bed bug sniffing dog demonstration. After the break, I spoke about pests, pesticides and health, including findings in recent studies such as the Ag Health Study and Farm Family Exposure study. Finally, Brad Smith, a PMP in West Des Moines, IA, talked about his experiences working with school facility managers on implementing IPM in their schools.

Following the meeting, we had lunch and networking and got a lot of good feedback and ideas for future meetings. We also spoke with the coalition members involved in child care and are planning to do presentations and projects in that area in coming months.

IPM Process Video filming

On March 22, 23, and 29, we went on location to our LPS school to film a fictionalized version of the IPM in Schools process. The video follows the steps we've taken during visits to our OPS and LPS demonstration schools. Actors from Omaha and Lincoln played all the major roles...UNL Extension, the principal, food service staff, the head custodian, a pest management professional, a teacher, the school nurse, and other school staff.

The story revolves around UNL Extension personnel, including IPM, entomology, turfgrass, and wildlife specialists, who visit a school to help solve their pest problems and implement an IPM program. The video covers the team's interactions with the principal and staff, IPM Coordinator (head custodian), and pest management professional (PMP). It also focuses on the importance of developing good communication between the PMP and the school in order to maintain the IPM program after the demonstration project is over. The characters cover important tools needed for a successful IPM program, including recordkeeping, education, non-toxic or low-toxic pest management methods, and teamwork. It also uses a narrator to guide viewers through the process as it unfolds on screen.

It is our hope to distribute the final video to schools across NE (and maybe even nationwide!). It will serve as another way to publicize IPM in addition to our current demonstration schools, youth programs, and the IPM coalition. The more we can educate NE schools about IPM, the more knowledgeable they will become and the more likely they will be to implement IPM practices. After watching the video, if schools have questions, are interested in learning more about IPM, or want to develop an IPM program in their own facilities, they can contact our Pesticide Education Office for more information on how to get started.

Thanks goes to all of the actors and UNL cameramen who helped with the IPM video! They did a wonderful job and I know it's going to be a great production.

Look for the video to be available through our YouTube page after final editing. Keep an eye on this blog for the latest updates!