MEMBERSHIP CONTEST

Tamara Tibbett-Arendt of American Pest Control Company and Baron MacDonald of Clark Pest Control-Lodi are both tied for the lead in the membership contest. They have both brought in two new members. The contest runs until May 31, 2011. $1,000 will be awarded to the winner and there will be an additional drawing for another $1,000. Click here for contest rules.

RECRUIT RECRUIT RECRUIT

2011 PCOC FUMIGATION BANNER BONANZA CONTEST

Dow AgroSciences will be sponsoring the 2011 Fumigation Banner Contest. The rules are the same as last year and we have provided a link to view the complete set of rules. The contest will run from March 1, 2011 thru May 31, 2011. There will be four winners again this year. Please mail all submissions to:

Electronic submissions may be made at: billgaither@pcoc.org

NPMA/PCOC BED BUG SYMPOSIUMS

The resurgence of bed bugs has created significant concern among anyone responsible for providing housing to the general public. In response, NPMA has partnered with PCOC, the National Apartment Association, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association to deliver a workshop series designed to educate these audiences in effectively responding to the threat of bed bugs. This is a not-to-miss opportunity to interact with potential customers from the hotel and lodging, apartment, property management, and university housing markets.

On May 2, 2011 in San Ramon, May 4 in Orange County and on May 5 in San Diego, PCOC and NPMA will be hosting all-day seminars on bed bugs. Our target audience will be the hotel industry, apartment managers association and property managers and other related associations. These seminars will include presentations on bed bug facts and will include a panel of PCOs to answer questions. At each location will be an exhibit hall where PCOC member companies will be able to sponsor a booth and be available to interact with the seminar participants. More information and registration will be made available in the near future.

NEWS FROM THE STRUCTURAL PEST CONTROL BOARD

On Jan. 20, 2011 the Structural Pest Control Board met and took the following actions:

• TEST HOLES - Discussion was held as to whether making inaccessible areas (test holes) accessible during a WDO inspection (prior to issuing an original inspection report) is permissible under current statute. The staff counsel for the SPCB offered the following opinion. Existing law sets forth a comprehensive scheme devised to protect the consumer that cannot be interpreted as allowing test holes in initial (original) inspections. Existing law addresses both visible and infestations and the possibility of infestations in inaccessible areas. This careful and thoughtful scheme protects consumers and avoids the invasive practice of making test holes. The SPCB is obligated to enforce the laws as written. When questioned regarding enforcement action regarding test holes, Kelli Okuma stated that: Companies making test holes during an original inspection without first making a written report with recommendations for test holes would be subject to cite and fine violations. Companies offering to do test holes for consumers must first make an original report noting the inaccessible areas, make recommendations for the installation of test holes, file a supplemental report and corresponding Notice of Work Completed and Not Completed to comply with current regulations.

• Report Requirements under Section 8516 (b) 10 - At a previous SPCB meeting, board staff was directed to draft language regarding the exclusion of subterranean termites pertaining to the local treatment statement being placed after each recommendation for local treatment in the body of a WDO report. After discussion it was decided to move forward with suggested language.

ENDANGERED SPECIES STIPULATED INJUNCTION MEGA-SUIT

Landmark Lawsuit Filed to Protect Hundreds of Rare Species from Pesticides

Suit Targets EPA's Failure to Safeguard Species Around the
Country in Its Oversight of More than 300 Pesticides

SAN FRANCISCO—The Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network North America today filed the most comprehensive legal action ever brought under the Endangered Species Act to protect imperiled species from pesticides, suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to consult with federal wildlife agencies regarding the impacts of hundreds of pesticides known to be harmful to more than 200 endangered and threatened species.

"For decades, the EPA has turned a blind eye to the disastrous effects pesticides can have on some of America's rarest species," said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the Center. "This lawsuit is intended to force the EPA to follow the law and ensure that harmful chemicals are not sprayed in endangered species habitats."

"Endangered species and biological diversity are strong indicators for the health of the natural-resource base on which we all depend. To the extent that we fail to protect that base we erode the possibility of prosperity for future generations," said Dr. Heather Pilatic, codirector of PAN. "This suit thus presents a real opportunity for American agriculture: By enforcing the law and counting the real costs of pesticide use, we strengthen the case for supporting a transition toward more sustainable pest-control practices like crop rotations and beneficial insect release."

The lawsuit seeks protection for 214 endangered and threatened species throughout the United States, including the Florida panther, California condor, piping plover, black-footed ferret, arroyo toad, Indiana bat, bonytail chub and Alabama sturgeon. Documents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and EPA, as well as peer-reviewed scientific studies, indicate these species are harmed by the pesticides at issue. More than a billion pounds of pesticides are used annually in the United States, and the EPA has registered more than 18,000 different pesticides for use. Extensive scientific studies show widespread and pervasive pesticide contamination in groundwater, drinking water and wildlife habitats throughout the country.

Many EPA-approved pesticides are also linked to cancer and other severe health effects in humans. Some pesticides can act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with natural hormones, damaging reproductive function and offspring, and causing developmental, neurological and immune problems in wildlife and humans. Endocrine-disrupting pesticides cause sexual deformities such as intersex fish (with male and female parts) that cannot reproduce. Scientists believe that pesticides may also play a role in the recent colony collapse disorder, the disappearance of bees that are agriculturally important pollinators.

This is the lawsuit that will extend the Bay Area Stipulated Injunction throughout the whole United States. This lawsuit will affect all active ingredients currently being used in our industry and will cover every endangered species throughout the nation. What the San Francisco Bay Area is now working under (in the Stipulated Injunction) will in time take effect not only throughout the rest of California but also the entire United States. PCOC and NPMA will continue to monitor its progress in the counts and keep our members informed.