WCRA raises money for UCCE research

The West Coast Rodent Academy (WCRA) held its third academy Nov. 15-17, 2017 at the University of California’s South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, Calif. This three-day workshop on urban rodent management was a joint effort among the Pest Control Operators of California, the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Target Specialty Products, Univar and other sponsors.

Photo: WCRA

WCRA has raised more than $35,000 to date, with all proceeds benefiting the work of UCCE’s Dr. Niamh Quinn, a Human-Wildlife Interactions advisor. Dr. Quinn’s focus is on coordinating educational programming regarding human-wildlife conflicts, particularly within the residential and industrial areas of Southern California, where significant human-wildlife conflicts occur.

The workshop included lectures by leading experts and hands-on activities simulating real-life scenarios at the Demonstration Landscapes at the University of California’s South Coast Research and Extension Center. The academy’s curricula are designed to help pest management professionals (PMPs) better understand rodent ecology and integrated pest management (IPM) practices.

This year’s academy was fortunate to have guest speaker Karlette Sylvain, assistant director of pest control for the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the original NYC Rodent Control Academy coordinator.

“The opportunity to have Ms. Sylvain participate in our academy was impactful for all the attendees,” says Sylvia Kenmuir, BCE, director of technical training at Target Specialty Products. “Both New York City Rodent Control Academy and West Coast Rodent Academy share the goal of providing a highly focused and standardized approach to managing rodent populations through integrated pest management.”

“I highly recommend this academy to all who have an interest in controlling rodents,” says attendee John Brezden, owner and operator of Brezden Pest Control in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “If only I could have attended a seminar like this when I started in the pest control industry back in 1977.”

Tickets to the WCRA sell quickly; this academy sold out within a few days of registration opening. The next WCRA workshop is scheduled for March 13-15, 2018. Professionals interested in attending can inquire about registration by reaching out to rodentacademy@ucanr.edu.