COACHELLA VALLEY MOSQUITO AND VECTOR CONTROL DISTRICT

REPORT OF DISTRICT ACTIVITIES

 

MANAGER’S REPORT

 

 

Board of Trustees Meeting

December 11, 2007

 

 

1.                  The solar panels for the new solar array to be installed on the parking structure have been delivered to the District and are ready for installation.  We are awaiting permits from the city for the work to proceed. 

 

2.                  Sadly, we received news of the passing of the person who had accepted the District’s job offering as Senior Biologist.  Condolences were sent to the family.        

 

3.                  The District staff is very active preparing for the upcoming MVCAC conference.  Displays are being made, landscaping is being improved, and arrangements for the Monday evening District Fiesta are being finalized.  Additionally, we are coordinating speaker line-ups for the opening session at the Wyndham, as well as other sessions.  We have received many calls from individuals stating that they are excited about visiting Palm Springs for the conference and our District.   

 

4.                  Seven staff members took the State Certified Technician Exam recently.  Of the seven, three passed all the required exams and two passed one of the required exams.  This exam is offered twice a year and passage is a requirement for many positions at the District.  Training classes and materials are provided to assist the people taking the exam.  Traditionally, we have had very high pass rates.  Some of the people who did not pass the exam were recent hires who had little time to study.  We feel confident that they will do fine the next time they take the exam. 

 

5.                  Four staff members, Diane Glanz, Phil Boeing, David I’Anson, and Rodney Chamberlain are attending the County of Riverside’s Management Excellence Academy.  These classes, which cover the essential aspects of management, meet for 14 days over several months.  These classes are beneficial as they stress the core components that our management team needs to understand.  These techniques will enable them to work together as they continue to provide quality leadership for our District. 

 

6.                  The President’s luncheon is set for Thursday, December 13th at Woodhaven.  Invitations have gone out.  We believe it will be once again an enjoyable year-end event for the staff.

 

 

 

 

DISTRICT FIELD OPERATIONS

 

Urban mosquito control activities continue as a high priority, accounting for 76 % of the surveys and 70% of the treatments conducted during the period.  Monitoring and spot treatments of mosquito breeding from nuisance irrigation water collecting in storm water control structures continues to be a major concern in the urban areas.

 

Duck clubs continue to be fully flooded and mosquito breeding is now beginning to reduce as cooler weather is reducing the need to replace evaporated water.  Surveillance and control activities remain intense, accounting for 748 acres treated (89 % of all acreage treated for the month).  Surveillance and treatments is still requiring the entire technician staff to be involved two to three days a week in controlling breeding at the clubs.

 

Mosquito breeding source reduction and larval control continue to be the Operations Department’s primary mechanism to reduce and eliminate the potential threat of West Nile virus in the Valley.  Whenever virus is detected, an immediate and intensive surveillance and treatment campaign is initiated in and around the detected source  to reduce mosquito populations in an attempt to disrupt the potential for magnification and transmission of disease to other mosquitoes and residents.

 

MOSQUITO CONTROL ACTIVITIES:

 

15

FIELD EVALUATIONS BY SUPERVISORS

5

FIELD SERVICE REQUEST EVALUATIONS

4

OPERATIONAL CREW MEETINGS

2

FIELD SAFETY CHECKS

3

MEETINGS WITH OWNERS/REPRESENTATIVES

4

NEW MOSQUITO BREEDING SOURCES

32

SERVICE REQUESTS FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL

24

STANDING WATER REQUESTS

24

GREEN POOL ADVISORIES/INSPECTIONS

2302

FIELD INSPECTIONS BY TECHNICIANS

834

MOSQUITO TREATMENTS (Larval)

0

URBAN/SUBURBAN ACREAGE ADULTICIDED

0

RURAL ACREAGE FOGGED 0 Ground 0 Aerial.

0

ADULTICIDE NIGHTS            0 Ground   0 Aerial

9

AERIAL TREATMENTS   1 Larvicide 0 Adulticide

4

MAJOR MOSQUITO SOURCE REDUCTION ACTIONS

 

 

 

COMPARATIVE MOSQUITO HABITAT ACREAGE TREATED

 

TREATED THIS MONTH

 ACREAGE TREATED OCTOBER 2007

ACREAGE TREATED OCTOBER, 2006

 

 

 

LARVACIDING       

ADULTICIDING      

        842 Acres

            0 Acres    

220Acres              

0 Acres

 

 

 

FISCAL YEAR TOTALS

LARVACIDING

ADULTICIDING

2007/2008 YTD

2402Acres

15,278 Acres

2006/2007

2,294 Acres

5,075 Acres

2005/2006

2,027 Acres

20,172 Acres

 

 

PERCENTAGES OF MOSQUITO HABITAT ACREAGE TREATED

 

HABITAT

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

 

Acres

%

Acres

%

Acres

%

Salton Sea

0

0

0

0

0

0

Duck Clubs

27

6

468

75

748

89

Residential

37

9

62

10

21

3

Agriculture

357

85

98

15

73

8

Totals

421

100

628

100

842

100

 

 

MOSQUITO INSPECTIONS

 

HABITAT

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

 

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Salton Sea

27

1

20

1

13

1

Duck Clubs

108

3

344

16

299

13

Residential

2441

81

1425

68

1752

76

Agricultural

452

15

322

15

236

10

Totals

3,028

100

2,111

100

2,300

100

 

 

MOSQUITO HABITAT TREATMENTS

 

HABITAT

September  2007

October 2007

November 2007

 

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Salton Sea

4

1

5

1

2

0

Duck Clubs

13

1

134

19

174

21

Residential

667

76

488

68

586

70

Agricultural

197

22

88

12

69

9

Totals

881

100

715

100

831

100

 

Red Imported Fire Ants

The majority of control activities for RIFA continues to be focused in the cities of Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage where infestation continues to be the most extreme.    Operations surveillance and treatments continue to be focused on homeowner associations, common areas and golf courses in country clubs, parks, schools, city greenbelt areas, and responses to service requests.

 

Saturday control activities and surveillance continues to focus on Valley school campuses, country clubs and responses to resident service requests when they are unavailable for contact during the workweek.

 

Cold weather is causing RIFA to forage only during the warmest part of the day, usually between the hours of 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.  During this period, surveillance using baits to determine treatment efficacy of the Choice treatments and the golf courses throughout the Valley are the priority of activities.  Treatments continue (over 2,000 acres during the month), but efficacy assessment of the 16,000 acreage treated during the past nine months is now needed

 

INSPECTIONS, TREATMENTS AND ACREAGE

 

CITY

Inspections

Positive Sites

Treatments

Treated Acreage

Bermuda Dunes

2

37

37

187.17

Cathedral City

3

33

33

263.30

Coachella

0

4

4

2.83

Desert Hot Sprs.

0

1

1

.67

Indian Wells

0

10

10