News Briefs
February 26th, 2016
IN THIS ISSUE...

Jobs

Interested in a career in mosquito and vector control? Check out the MVCAC Job Board at www.mvcac.org

 

Have a Job or RFP to post to MVCAC.org?  

Requests to post job listings (no more than 500 words in length) should be submitted to the webmaster at kandosca@amgroup.us.

 

Do you have important news to share about your district or mosquito and vector issues?

If you would like your news to be included in the MVCAC News Briefs, please send press releases and/or links to relevant news articles to mvcac@mvcac.org
Mailing Address:
1 Capitol Mall
Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814

MVCAC 2016 Annual Conference

February 28th - March 2nd , 2016
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
1209 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Click here to view the Board Meeting Agenda Packet (updated 2.24.16)

Click here  for the Conference Program

For the full schedule, click here

Note: T here will be a district manager group photo during the convention on Tuesday night right before the reception begins.

Transportation:
  • Click here for the MVCAC Conference SuperShuttle transportation discount code!
  • Parking note:  Day use Self parking at the hotel is discounted for attendees. If you are driving in for the day, please stop by the MVCAC booth so you can get your voucher.
All registrations will be taken onsite, see you in Sacramento!

MVCAC 2016 Legislative Day

April 6th, 2016
Residence Inn Sacramento
1121 15th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Hotel Booking Information:
Start date: 4/5/16
End date: 4/6/16
Last day to book: 3/16/16
Group rate: $129.00 USD per night
 
More information to come, stay tuned!
83rd Volume of the MVCAC Proceedings and Papers Available Now!

The 83rd Volume of the MVCAC Proceedings and Papers is available now for download on MVCAC.org!

Click here to view this (and previous editions) of the MVCAC Proceedings and Papers

Thank you to all of our contributors!
NPDES Notification for 2016
To assist MVCAC NPDES Coalition members in preparing the annual report to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), MVCAC is providing the Sacramento/Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control annual report to be used as a template. Districts need to submit four items to the State Water Board.  Your report does NOT need to be sent to your regional boards.  

The MVCAC NPDES Coalition 2015 annual report will be submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) soon.

Each agency must submit the following:
  1. Cover Letter 
  2. Narrative Annual Report 
  3. Map of all treatments to WOTUS 
  4. Application Log of all applications to WOTUS 
Please submit your annual report to the SWRCB contacts below via email:
Please also bcc Rachel Hickerson: rhickerson@amgroup.us from AMG when you send your package to the SWRCB. 
 
The cover letter should still be addressed to Victoria Whitney. The Vector Control permit annual report is due March 1st

Also, make sure the entire following statement is included in your cover letter and signed by the appropriate person:

Per Attachment B, Section V.B.4 of the General Permit:
"I certify under penalty of law that this document and all attachments were prepared under my direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or persons who manage the system or those persons directly responsible for gathering the information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment for knowing violations." (40 C.F.R. ยง 122.22(d).)


**Please note: you will need to have and/or create a new MVCAC members-only login to access this content.  Please see the instructions included in these News Briefs for more information.
New NPDES permit is up for adoption on March 1st
 
Districts will need to apply for the new NPDES permit. Districts will need to submit a new NOI and PAP along with a check for $241 to the SWRCB. The package should be emailed to Phil Isorena and Ariana Villanueva and a hard copy with the check to Ariana. Do not send before adoption on March 1st.
 

The SWRCB has indicated that the new permit will go into effect on July 1, 2016 and the current permit will continue to cover us until that time. Shanahan has recommended to submit our new application as soon as possible to ensure that no argument about lack of coverage could be made.  However, the SWRCB has assured us that coverage will still be maintained under the current permit.  
 
Please contact your NPDES committee member if you have any questions.  

Below are the links to pdfs of the Sac-Yolo MVCD Notice of Intent (NOI) application for an NPDES permit for 2016-2021 and the accompanying Sac-Yolo MVCD Pesticide Application Plan (PAP).  Your NOI and PAP should be very similar to the one you submitted in 2011.
Listed below are the web site addresses where these forms and directions are found. 
  • Pesticide Application Plan (PAP) elements required: click here
  • Notice of Intent Form to be filled out and directions for filling it out: click here
  • Fee description for permit: click here
Visit our website for more information
AMCA 
Legislative & Regulatory Committee 
CALL TO ACTION

The AMCA is monitoring the NPDES situation very closely.  The current NPDES permits are due to expire in 2016 (depending on your locale) and new versions will soon be published.  These new drafts will need to be scrutinized by the Association and individual states to ensure that they are not more restrictive than the current versions. 

The EPA recently published in the Federal Register (FR) an announcement of its draft 2016 revisions to the 2011 pesticide NPDES general permit (PGP), which expires on October 31, 2016 (docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2015-0499). A link to this announcement can be found by clicking here: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OW-2015-0499

The AMCA Legislative and Regulatory Committee is asking for your help in drafting comments to be made before the March 11, 2016 deadline.  

Please review the draft federal permit linked above and send your comments before March 4, 2016 to Gary Goodman at gwgoodman@fightthebite.net

The AMCA will compile all of the comments into a letter to be submitted to EPA before the March 11th deadline.  

Thank you!
New Members-Only Area on MVCAC.org
Dear MVCAC Member,
 
We have been working behind-the-scenes to try and remedy some issues with our current MVCAC website and the members-only content areas.  Although, the site will be getting an upgraded look and feel in the coming months, we wanted to make sure that members-only content was both easy for members to access and secure.
 
If you visit MVCAC.org and hover over the new login tab, you will see two login option s:
  1. MVCAC Website Login
  2. Member Services Portal
 
The MVCAC Website Login will require you to set up a user ID to access for the first time and will grant you access to all public and member-only content in one place.
To create a login for this area:
  1. Go to mvcac.org
  2. Click the login tab on the homepage menu bar.  This will bring you to the site login page: http://www.mvcac.org/site-login/
  3.  Scroll down to the "New User Registration" section of the page and fill out the requested information
  4. Once you have registered, MVCAC staff will need to verify your membership before granting access.  Please allow 1-2 business days for staff to process your request.
  5. Once your request is approved, the email you provided will be sent a temporary password allowing you to login.
  6. Copy and paste the password provided in that email into the MVCAC Website Login screen with the username you chose.
 
The Member Services Portal is the login area you are used to, this will continue to be used to register for events and pay dues online.  This will no longer be the area to access members-only content.
 
Of course, if you have any questions about the new login process feel free to contact MVCAC staff and we will be happy to assist you.
 
Thank you,
The MVCAC Staff
2016 Sentinel Chicken Order Forms Available Now!
Please click here to download the 2016 Chicken Order Form.  

Chickens are being supplied by Haley Farms in Modesto for Northern California and by Demler Egg Ranch for Southern California.  

The form due dates and chicken pick-up dates are as follows:
Southern: Please return form by April 4, 2016
Southern Region: (Demler)
Pick-up date: May 4th, 2016 (8 a.m.) in San Jacinto
 
Northern: Please return form by March 21, 2016
Northern Region: (Haley's)
Pick-up date:  April 21st, 2016 (time TBD) in Modesto

Please fax, email, or mail order forms to:
MVCAC
1 Capitol Mall, Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814
P: 916-440-0826  F: 916-444-7462
A recent article by MVCAC Member Joseph Wakoli Wekesa that appeared in the Winter issue of the AMCA Wingbeats.

"It was no accident that the first "service request" for relief from mosquito bites in 1904 by the Chair of the San Rafael Improvement Association was delivered to Professor Charles W Woodworth of University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley).  The previous year Woodworth surveyed mosquitoes in the San Rafael salt marsh with his entomology class, which attracted the attention of local residents..."

Read more
MVCAC News Briefs - Zika Updates
Please note: The items contained below are not the views or opinions of MVCAC but they are what is being reported in the media.  The goal of MVCAC providing this information is to keep MVCAC members informed of all news articles that are being presented regarding Zika.
CDC Zika Virus Web Page

CDC Zika Virus Microsite

2/24/16: Zika mosquitoes were under control ... until they weren't - Marketplace

2/24/16: Why Zika-Spreading Mosquitoes Love Feet And Ankles - NPR

2/23/16: The Mosquito That Started Today's Zika Outbreak in Brazil Was Killed Off 50 Years Ago - Vice News

2/23/16: U.S. CDC probing 14 new reports of Zika sexual transmission - Reuters

2/23/16: Much Work Ahead to Understand and Address Zika Virus - CDC Foundation

2/23/16: CDC encourages following guidance to prevent sexual transmission of Zika virus - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2/20/16: Experts respond to concerns about Zika virus at Sacramento event - Sacramento Bee

2/19/16: Dispelling rumours around Zika and microcephaly - World Heath Organization

2/12/16: What you need to know about the Zika virus - UNICEF