News Briefs
September 25, 2015
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
Election of MVCAC Honorary Members and Award for Meritorious Service
Honorary Membership
MVCAC honorary membership is reserved for individuals who have provided exceptional and distinguished service in the field of mosquito or vector control in California. To receive this special recognition, nominees must receive a two-thirds vote of the corporate membership.
Meritorious Service
Meritorious service awards may be conferred on members or nonmembers who have made special and significant contributions to the field of mosquito or vector control in the State of California or elsewhere. To receive this special recognition, nominees must receive a two-thirds vote of the corporate membership.


Ballots are due back to the MVCAC office no later than Friday, October 16, 2015.
Please don't hesitate to contact the office with any questions.
Trustee Council Elections
Ballots, addressed to the President of the Board of Trustees, were sent to agencies within both the Southern California Region and Sacramento Valley Region. 

Theses Council terms begin January, 2016. 

Ballots are due back to the MVCAC office by October 26, 2015.
MVCAC Corporate Member Fiscal Status Reports Reminder
We are still missing some fiscal status reports from MVCAC member districts.  If you have not yet submitted your fiscal status report, please do so ASAP.

Instructions on how to login to your district's portal account are below.  Once this updated fiscal information is received, we will send you your 2015-16 dues invoice.
  1. Login using your district login information.  This is the main login that was provided to managers a couple of months ago, if you need it resent please email us at mvcac@mvcac.org.
  2. Once logged in, please click the link titled: "Create Corporate Members Fiscal Status Report 2015-2016"
  3. Enter the information requested: Total Actual Expenditures, Capital/Fixed Asset Expenditures, Operational Expenditures, and your name.
  4. You will then see a confirmation page, please review the information you entered and then click "Save Changes"
  5. After clicking "Save Changes" you should receive a confirmation email.  A dues invoice will be mailed to you by the MVCAC staff shortly after you submit your information. 
Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions or if you need any assistance logging in to or navigating the portal.  Thank you for supporting MVCAC!

MVCAC Fall Meeting
October 29 and 30 th, 2015
(Trustee session on October 28th in the afternoon)
Embassy Suites San Diego
601 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101

 
Rooms:
Click here to book a room
or call 619-239-2400
Rate $142, this rate is "prevailing federal per diem" and subject to change.
Note: The hotel is filling up quickly so make your reservations today!

Click here to view the meeting schedule

Parking:
$35 reduced valet parking for Fall meeting attendees.

For more information about this meeting, please click here
 
**Please note: This is the first meeting to use the new policy of a first night's deposit taken at time of reservation as well.
Input from your district needed
MVCAC will be creating a brief video that we can present to legislators and other interested parties summarizing California's mosquito activities throughout the year, additionally highlighting activities of both the association and local districts. The goal of this video is to show the significant value MVCAC provides to California and its residents, further demonstrating the need for adequate mosquito research funding going forward.
 
Thanks to those who submitted photos after our initial request last month. We are seeking compelling content from local districts to add to the video to be sure we're capturing a broad range of material to tell a well-rounded story. The following content that has occurred within the last year would be greatly appreciated:
  • Local news headlines/stories regarding increased mosquito activity
  • Photos/videos of local district activities
  • Community events educating the public
  • Legislator visits to local facilities
  • News interviews
If you have any questions or would like to submit content, please contact Jenny Dudikoff at: jdudikoff@ka-pow.com or 916-498-7713. Please have all content submitted by Friday, October 16th.
 
We look forward to sharing this video with all MVCAC members once its complete late this year.

2015 William C. Reeves New Investigator Award Application Open
Applications for the statewide William C. Reeves New Investigator Award will be accepted through  Tuesday, December 1, 2015.

The William C. Reeves New Investigator Award, memorializing Dr. William C. Reeves, who was a renowned University of California entomologist, is sponsored by the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California (MVCAC). The award is presented to the best scientific paper submitted and presented at the annual MVCAC conference.

Please  click here for more information.
84th Annual Conference First Call for Papers & Posters
The Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California (MVCAC) will hold its 84th Annual Conference on February 28-March 2, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. You are invited to submit a paper or poster for presentation at the conference.

This presentation should be related to mosquitoes or other vectors, the disease organisms they transmit, or their surveillance and control. Presentations may be of research results, the development and testing of new methods, equipment or products, education, community outreach and the adaptation or development of new technology relating to vector research, surveillance or control.

If you are interested in presenting a paper or poster, please  click here for more information.

MVCAC 2016 Annual Conference
February 28th - March 2nd , 2016
1209 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
 
Rooms:
  • Single/Double Occupancy- $140 per night
  • Triple Occupancy- $165
  • Quadruple Occupancy- $190
  • Room Rate Cut-off: February 5, 2016

For more information about this meeting, please click here
Mosquitoes in Discovery Bay and Antioch Positive for West Nile Virus 
CONCORD, CALIFORNIA - -  The Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District confirmed today that one group of mosquitoes each from Discovery Bay and Antioch have tested positive for West Nile virus. Fogging for adult mosquitoes is scheduled for Friday morning in Antioch. Fogging in an area east of Discovery Bay took place Wednesday evening.
 
"We ask everyone to take these findings seriously and wear mosquito repellent when outdoors during the hours surrounding dawn and dusk,"  said Deborah Bass, public affairs manager for the District. "It's a simple precaution, but it reduces the risk of getting West Nile virus substantially. It only takes one bite to get the disease from an infected mosquito. "

Read more
Asian tiger mosquito found in San Diego for first time in 14 years
The Asian tiger mosquito was found during routine trapping in Barrio Logan, according to the county Department of Environmental Health . The insects were thought to have been eradicated from San Diego 14 years ago.

Read more
Stanford study highlights threat of tick-borne disease in Bay Area
Better get that cootie shot: Disease-infected beasties are afoot, and they want your blood.

"It's easy to remember: The bloodsuckers come out around Halloween," said Denise Bonilla, Santa Clara County Vector Control District manager.

Bonilla is referring to adult Western blacklegged ticks, those ugly little parasites responsible for transmitting the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and the bacterium that causes tick-borne relapsing fever. On the East Coast, where Lyme disease was first recognized, ticks are a seasonal threat that dissipates when the arachnids hibernate in the winter. But in California, Florida and Texas, where the weather remains comparatively warm, ticks are active year-round. Adult ticks seek hosts from late fall to spring. Immature nymphal ticks, smaller than adults and more likely to carry disease pathogens, abound from spring to mid-summer.

Read more
Palo Alto Library Closes For Bed Bug Infestation
Palo Alto on Wednesday announced it was closing a public library for a couple of days because of a bed bug infestation.

The city's website said that Mitchell Park Library would be closed for "one to two" days after bed bugs were found in two chairs on the first floor. The city has asked a pest control company to treat the area.

Read more
West Nile Virus Dead Bird Testing and Hotline

West Nile virus dead bird testing and the WNV Dead Bird Hotline began on April 15, 2015. 

 

Live calls are being answered (1-877-WNV-BIRD) and online reports are being responded to (www.westnile.ca.gov). 

 

Agencies can bypass the message options by calling the agency line at (510-412-4601). This will connect you to the hotline operators. If you need to enter a dead bird report and obtain a dead bird number, please use the Gateway.