NEWS BRIEFS
January 26, 2018
86 th  Annual MVCAC Conference - January 28-30, 2018

Hotel Information
The Monterey Marriott is centrally located in Monterey and attached to the Monterey Convention Center, where our breakout sessions will be held. It is an easy walk to the wharf and about a 1 mile walk to Cannery Row. There is PLENTY to do just blocks from the hotel on Alvarado Street, you will not be disappointed!
 
Registration/Exhibit location and hours
Registration is located inside the Monterey Marriott just outside of the San Carlos Ballroom
Hours:
Sunday January 28th- 1:00-6:30 PM
Monday January 29th 7:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday January 30th- 7:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Please also click here for the link to the conference program
 
5K participants
Please meet by 1:45 PM in the MVCAC registration area of the hotel. We will then walk over to the start line.  The 5K will start in the historical square, take you along the water, around cannery row and back.  We also have some swag at the end!
 
Meals
This year we are only providing 1 lunch on Monday, which is also the dedicated poster display time. We will have a light continental on the AM break and coffee throughout the day for both days of the conference.
 
Speakers
All speakers have been given the information on how to upload their talks and where they can do it while onsite.  If you are a speaker and have not received this information, please let Rachel know.
 
Gold card scanning
Once again we will be scanning gold cards as the main way to track attendance for CE's. Please make sure you have yours with you.
 
DPR Sign in
There will be an area next to the registration desk where the DPR and REHS sign in sheets will be housed. You must sign in in this area to receive these credits as well, the gold card scanning does not work for these two items.
 
Volunteers are still needed!
Please use the link below if you are able to give a little bit of your time during the conference.  Volunteers are the back bone of making this conference work so if you can help out, please do!
We are in need of a couple more people to help with the 5K (very easy, handing out bottled water or directing the runners) and a few reg desk shifts.  Thank you to everyone for your help! Click here
 
Weather in Monterey
Monterey is known to have a light fog layer year round, which can keep the temperatures a little on the cool side. 

We look forward to having everyone in Monterey  in just a few days! 
 
The MVCAC Staff
In This Issue
2018 Sentinel Chicken Order Forms Available Now!

Please  click here  to download the 2018 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 Region: (Demler)
Pick-up date:  February 15, 2018 (8 a.m.) in San Jacinto 
Order form due date: February 5, 2018
1455 N Warren Rd
San Jacinto, CA 92582

Northern Region: (Haley's)
Pick-up date:  April 5, 2018 (7 a.m. - 9 a.m.) in Modesto
Order form due date: March 19, 2018
1030 Ladd Road
Modesto, CA 95355
In case of issue their phone is: (209) 649-4579

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
NPDES Permit Report Submissions
 
Please email individual annual reports for the NPDES permit by March 1st to Garrett Fong ( garrett.fong@waterboards.ca.gov ) and cc Gil Vazquez ( gil.vazquez@waterboards.ca.gov ) and the MVCAC (mvcac@mvcac.org).  

Karen Larsen is the Deputy Director at the SWRCB and she is who the cover letter on your annual report should be addressed to.

The Coalition report should be completed by the end of next week after the draft has been reviewed by the committee.  URS will submit on behalf of the MVCAC and the Coalition.  There were no unusual activity related to NPDES this year so the report should be fairly similar to last year.  
MVCAC Hosts Tour for SWB on Trash Capture Devices
 
Stop 1- Pico Rivera BMPs
Stop 2- Pico Rivera CDS lids in the middle of the street
MVCAC arranged a tour with State Water Board staff and reps from several regional Boards to show the impact of trash capture devices on mosquito control. It was hosted by Truc Dever of Greater L.A. County VCD and coordinated by Jennifer Henke Chair of the MVCAC Regulatory Affairs Committee. They were joined by staff from several other local MVCAC district members. The tour conducted last Friday allowed districts to show Water Board staff how trash capture devices are functioning and areas where the devices are leading to mosquitoes. At the last stop on the tour, many mosquitoes were found, showing how quickly the devices can lead to problems.  

The State Water Board is in the process of decertifying trash capture devices that we have said cause the  potential for mosquito   breeding. MVCAC representatives will also meet with State Water Board staff next week to review progress and   provide further district input on the impact of some of  these  devices  on mosquito breeding and the ability to effectively  provide mosquito control.
     
Stop 5- Dry wells in Food 4 Less alley
MVCAC 2018 Legislative Days

March 6-7, 2018
Capitol Event Center
1020 11th St, Sacramento, CA 95814

Register:
Click here to download the registration form
*Please complete and email or fax back to the MVCAC office no later than Monday, February 26, 2018 to ensure enough time to schedule appointments. MVCAC staff will arrange all appointments with legislators.
 
Schedule:
March 6, 2018: 2:00 PM- Optional Afternoon Training (will start around 2:00 PM) (details below) 
We will again have a special session for attendees to provide training on the purpose and strategy of meeting with your legislators. By providing this training, we seek to increase the comfort level for attendees and possibly provide new insights to those that have attended legislative day in the past. MVCAC advocates and PR experts will explain the do's and don'ts of legislative meetings and an overview of messaging and talking points. This training is optional but highly recommend. The session will be held the day before the Legislative Day at the Capitol Events Center. If you are interested in attending, please check the box next to your name on the registration form (linked above).

March 7, 2018 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., Legislative program, depart for appointments 
(Continental Breakfast served at 8:00 a.m., program starts promptly at 8:30 a.m.) 

Hotel:
Room rate $199/night
Make your reservations:  click here
The group rate room reservation deadline is February 13, 2018.

More information will be posted here as it becomes available.
Free Items

San Joaquin County MVCD has 15 Mobile Demand t7000 Rugged Tablets available for any District that may want them.  
 
Contact: John Fritz, 209-982-4675,   jfritz@sjmosquito.org
Training Grant Program Call for Proposals: Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases

The Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases is excited to announce the first annual call for proposals for our Training Grant Program. This program will provide funding for applied research to enhance the capacity of the southwestern United States to respond to threats from vector-borne diseases that affect human health. 

The program encourages research that involves partnerships between academic researchers and vector control or public health agencies, and details can be found  online.

Please forward this call to anyone who might be interested. Questions regarding the program may be directed to  questions@pacvec.us. The deadline to apply for funding is Feb 21, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. 

Also, for funding announcements and Center news, anyone interested can join the Center mailing list at  http://pacvec.us/index.php/subscribe. 

We look forward to the opportunity to work with you!     
CSDA Professional Development and SDLF Scholarship Opportunities

The Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) has approved $55,000 in scholarships for special districts so far this year - including a new scholarship fund to help districts without a website to create and maintain one. Here's a link to the scholarship applications:   https://www.sdlf.org/scholarships. Most are for districts with annual budgets of less than $8 million.
 
They have also just released the 2018 CSDA Professional Development Catalog:  http://www.csda.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-Pro-Dev-Catalog-web-version.pdf




Following several years of extended drought, San Joaquin County (SJC) experienced extraordinary rainfall in early 2017. Remnant water in rural and urban areas throughout the County, resulted in record numbers of Culex tarsalis, the primary carrier of West Nile virus (WNV). In addition, the areas which were impacted most by the flood waters were located in areas with significant historic WNV activity. Through the efforts of the entire staff of the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District (District), the early abundance of mosquitoes were effectively handled by aggressively decreasing the population before the warmer months began. In turn, we achieved our goal of protecting human health. The following is a brief synopsis of the event.

Submit your district for the next Agency Spotlight

D oes your agency have a success story, a staff member you would like to publicly recognize, or an innovation by your agency that you would like to highlight? "Agency Spotlight" on the MVCAC website is one way to share your story! Each submission which meets the specified criteria will be reviewed and posted on the MVCAC website on the Agency Spotlight page and highlighted on the homepage in the rotating feature box. Each story will remain posted for 1-2 months before being moved to a publicly archived page. 

Interested?  Click here   to fill out an application!

Applications can be submitted to the MVCAC office at mvcac@mvcac.org
District Trustee Information Form

This year's Yearbook Questionnaire did not ask for emails for the Trustees of your district.  The Trustee Council is interested in this information in hopes to get more Trustees involved with the council. Please fill in the  following form  and return to  rhickerson@amgroup.us  or via fax at 916-444-7462.
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.
MVCAC News Briefs - Other Outbreaks
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 other outbreaks.

1/25/18: Can Virus Hunters Stop The Next Pandemic Before it Happens? - Smithsonian.com

1/25/18: Spread of diseases may be linked to mosquito genes - ANI

1/23/18: How Humans Are Laying Out The Welcome Mat For Mosquitoes And The Diseases They Carry - The Huffington Post

1/22/18: New genetic research reveals consequences of pesticide use on mosquito evolution - The Highlander

1/22/18: Mosquitoes flying, biting despite freeze last week - Daily Advertiser
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
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  rhickerson@amgroup.us.
MVCAC Sustaining Member Corner
Note: MVCAC does not endorse the products below, but we do support our Sustaining Members
Central Life Sciences has announced the release of Aqua Zenivex™ E20, a reduced-risk adulticide for mosquito control professionals.