PPMA OFFICERS
Marty Overlilne
President
Aardvark Pest Management
Phildelphia, PA
Adam Witt
President Elect
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Keith Hamilton
Chairman of the Board
J.C. Ehrlich
State College, PA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Central Division
Gary Lesher
Governor
Perry Pest Control
Landisburg, PA
Leland Manuel
Pest-Rite
Manchester, PA
Keith Jones
Archer Pest Control
Camp Hill, PA
Eastern Division
Bryan Levengood
Governor
Thur-O Pest Mngmt
Elverson, PA
Mike Snyder
Township Pest Control
Warrington
, PA
Rob Byer
Terminix
Mountain Laurel
, NJ
Northeast Division
Jeff King
Governor
The Pest Rangers
Hanover Twp., PA
Paul Kutney
The Pest Rangers
Pleasant Mount, PA
Western Division
Adam Witt
Governor
Witt Pest Management
Pittsburgh, PA
Scott Grill
Bill Grill Exterminating
Verona, PA
John Besic
Besic Pest Control
Transfer, PA
Technical Advisor
Chad Gore
Rentokil North America
Carnegie, PA
Industry Liaison
Brian Smith
Univar
Sharon Hill, PA
Executive Director
Versant Strategies
Harrisburg, PA
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| Featured Article |
| What action, if any, do you want your members to take? Add a "Find out more" link to additional information that you may have hosted on your website. |
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Dear Friends:
The blistery cold of winter has arrived in Harrisburg as the events on the calendar transition to ring in the new year. On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for supporting the Pest Management Association over the last year. It has been a pleasure to work with you!
Versant Strategies has continued to promote PPMA by working alongside President Marty Overline to encourage the selection of PPMA members to serve on the Governor's Invasive Species Council and the Pesticide Advisory Council. This will ensure that the voice of PPMA members is heard by key leaders in state government. More details are soon to come!
If we at the Association's office can ever be of assistance, please feel free to contact us at (800) 842-9090 or [email protected].
Happy New Year!
Team Versant
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Interested in learning more about web marketing? PPMA Allied Member and we marketing gurus Market Hardware will be hosting a second webinar for PPMA members. This one is titled, "5 Lead Magnet Ideas to Supercharge your 2018 Web Marketing Strategy." This hour-long webinar is scheduled solely for members of our association.
When: January 9, 2018 from 3:00-4:00 PM EST
Registration: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5539829250214076419 |
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Invasive Species Council expansion follows Governor's signing of new noxious weed law
Harrisburg, PA
- Recognizing the increasing threat invasive species pose to Pennsylvania's economy and its people, Governor Tom Wolf today announced an additional step to complement recent bipartisan legislation to help battle against bad bugs and out-of-control plants that threaten Pennsylvania's ecosystems, as well as its agriculture and other natural resource industries.
Yesterday, Governor Wolf signed a new executive order expanding the Governor's Invasive Species Council to bring additional expertise and resources to bear in protecting the commonwealth from new species, such as the spotted lanternfly, which has been found in 13 southeastern Pennsylvania counties.
"Invasive species are a growing problem for us in Pennsylvania - just as they are worldwide," said Governor Wolf. "When a new pest or species is introduced into an ecosystem, it disrupts the natural order, posing a threat to native species, established industries, and the quality of life of our residents. Responding to these threats is a shared responsibility of government at all levels, as well as the private sector and the public. This new executive order expands the Invasive Species Council, bringing more stakeholders and resources to the table and ensuring more parties are involved in developing coordinated response and management plans."
Executive order 2017-07, which updates an earlier executive order, expands public membership on the Governor's Invasive Species Council from 10 to 14 members. The expanded council paves the way for adding representatives of county and municipal governments, conservation districts and the transportation sector. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding will continue to serve as the council's chairperson.
The new council will be better able to coordinate resources, develop plans, engage with partners, and implement response strategies to new threats. This is a pressing need because a changing climate and greater level of international trade are opening Pennsylvania to more types of invasive species threats. In addition to the spotted lanternfly, which could impact hundreds of millions of dollars in Pennsylvania agricultural commodities and the quality of life in communities, the commonwealth is facing other threats from species such as hydrilla, an invasive plant affecting the state's lakes; Round Goby, a fish invading rivers, and the Great Lakes; and Palmer Amaranth, an invasive weed affecting row crops.
Governor Wolf's new executive order follows his signing of the Controlled Plants and Noxious Weeds law in October. The new law, Act 46 of 2017, takes effect next Friday, on December 29. It was sponsored by Representative Eddie Day Pashinski and passed both the House and Senate unanimously.
A noxious weed is a plant or part of a plant that could harm crops, livestock, the land or bodies of water, or that has been so designated by the federal government. A committee of 13 members is responsible for designating a weed as noxious in Pennsylvania. The committee includes the heads of six state agencies, the House and Senate agriculture and rural affairs committees, and representatives of a statewide farm organization, the horticulture industry, and academia.
Act 46 repeals the previous noxious weed law in favor of a more proactive approach to control existing and potentially noxious weeds, while maximizing resources to control invasive species and protect Commonwealth lands. At the same time, the new law will allow for the cultivation of some controlled plants that have beneficial characteristics or offer economic value.
"Governor Wolf and his administration are taking the threat of invasive species very seriously because of what it means for this commonwealth," said Secretary Redding. "If these pests and these dangerous plants become established in Pennsylvania, it could be devastating for the people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. It could hurt our tourism industry by making water recreation impossible. And, as we've seen with the spotted lanternfly, it could be an incredible nuisance for families who live in infested areas. We want to be proactive in our response, and these new tools will better enable us to do that."
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Pennsylvania's CHEMSWEEP to Provide 19 Counties with Safe Pesticide Disposal in 2018
"When pesticides outlive their usefulness, they can become a problem," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. "Rather than leaving them sitting in barns and back rooms as threats to human safety and our environment, we provide this service to each of Pennsylvania's counties every four years."
The program is offered in different counties each year. In 2018, it will be available in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Franklin, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Potter, and Washington counties.
More than 2.5 million pounds of unwanted or unusable pesticides have been properly destroyed through the program since it was established in 1993.
Every year, many pesticide products are discontinued, phased out or become unusable, leaving growers, commercial establishments, and professional applicators with potentially dangerous and toxic materials that cannot be placed in landfills. The unwanted pesticides often become a safety hazard and an environmental concern through long-term storage in garages, barns, or other areas.
Licensed pesticide applicators, pesticide dealers and commercial pesticide application businesses from the designated counties are eligible to participate by completing the CHEMSWEEP registration and inventory form that will be mailed directly to eligible applicators, dealers, and businesses. The registration period ends February 28.
An independent contractor hired by the state agriculture department collects and packages all waste pesticides at each participating location, primarily for incineration at facilities approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. CHEMSWEEP covers the disposal cost for the first 2,000 pounds per participant. Above that level, participants are billed at the agriculture department's contracted price.
The program is funded through annual registration fees paid by pesticide manufacturers and applicators.
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It's a Good Thing that Times Have Changed!
The information below was published in 1917, one hundred years ago, by the United States Department of Agriculture in Farmers' Bulletin 851, titled The House Fly:
A very effective fly poison is made by adding 3 teaspoonfuls of the commercial formalin (37% formaldehyde plus water. Ed.) to a pint of milk or water sweetened with a little brown sugar. The United States Public Health Service recommends a 1 per cent solution of sodium salicylate as almost equally effective. This is prepared by dissolving 3 teaspoonfuls of the pure chemical (a powder) in a pint of water, some brown sugar being added to render it more attractive to flies. A conveninet way of exposing these poisons is by partly filling an ordinary drinking glass with the solution. The Bulletin goes on to explain how to place a plate containing a blotter over the glass, then iverting both so that the blotter is slowly soaked with the posin solution which will draw flies.
Much of the Bulletin discusses handling and treatment of horse manure, both on farms and in cities (remember this is 1917). Regulations in the District of Columbia required that city residents keep manure in a pit, bin, or covered barrel and that manure must be removed from the premises at least once or twice a week, depending on the time of year.
The Bulletin goes on to make the optimistic prediction: In cities, with better methods of disposal of garbage and with the lessening of the number of horses and horse stables and consequent upon electric street railways, bicycles, and automobiles, the time may come, and before very long, when window screens may be discarded.
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The New Jersey Pest Management Association invites members of the Pennsylvania Pest Management Association to attend their upcoming events:
Food Handling Event, January 31, 2018
Wildlife Workshop, March 1, 2018
Both events will be held in in Piscataway, NJ. As of publishing, PA Credits are pending, but are expect to be official soon.
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Upcoming Meetings
The
Meetings and Events
section of the website is always the most up-to-date resource for happenings of the Association. Be sure to check it out!
The Eastern Division continues to hold its monthly meetings with varying topics of discussion on the second Thursday of every month at the Crowne Plaze in Trevose. For more information on monthly topics and speakers, contact Sue at (215) 331-1121.
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The information below represents legislative activity (including bill introductions) that has occurred since the last newsletter. For a full listing of legislation that Versant is tracking for PPMA, please contact us at (717) 635-2320 or [email protected]. Activity marked HCO or SCO indicates a co-sponsorship memo which precedes the actual introduction of legislation and is designed to secure the support of other legislators prior to introduction as a bill.
Both the House and Senate convened in December, tackling some hard-hitting issues such as abortion and provisions elminating the ability for public employee unions from collecting political contributions via paychecks deductions. Both chambers are scheduled out until the end of January. Versant Strategies is paying close attention to the following legislation on your behalf:
SB 976 - Ward, Kim (R) - Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in taxation and
finance, further providing for exemptions and special provisions.
The bill was filed and sent to the Senate Finance Committee.
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| 12-14-2017 |
Trump's E.P.A. Chemical Safety Nominee Withdraws
President Trump's nominee to oversee the Environmental Protection Agency's chemical safety division on Wednesday withdrew his name from consideration for the post in the face of mounting opposition. The nominee, Michael L. Dourson, a longtime researcher whose studies often... - New York Times |
| 12-06-2017 |
Raccoons: protected wildlife or vermin?
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge must decide whether raccoons are wild animals worthy of protection under the state's newly revamped cruelty laws or pests and vermin meant to be disposed of. William Killgallon, 68, of Carrick was charged last month with two counts... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
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