News Briefs | October 13, 2021 |
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Tick Survey for MVCAC Members |
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Paula Macedo, MVCAC's representative on the Lyme Disease Advisory Committee (LDAC) is requesting your participation in a survey to assess member district's tick programs. This survey is on behalf of MVCAC and the results will be presented to the Lyme Disease Advisory Committee (LDAC). The LDAC was established by state statute and a MVCAC representative was added to the committee in 2008. As a member of MVCAC, your answers to this survey are very important and contribute to statewide efforts to reduce the risk of tick-borne disease. Please complete the survey by October 15, 2021.
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89th Volume of the MVCAC Proceedings and Papers Available Now |
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Click the button below to view. |
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Publication of Aedes notoscriptus Article in JME
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Detection and Establishment of Aedes notoscriptus (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes in Southern California, United States
Marco E. Metzger,1,9, J. Wakoli Wekesa,2,3 Susanne Kluh,4 Kenn K. Fujioka,2,5
Robert Saviskas,6 Aaron Arugay,6 Nathan McConnell,7 Kiet Nguyen,8 Laura Krueger,8
Gregory M. Hacker,1, Renjie Hu,1 and Vicki L. Kramer1
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October is CyberSecurity Awareness Month |
The MVCAC Information Technology Committee invites you to take part in Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 this October as we raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity to help ensure that all individuals and organizations have the information and tools they need to be safer and more secure online.
All the information provided will also be available on the IT Committee's resources page on the MVCAC website, at https://www.mvcac.org/resources/it-resources/ (must be logged in to view). We will also publish on that page links to printable posters for your office, prepared emails to send to your staff, and many more resources to help assess and improve on your information security.
If you have any questions about this program, cybersecurity in general, or would like to share a cybersecurity story for something that happened to you or your organization that others can learn from, email Dan Fisher at dfisher@fightthebite.net, and remember, don't click on any links unless you know who sent them!
Week 1 - Securing your Passwords, Use 2 Factor Authentication
- Think of your online accounts the same as your home, car, bike, any possession you don’t want others having access to. Yes, a professional thief (or hacker) can get in other ways, but good passwords keep most people out. What is a good password? A long one! Computer programs can quickly guess short passwords, so use multiple words with caps, and numbers/symbols, but read on for more.
- Do you have a single key that unlocks everything? No, we have different keys for each lock. If your single key was stolen, someone would have access to everything at once! Accounts are the same way - using the same password on accounts means if one is hacked, any other account tied email could be wide open. Treat your passwords the same way, and use a different unique password for each account, website, app, or service online.
- Yes, of course it’s hard to remember all these different passwords, so use a password manager! Password managers are programs like LastPass, Dashlane, 1Password and others can automatically generate unique passwords and fill them in for you. It’s like magic, you never have to know or remember any more passwords! Just make sure to write down your password manager’s master password and use the account backup methods available. With many of the programs, you can set up password manager accounts for your organization and create shared folders so multiple people can access the same resources if needed. And anything is better than nothing - if all you have is Chrome, or your iPhone or Android, use the built in password manager that is available.
- Use 2-Factor Authentication wherever possible, and especially for any financial accounts. This sends a unique code to your phone to make sure it’s you trying to log in, and not a hacker. Even if your password is leaked or guessed, without the 2 factor code, you are still safe. If you get a two factor request you don’t expect, you know your password was compromised and you can safely change it.
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Send dead protected birds to CDFW for study at no cost to you |
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If you pick up a dead raptor and identify it as one of the protected species on our salvage permit, please notify the West Nile virus and dead bird call center (877-WNV-BIRD) or Leslie Foss (Leslie.Foss@cdph.ca.gov); they will connect you with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The most common protected species are peregrine falcons, white-tailed kites, and Swainson’s hawks, but other species of raptors, shorebirds, and songbirds are also listed. CDFW is interested in these species for a full necropsy. Vector control agencies may sample the dead bird for WNV testing prior to shipping at CDFW expense. Please see a list of threatened and endangered bird species at the end of the salvage permit (our MOU which allows dead birds to be collected for the WNV program).
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Fall Meeting
October 26-27, Hilton Costa Mesa
Zoom login info is behind the member login here.
Fall meeting agenda is available behind the member login here.
The Fall Board Meeting Agenda Packet is also available behind the member login.
Register:
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MVCAC Planning Meeting- In PERSON
December 7 and 8
Hyatt House Emeryville/San Francisco Bay Area
5800 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA 94608
(Right next to the Amtrak station)
Reservations need to be made by November 5th
Or call 1-866-974-9288 and give the code G-MVEC to make your reservation.
Agenda is being worked on, Day 1 is typically each committee charges and discussions and is all day
Day 2 is a wrap up and board meeting (if needed) and is done no later than noon.
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MVCAC 2022 Annual Meeting |
February 7-9, 2022: Annual Conference, Sacramento Convention Center
February 10, 2022: Board meeting, Sheraton Hotel
Register:
Hotel Information:
Exhibitor Information:
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MVCAC Monthly Committee Meeting Information |
MVCAC All Hands Call: Third Tuesday of every month at 9am
The MVCAC is now holding monthly statewide Zoom meetings to engage, inform and support our members. Join us on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 9am for an Association update and discussions on topics of importance including legislative and regulatory matters, outreach efforts, committee projects, continuing education updates, and COVID-related activities.
If you have a topic you would like to discuss, please email mvcac@mvcac.org with “Monthly Meeting Topic” in the subject line.
PR Committee: Second Thursday of every month at 2pm
The MVCAC PR Committee is now holding monthly Zoom meetings to exchange information, provide updates on subcommittee progress and to support each other as communications professionals.
Please note: No meeting on October 14. We are instead using our slot at the MVCAC Fall meeting on October 27 at 9:00 a.m.
VVBD Committee: First Tuesday of every month at 8am
Committee members are not required to make every meeting, but are required to check in prior to any meeting they cannot attend.
If you are interested in being on the VVBD email list please email Mir Bear-Johnson (mirbearjohnson@deltavcd.com). The email list is notified of the meetings.
Ad hoc Drone Committee: Second Wednesday of each month at 1pm
Please contact Eric Haas-Stapleton if you would like to be included on email notifications sent by this committee (Eric.Haas@mosquitoes.org).
Laboratory Technologies Committee: Fourth Wednesday of every month from 2pm – 3pm
Please contact Eric Haas-Stapleton if you would like to be included on email notifications sent by this committee (Eric.Haas@mosquitoes.org).
MVCAC New Professionals Virtual Lounge: Second Tuesday once a quarter from 11am – 12pm
This is a networking hour for vector control professionals with less than 5 years of industry experience.
Click here for more information and upcoming topics.
Next meeting topic:
Holiday Lounge
Nov 9 – Gotta catch ‘em all: Arthropods!
- Describe a time when you had a trapping experience that did not turn out how you expected.
- What are some knowledge gaps in trapping or collecting vectors?
- How does your prior experience guide you on where you are now as a new professional?
- Invite Lab Technologies committee.
All meeting zoom login information is behind the member login, please click the button below to access it.
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Share Your Post COVID-19 Exposure Methods With Us |
MVCAC is looking for member districts to share with us their post COVID exposure methods and logistics. Please email the methods you have in place to mvcac@mvcac.org and we will add them to the COVID-19 page on the MVCAC website.
Thank you!
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MVCAC Member Resources Re: COVID-19 |
MVCAC will be assembling and posting some information and templates of what some Districts have created and shared as they manage their operations. Items like sample document for field staff to carry in addition to their ID to validate status/purpose and actions related to seasonal hires. It will be posted as it becomes available to a new members-only page on the MVCAC website.
Click the button below to login and view.
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“The only constant in life is change.”
Whether it’s changing sources, zones, products or even species of mosquitoes, anyone in the world of mosquito control knows this quote very well. And now the Delta Vector Control District has a new change to announce—the District has a new name. Delta Vector Control District is now Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District (District).
According to District Manager Mustapha Debboun, Ph.D., the reason for the change is rooted in increasing constituent understanding.
“I felt the residents of the District did not understand the word, “vector” by itself and didn’t have a clear understanding of our mission until we explain to them that we are providing mosquito surveillance and control services. Adding the word, “mosquito” better reflects and publicizes the primary purposes and goals of the Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District and illustrates that the District’s services and responsibilities include both mosquito and vector surveillance and control activities.”
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Submit your district for the next Agency Spotlight |
Does 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!
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HR resources for districts to use and to upload information into |
District Managers - Please upload your HR resources and information into this Google Drive along with using it for your own district.
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MVCAC News Briefs - Giant Asian Hornets |
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 Giant Asian Hornets.
CSDA Giant Asian Hornets Video:
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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.
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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.
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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
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Interested in a career in mosquito and vector control? Check out the MVCAC Jobs 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 mvcac@mvcac.org.
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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.
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