News Briefs | November 6, 2020
Your Support Needed
Dear MVCAC members,
 
You have likely been on emails regarding the EPA’s Human Health Risk Assessment around naled. I strongly encourage you to review those and to consider writing a comment letter regarding this. Even if you do not use naled at your district currently, the language that the EPA is promoting is likely to be used in other reviews, eventually impacting the products that you do use.
 
A packet of identical letters is unlikely to move mountains. I encourage you to consider writing your own letter. I also know that one of the reasons that you pay dues to MVCAC is for us to advocate on your behalf. So, please consider using the template if it would assist you (the highlighted sections need your attention to be updated around your agency and needs). The questions that AMCA has sent out are also excellent ways to frame your thoughts.
 
MVCAC will be submitting a letter as an association. Still, I urge you to write one for your district or as an individual. The deadline was authorized an extension until November 24. I and your regional members of the Regulatory Affairs Committee would be happy to assist you.
 

Best regards,
 
Jennifer A. Henke, M.S.
Regulatory Affairs Chair
MVCAC Annual Conference Corner
February 1-3, 2021
Happening LIVE online! 
Hello to our MVCAC members!
 
As many have known, we have been working to figure out what our 2021 conference looks like in a season of a Pandemic. January 2021 was so far off when we all started following the COVID protocols that at the very least we always knew we probably would have to offer some piece of the conference virtually...... with the hopes we could still do some of it in person. Now it is October and with no information on when larger scale meetings and events will be allowed to start taking place in California, it was time to make a more concrete decision. We are announcing that our 2021 Conference will now be a fully VIRTUAL conference! Our Monterey partners agreed that an in person conference is probably not available in January and we will be re-booking with them in 2024, when we would return on a normal rotation.
 
We have a lot of work to do in October to get our platform going, along with figuring out how this will look so please be patient. A lot more information will be coming out in the coming weeks..... in the meantime, please do keep submitting your papers especially if you will be able to present from a virtual location.
 
Thank you all for your patience while we navigated these very uncharted waters. We are excited to have some new and fresh ideas incorporated into our virtual conference. STAY TUNED!
Laboratory Technologies Committee Survey

The Laboratory Technologies Committee is trying to get a handle on how many districts in the state are testing ticks, what species are being tested, and what types of assays are being used. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below to help us get a better picture of tick testing across the state. Please complete this short survey by Friday, December 4. Thanks!!
Exhibitors/Sponsors

The MVCAC 2021 Virtual Conference Exhibitor Prospectus is now available - Click here to view
Requesting MVCAC Member Support for Members Impacted by CA Wildfires
Note: This is the last week for fire relief, we will release the funds after. Thank you!
MVCAC Members,
 
We're writing to relay the unfortunate news that some of your fellow members have lost their homes as a result of the current destructive wildfires that are ravaging our state. The bad news is, their homes are total losses. The good news is they and their loved ones are safe.
 
We want to help any of our members who may be severely impacted by the wildfires in any way we can - whether it be through donations of gift cards (cash gift cards (Visa, AMEX, MC types), Bel Air, Raleys, Safeway, Costco, or Amazon, Kohl's, Walmart, Target etc), OR cash/credit card donations can be sent directly to MVCAC who will then disperse them to the members directly. Notes of encouragement will also be relayed.
 
At this time, we are monitoring to see if we have other members who have been adversely affected by any of the California fires and do ask you to let us know if you are aware of others.
 
If you would like to mail in your donations or notes of encouragement please send to:
MVCAC
Attn: Rachel Hickerson Assistant Executive Director
1 Capitol Mall, Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814
 
We have set up online donations through our member portal via the "Donate Online" button below. You are also welcome to call Rachel or Evan at the MVCAC Office with donations over the phone: 916-440-0826. In addition, we have a donation form that can be printed and sent to Rachel or Evan.
 
Thank you to everyone for your support. 
 
Sincerely,
The MVCAC Staff
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!
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.
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!

Applications can be submitted to the MVCAC office at mvcac@mvcac.org
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.

Click here to access the Google Drive.
News Headlines
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: 

 
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.




11/4/2020: Fighting Zika? Call in the T cells - Medical Xpress
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.

 - AlKhaleejToday
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
MVCAC Jobs Board
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.
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.