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LEWISTON PUBLIC
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To view IPM program profile
for Lewiston Public Schools, click here. School Department Recognized for Safer Pest Control Efforts Lewiston, ME. – Only a handful of schools nationwide have qualified for this prestigious award. All Maine schools are required by state law to use specific steps--called Integrated Pest Management (IPM)--to manage pests and to address pesticide exposure risks to kids and staff. But Lewiston Schools went a step further, becoming the first school system in Maine to be nationally certified as an IPM-practicing school. The IPM Institute of North America, in partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Maine School Integrated Pest Management Program awarded the state’s second largest school district, serving over 4,600 students in eight schools, the prestigious IPM STAR Certificate. Lewiston Schools met the high standards of the award as determined by a thorough on-site inspection, rigorous review of pest management records and interviews of school and municipal staff conducted by Dr. Thomas Green of the IPM Institute. IPM is widely recognized as the best approach to dealing with pests--including insects, weeds, plant diseases and rodents--with common sense, long-term solutions. Pesticides, if needed at all, are the last resort. Instead, IPM places emphasis on outsmarting pests with prevention, sanitation, maintenance and biologically-based pest control tactics to keep buildings and grounds pest-free and environmentally healthy. “Only a handful of schools nationwide have qualified for this prestigious award, so we are really happy that a Maine school district has received this well-deserved recognition for their environmentally friendly pest management program,” said Kathy Murray, School IPM Coordinator for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. “The Lewiston School Department and the Lewiston Parks and Recreation Department are to be commended for providing a safe and healthy indoor and outdoor environment for teaching and learning.” The award, to be presented at the school board meeting on October 17, is the result of a two-year long team effort. The school department’s IPM team is made up of school administrators, custodians and food service staff, Lewiston Parks and Recreation Department personnel, and responsible contractors. Andre Baillargeon, Head Custodian, coordinates the program for the school district. Megan Bates coordinates the municipal Parks and Recreation Department’s activities with Baillargeon to ensure that kid-friendly lawn and turf care practices are used on school grounds, too. Baillargeon and Bates worked closely with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, Maine Board of Pesticide Control, and University of Maine Cooperative Extension to obtain staff training and guidance as they developed their IPM programs. The project began in 2003 with an initial assessment conducted by Ms. Murray and Don Barry of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The pair came to Lewiston looking for opportunities to make the schools less attractive to pests. Their evaluation produced a number of recommendations that were adopted by the school department with technical assistance and training provided through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region I office in Boston. Most of the changes adopted by the schools were aimed at preventing pests with attention to sanitation and maintenance solutions such as adding window screens to the middle school cafeteria, installing energy-saving and pest-preventing weather stripping on doors and windows and moving dumpsters away from the buildings. Lewiston staff and students picked up where the experts left off, including solving a persistent fly and ant problem around recyclables. These pests attracted by the sweet remains of soft drinks were found in leaky cardboard recycling containers. To address the sanitation problem, the high school shop fabricated attractive, lightweight, high-capacity sheet metal containers. These containers are lined with plastic bags provided by the soft drink distributor, and are washed out regularly. The pest problem was permanently solved–without pesticides. Another successful ongoing effort involves removing sand that accumulates against buildings near parking areas after the winter season. Eliminating this convenient nesting material has meant fewer ant nests and fewer calls to Rick Charest, the Modern Pest Services technician who services the schools. Stinging insects are an ongoing problem during the non-winter seasons. Custodians knock any nests down while they are still small–and must get approval from Baillargeon, before resorting to using an insecticide--a rare occasion. “This program has worked out well for our schools,” says Baillargeon. “We’re saving money. IPM helps us to keep the schools cleaner and in good repair and we know its best for kids health.” #### Editors Contact:
Andre Baillargeon, Head Custodian, Lewiston School Department, 36 Oak St., Lewiston ME 04240, 207 795-4104 x244, Fax 207 795-4177, Email Thomas Green, Ph.D., President, IPM Institute of North America, Madison WI (608)
232-1410, Fax (608) 232-1440, Email |
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