Raritan Valley Community College
OP-9: Integrated Pest Management

As part of the River-Friendly certification process, in 2010 RVCC developed and adopted a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan covering outdoor pest and weed management, including exterior pesticide and herbicide applications. This plan includes goals to decrease pesticide use and identifying less toxic alternatives. Other components of the plan include: a map of high, medium, and low maintenance areas and associated action thresholds; identification of local pest problems and problem areas; a list of control mechanisms; pest-specific control processes and decision trees; and record keeping sheets.

The goals of RVCC’s IPM program are similar to those of the mandated New Jersey Schools IPM program for public schools, in that the health and safety of the people on our campus are our primary concern. A strong secondary concern is the health of our local eco-system, including the campus and surrounding grounds and waterways. RVCC is acutely aware of the potential negative impact that the use of pesticides and herbicides on campus grounds may have on the local streams and the Raritan River. RVCC is highly motivated to reduce the usage of these chemicals on campus.

This IPM program is intended to reduce the health and environmental risk of our pest management activities by reducing our reliance on potentially-harmful chemicals for outdoor pest control. By moving from a reactionary pest-control process to a holistic process that includes prevention, structural and sanitary improvements, and non-chemical and low-impact treatments, we will reduce the health and environmental risk to both the people and the environment on and around our campus.

Implementation of IPM procedures will determine when to control pests and whether to use physical, mechanical, biological or chemical methods. Applying IPM principles prevents unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

RVCC shall consider the full range of management options, including no action at all. Non-pesticide pest management methods are to be used whenever possible. The choice of using a pesticide shall be based on a review of all other available options and a determination that these options are not effective or not reasonable. When it is determined that a pesticide must be used, low impact pesticides and methods are preferred and shall be considered for use first.

This plan provides details of outdoor pest identification, prevention and control processes to be used in RVCC’s implementation of IPM. It includes:
a. a definition of the IPM Coordinator role
b. an initial inventory of pest problems, problem areas, and current monitoring and control activities;
c. threshold action levels for all anticipated outdoor pests;
d. an outline of nonchemical controls that will be routinely practiced on campus grounds;
e. links to resources that provide details about the use of low-impact controls (rather than non-low-impact pesticides) for identified pests;
f. and sample record sheets for maintaining records of all IPM activity.