EIPD schedules April 25-26 conference

The Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases Strategic Initiative has named its panel of experts and scheduled its first conference for April 25-26, 2012, announced Beth Grafton-Cardwell, the EIPD Strategic Initiative leader. To make efficient use of participants’ time and travel funding, the conference is being held in conjunction with a separate but related UC Davis conference on April 24, in which participants will learn the best ways to educate the general public about the threat of invasive species.

At the April 25-26 Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases Strategic Initiative Conference, ANR participants and speakers will discuss how UC ANR can respond to emerging pest and disease problems by building partnerships, solving problems and informing policy.

The April 24 conference, “Educating Society about the Threat of New Invasive Species to California’s Plant Ecosystems,” is funded by the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Spring Programmatic Initiative. It is open to a wide audience, including biologists, social scientists and communications experts.

UC program teams and workgroups will meet at the EIPD conference to coordinate team efforts and plan activities. To reserve space for these activities, contact Sherry Cooper at slcooper@ucdavis.edu.

The EIPD panel is currently developing the conference agenda and revising the text of the EIPD Strategic Initiative plan. Updates and conference registration information will be posted on the EIPD website.

Members of the EIPD panel are

John Adaska, professor of Clinical Diagnostic Pathology, California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS), Tulare Lab

Kassim Al-Khatib, CE specialist and director of the UC Integrated Pest Management Program, UC Davis

Rick Bostock, professor of plant pathology, UC Davis, and executive director of the National Plant Diagnostic Network

Rich Breitmeyer, director of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, UC Davis

Kent Daane, CE specialist and entomologist, Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley

Glenn Nader, livestock and natural resources farm advisor, Sutter, Yuba and Butte counties

Bob Timm, CE wildlife specialist and director of the Hopland Research and Extension Center, Hopland

Georgios Vidalakis, CE specialist and plant pathologist, UC Riverside, and director of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program

Rob Wilson, weed management farm advisor and director of the Intermountain Research and Extension Center, Tulelake

View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

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