On August 16 he will be the keynote speaker at the New Jersey Pest Management Association’s sixtieth annual Clinic and Trade Show.
When addressing pest management professionals, he says, “You should not call the chemicals you use pesticides. The vermin you kill are not just pests, but dangerous to public health.”
Leonard Douglen, executive director of the association, concurs, saying, “Given the wide range of diseases that insect and rodent pests are known to transmit, Dr. Lehr is describing one of the most important functions pest management professionals perform. The other is the eradication of the many wood-destroying insects that cause millions of dollars of structural damage every year.”
“We have used the term ‘pest’ for so long,” said Douglen, “it is part of our perception of the insects and rodents that our members are called upon to exterminate. The objective, however, is the protection of public health and a defense of the structural integrity of homes and all kinds of buildings. Insects and rodents are far more than just pests, they pose a significant threat in many ways.”
“Sixty years ago, the founders of the New Jersey Pest Control Association understood they had to bring together the top entomologists and other scientists to educate our members,” said Douglen. “Today we use the term ‘pest management’ because our mission has expanded beyond just the use of pesticides to include Integrated Pest Management. This requires our members to constantly increase their knowledge of the many different pest species.”
“Our annual Clinic is the oldest such annual educational event for pest management professionals in the nation. The association has pioneered a number of educational programs, often working closely with state agencies, to insure the best quality service and protection possible.”
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection insures that all firms engaged in pest management must be licensed and all technicians must be annually certified to insure they have received continuing education.
This year’s clinic will feature experts such as Dr. Coby Schal of North Carolina State University, Brian Forschler of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Douglas Mampe who will conduct seminars on a variety of common insect pests. Richard Cooper will lead a seminar on the reemergence of bed bugs and measures to deal with them.
Noting the decades of campaigns by environmental groups against insecticides, Dr. Lehr says, “There are 120 tests that every insecticide must pass before being approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency. The public should know this, but does not. Environmental zealots who oppose the use of these beneficial chemicals anywhere for any reason are not putting the public’s best interests first.”
“I would not want to even think about what our homes, hospitals, supermarkets, offices, schools, and other structures would be like without adequate pest management,” says Douglen. “It would only be a matter of a few weeks before they were entirely overrun by insect and rodent pests.” Lehr has published thirteen books and more than four hundred journal articles relating to ground water science. He was the first to receive a Ph.D. in Ground Water Hydrology from the University of Arizona in 1962, following a degree in Geological Engineering from Princeton University. He taught at both the University of Arizona and Ohio State University and served twenty-five years as head of the Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers.
From 1968 through 1982, he assisted the federal government in establishing a safety net of environmental regulations involving surface water, ground water, air pollution and waste disposal, testifying before congressional committees on more than three-dozen occasions. He has spoken before more than a thousand audiences on a wide range of science-related topics.
For more information call 800-524-9942.