West Coast Rodent Academy Raises Funds for Research

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. — The West Coast Rodent Academy (WCRA) debuted in Irvine, Calif, Oct. 26-28, at the University of California’s South Coast Research and Extension Center. The Pest Control Operators of California, in association with the University of California Cooperative Extension, Target Specialty Products, and Univar, hosted the three day workshop on urban rodent management.

This unique workshop included lectures by California-based experts, hand-on activities and break-out sessions that were designed to help pest management professionals better understand rodent ecology and integrated pest management (IPM). Topics included rodent-borne diseases, monitoring, trapping, and urban rodent surveys. The Academy provided the attendees with an opportunity to develop and hone their skills in staged, real-life scenarios at the Demonstration Landscapes at the University of California’s South Coast Research and Extension Center. 

“The WCRA program was developed using the curricula from the New York City Rodent Control Academy (NYCRCA) to provide a focused approach to managing urban rodent populations through Integrated Pest Management (IPM),” said Sylvia Kenmuir, BCE, director of technical training, Target Specialty Products. 

“It was wonderful to be part of the development and delivery of the West Coast Rodent Academy. There was such a mix of experience in the classroom and we were all able to learn from each other,” said Dr. Niamh Quinn, Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor, UCCE.