An important component of the EPA Cooperative Agreement with Michigan State University is to explore new issues related to Pesticide Applicator Certification and Training (C&T) and the revised Worker Protection Standard (WPS). Collaboration Teams (CT) are the structure created to explore new issues in depth. A number of new issues have been identified and Collaboration Teams have been formed, some dating back to the PACT meeting in August of 2018. As other issues arise, new Collaboration Teams have or will form. The focused discussions Wednesday afternoon at PACT will provide an opportunity for attendees to explore issues currently being addressed by Collaboration Teams as well as some new issues that may warrant the formation of a new Collaboration Team. Thursday morning will provide an opportunity for: existing Collaboration Teams to meet to develop a plan of action for the coming year and for team members to discuss issues in depth; and for continuing discussions from Wednesday about the formation of new Collaboration Teams. Wednesday’s Focused Discussions and Thursday’s Collaboration Team meetings are open to all participants interested in the specific topic or issue at hand.

Focused discussion breakout sessions will take place in-person and virtually on Wednesday, July 21st from 1:30 – 3 p.m. During this breakout discussion time focus area leaders will facilitate begin discussion and provide an overview of any prior highlights of key focus areas and project work within each topic area. At the conclusion of the focused discussion breakouts all breakout attendees will reconvene together to allow leaders from each focused discussion group to provide a wrap up. A deeper dive by Collaboration Teams as described above into each of these focused discussions will take place on Thursday, July 22nd from 8:00 a.m. until Noon with breakfast and lunch provided for those choosing to participate in further team discussions. If you are unsure of which focused discussion group may be the right fit for you see descriptions and information about current work highlighted for each team below.

Focused Discussions/Collaboration Team Descriptions

• Pacific Islands – During the Pacific Island Collaboration Team (PICT) session at PACT the team will meet to review their progress, discuss projects in process, new needs, establish priorities, and a plan to move forward in the coming year and the future. The PICT is made up of individuals who have a specific interest pesticide safety education and training in the Pacific Islands. The Pacific Island Collaboration Team (PICT) is a diverse group of representatives made up of regulators, educators, industry, and federal agencies. The was a life long goal of Hawaii Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) coordinator Barry Brennan, which came to fruition with a Needs Assessment workshop in April of 2019 where a group of 29 diverse individuals collaborated to determine educational needs, priorities, and potential cooperative projects.
• Invasive Species – A 2005 study estimated that the economic damages associated with invasive species in the United States reached approximately $120 billion/year (FWS 2012). Invasive species is a cross-cutting issue within a number of other Collaboration Teams (CTs). The Pacific Islands and Caribbean Islands CTs have identified invasive species as a major factor as part of their needs assessment. Invasive species is also a critical issue relative to Pollinations and within IPM. The Invasive Species CT works closely with these other CTs. Discussions at PACT will focus on identifying and prioritizing how best to address invasive species from a pesticide safety education and WPS perspective in support of other CTs and we will also explore an idea for a major initiative with an invasive species focus.
• Respirator – During the Respirator Collaboration Team (RCT) session PACT meeting the team will meet to review their progress, discuss project in process, new needs, establish priorities, and a plan to move forward in the coming year and the future. The RCT is made up of individuals who have a specific interest and expertise regarding respirator use during crop production and pesticide application. Anyone can join the RCT, the goal is to have a diverse representation of perspectives. The RCT was established in the fall of 2017 during a respirator fit test outreach swing through northeast states, and served as a template for future Collaboration Teams, with the overall goal to bring a diverse group of team members with this common interest together to establish priorities for educational needs and a plan to meet those needs and serve as a peer review for materials developed.
• IPM- A national collaboration team to identify and address educational needs and issues where IPM and Pesticide Safety education and outreach overlap. The group focus discussion session will have panelists who will describe activities and accomplishments in their programs. The organizations represented will be 1. IPM in Schools, 2. National IPM Coordinating Committee, 3. the National Stakeholder Team IPM Working Group, 4. USDA Regional IPM Centers, 5. the IPM Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Website program, and possibly, 6. The National Association of Landscape Professionals.
• Pollinators – The purpose of the Pollinator Collaboration team is to amplify existing pollinator messages and provide support services in working with PSEPs and others in the industry
. Our mission is to educate and inspire today’s youth to ensure future generations have the passion to protect pollinators in the future.
• Caribbean Islands – This team brings together stakeholder from the United States Territories – US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Together team has assessed needs and determined common topics to address, including Spanish language training resources and educational materials, professional exchanges to share best practices and further understand need, Integrated Pest Management and invasive species.
• Farmworker – This team will bring together stakeholders working with farmworkers to establish a common agenda needed and areas of focus to strengthen implementation of the Worker Protection Standard.
• Certification and Training – This session is designed for state lead agencies and EPA regional staff to discuss certification plan implementation as required by the revised certification standards for pesticide applicator.