Title
Receive the Pesticide Notification Near Schools Pilot Project Report.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive the Pesticide Notification Near Schools Pilot Project Report.
SUMMARY:
In 2016, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's Office launched a pilot project to provide parents, students, teachers, school employees, and the community with information about fumigant use on farmland within a quarter of a mile of three (3) schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD). The three (3) pilot project school communities included: Ohlone Elementary, Pajaro Middle School, and Hall District Elementary. The project consisted of stakeholder meetings, focus groups, and the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website. A key feature of the website was the ability to register to receive notifications of scheduled fumigations within a quarter of a mile of the three (3) pilot project schools.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) provided an initial grant of $75,000 to start the project. In 2017, our office applied for and received a second grant for a total of $94,240. The additional funding allowed for the expansion of the pilot project through the launch of the website, expansion of the notification system into North Monterey County Unified School District (NMCUSD), and continued and expanded outreach efforts. The grant funding ended June 30, 2020. The Agricultural Commissioner’s office contributed an additional $100,000 in-kind support of the project over the duration of the project. Since the website is constructed, we will keep the site active and continue to send the text and email notifications to the individuals that have registered.
In the spring of 2018, the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website was launched as a communications network. The site provides relevant information including health facts, pesticide and fumigation regulations, maps of schools and their proximity to farms and ranches, and a sign-up for interested parties to receive notification before a fumigant is applied on a farm within a quarter mile of school grounds. The pilot project requires that growers submit their notice of intent (NOIs) five (5) days prior to fumigating within a quarter mile of the pilot school. The NOIs are then uploaded by our office and posted on the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website and distributed to those individuals who signed up to receive notification by email or text.
A stakeholder group consisting of Agricultural Commissioners, School District Superintendent, principals and administrators, and advocacy groups was formed. Input from stakeholders provided valuable feedback for the website. The website went live in spring 2018 and was finalized in April 2019. Since the launch there have been 4,778 total users, 2,117 of which were from California.
In the PVUSD and NMCUSD sixty-seven percent (67%) of children ages 5-17 have Spanish spoken at home. The website was fully translated to Spanish in 2018. Eight (8%) percent of the total views of the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website were in the Spanish version.
The communications network was expanded by initiating community engagement in North Monterey County, partnering with the NMCUSD. The objective was to hear from stakeholders in NMCUSD about their interest in expanding the website into their communities. The website expanded in September 2018 and provided notification to seven additional schools. However, there was a lack of interest in North Monterey County and no participation from the school communities.
DISCUSSION:
Fumigant and other pesticide applications near schools (and notification thereof) are a complex issue, as many stakeholder groups have their own interests. A complication is the ever-changing regulatory environment. In the case of the Pesticide Notification Near Schools pilot project, the 2018 Pesticides Use Near Schools regulation made the pilot project less relevant since the regulation prohibited almost all pesticide applications within a quarter mile of all schools statewide Monday through Friday, during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All of the fumigation applications during the course of this project were conducted on a Saturday, per regulation or on a day when children were not present at schools and would not be present for an additional 36 hours.
In order for a communication network to be successful, good communication between the project team and stakeholders is essential. Stakeholder engagement and communication is labor-intensive with associated costs. Working with stakeholders across several sectors - agriculture, labor, activists, and education - proved to be both beneficial and challenging.
One (1) of the Website development grant objectives was to evaluate website content with various stakeholder groups. The evaluation included holding two (2) meetings annually with the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC) to provide project updates and evaluate website content. A representative from Safe Ag Safe Schools (SASS) was also invited to attend. Over the course of the grant project several suggestions were incorporated into the website, including improvements to the Spanish translation and additional and/or updated content. In December 2018, a text message option for notification was implemented and there were 73 signups for text notifications and 161 signups for email during the life of the project. Additionally, to promote signups a post card with easy notification instructions in both English and Spanish was developed and distributed at the press conference in April 2019 and all subsequent stakeholder meetings.
However, as a result of the notification component on the website we observed a higher level of scrutiny around fumigation applications from advocacy groups. Although regular communication and collaboration was maintained with members of Safe Ag Safe Schools (SASS), it was observed on two (2) occasions that SASS utilized the notification system in an attempt to stop scheduled fumigation applications. However, due to the ongoing collaboration and outreach with PVUSD, both incidents did not impact the grower’s ability to legally fumigate. On another occasion within the NMCUSD, a very time-consuming permit appeal request was filed, which required extensive work with the grower, pest control company, pest control advisor and the DPR.
In 2017 our goal was to expand the pilot project into North Monterey County through partnering with NMCUSD. Like our relationship with PVUSD, we had hoped to meet with the Superintendent and eight (8) stakeholders four (4) times a year and hold community outreach meetings eight (8) times a year.
Twelve North Monterey County community members were contacted to request their participation as stakeholders in the community engagement phase of the Fumigation Notification Pilot Project in NMCUSD. The community members represented broad stakeholder groups as identified in the original pilot project. Unfortunately, we found the community outreach quite challenging. We found that a very small sample of those contacted responded with interest in participating, while several referred us back to the NMCUSD Safety Officer, the remaining stakeholders stated that they were not interested in participating. Subsequently those that expressed interest were repeatedly contacted via email and phone with no response. Due to the lack of interest in North County and no participation from the school communities, it was determined that the NMCUSD had other priorities and the tasks involving outreach for North County were discontinued. The full report is included (see Attachment 1).
Even so, in October 2018 seven (7) schools in NMCUSD were added to the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website. They included: North Monterey County High School, North Monterey County Middle School, Castroville Elementary School, Prunedale Elementary, Echo Valley Elementary, Elkhorn Elementary School, and Central Bay High School.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
DPR provided grant funding and oversight of the pilot project which consisted of stakeholder meetings, focus groups, and development of the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website. Three (3) PVUSD school communities participated in the pilot project including Ohlone Elementary, Pajaro Middle School, and Hall District Elementary. Seven (7) NMCUSD schools including North Monterey County High School, North Monterey County Middle School, Castroville Elementary School, Prunedale Elementary, Echo Valley Elementary, Elkhorn Elementary, and Central Bay High School were added to the FarmingSafelyNearSchools.com website.
FINANCING:
The DPR grant was a one-time grant and not considered in the FY 20-21 budget. The General Fund will not be impacted. Funding for the website is de minimis.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Economic Development
Administration
X Health & Human Services
Infrastructure
Public Safety
Prepared by:
Heather Healy, Chief Deputy Agricultural Commissioner, 759-7316
Approved by:
Henry S. Gonzales, Agricultural Commissioner, 759-7325
Attachments:
Board Report
Attachment 1 Outreach Efforts within PVUSD and NMCUSD