Green field with lichen-covered rocks and yellow wildflowers and orange California Poppies, green hills in the distance

Integrated Pest Management Program

The Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) is a science-based decision-making system used to design and control pest populations in order to limit their impacts as well as risks to people and the environment. The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Board of Directors approved the IPM Policy, Manual, and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) on September 23, 2021.

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Santa Clara Valley and its surrounding hillsides are threatened by pest species that harm our natural lands. Many of these pests are exotic species that are not native to this region and were introduced by people with unintended consequences. Most of these exotic plants and animals affect native species by changing the natural ecosystem or creating fire hazards. Controlling these pest species is one of the ways in which the Authority stewards its lands.

The Authority will use the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) framework to guide how we manage pests, so we can limit the risks and impacts to our preserve visitors, staff, and the lands and facilities we manage. To accomplish this, the Authority developed an IPM Policy and Guidance Manual to guide and inform pest management strategies that are efficient, cost-effective, protect human health and safety, and protect natural resources.
 

The six components of an IPM program are:

  1. Correctly identifying the species
  2. Monitoring and assessing where the pests are located and how abundant they are
  3. Setting thresholds for targeted control
  4. Assessing site conditions to identify appropriate control treatments
  5. Using the least harmful suite of control methods
  6. Preventing pest problems by detecting new occurences early and treating them quickly