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NEWSLETTERNovember 2024LCMHCDExecutive Director Dr. David Hoel was invited to speak at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Technical Co-operation Project, “Strengthening National Capacities for the Introduction of the Sterile Insect Technique for PestControl, Mutation Breeding of Crops and Post-Harvest Treatment of Agricultural Produce Using a Self-ContainedGamma Irradiation Facility” in Kingston, Jamaica on 30 October to 2 November 2024. Dr. Hoel was invited as anSIT expert to help train and advise on strengthening National capacities for the introduction of the Sterile InsectTechnique for pest control. He presented on LCMCD’s SIT program, provided guidance as a technical expert, andvisited the Jamaican mosquito mass-rearing facility to exchange ideas with local experts. Dr. Hoel’s participationhelped further the Jamaican program and has set up possibilities of future collaborations with Caribbean partnershere at the district. Assistant Director Aaron Lloyd was invited to present as the Keynote Speaker at the Texas Mosquito ControlAssociation’s 66th Annual meeting, held in Fredericksburg Texas on 28 October to 1 November 2024. Heprovided an overview of LCMHCD operations, applied scientific advancements, guidance on how to controlCulicoides biting midges, and how to respond to a potential introduction of Oropouche Virus. Aaron wasawarded an honorarium for his Keynote address. His participation helped further mosquito control programcapabilities in Texas, and has set up future collaborations with Texas partners here at the district. Aaron Lloyd, Assistant Director

SERVICE REQUEST TEAM &URBAN INSPECTORSAs the weather has cooled down a little, and thestorms have seemingly slowed down, so have theservice requests. I would like to bid fare well to ourSeasonal Service Request tech Michael Smith,Michael was a lot of help this summer and will bemissed.The Larvicide, Adulticide and the Urban FieldInspector teams have successfully completed Doorto Door container sweeps in 5 different zones, GreatJob!Michael Thomas, SupervisorThe season is winding down. Many of us are lookingforward to the holidays and spending some well-deserved time with our families. In the last few weeksrainfall has significantly declined as well asfloodwater activity. We’ve been able to get out intothe community for several outreach opportunitiesthis past month, pictured below. RobertScarpantonio completed the Salus Care ropescourse during the opening retreat of Leadership LeeCounty. Sean Christman and Samantha Spooner willbe attending the second half of the AdvancedMosquito ID course hosted by FMEL. This session willbe focused on mosquito larvae. This is a greatopportunity, and I am eager to see them share theirnew knowledge with the group over the comingmonths.Samantha Spooner (notpictured) and her teamcelebrating season coming toan end with a pizza party.Shawn Gillis and his truckfor the Lehigh CommunitySafety and Fire PreventionDay.Dante Marinell and Nick Cummins representing LCMCDat the Matlacha/ Pine Island Dire Dept. open house.Anne Askew and RussellSmith enjoying a beautifulevening at the NFM FallfestivalRobert Scarpantoniowalking the wire at SalusCare Rope CourseLARVICIDINGRobert Scarpantonio, Biologist IIIThe Scientific Intelligence Department maintains itsmosquito monitoring activities and testing formosquito-borne viruses in our sentinel chickensamples and mosquito pool collections. Since thelast report, five sentinel chickens exhibitedarbovirus activities on our in-house ELISA test andwere confirmed positive for West Nile virus at thestate laboratory. No mosquito pools tested positivefor WNV, EEEV, and SLEV. The truck trappingschedule came to an end for the 2024 season, butthe CDC and BG traps continue as usual whileproducing reduced mosquito counts due tofavorable weather conditions. We responded to sixpotential arbovirus disease notifications from theHealth Department regarding human cases formosquito-borne diseases.SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCEMilton Sterling, Manager

FIELD VALIDATIONNick Cotter, Biologist IIIA breezy November has kept us on our toes!Constance attended the FMCA annual meeting inOrlando and has begun live-capturing Culicoides fora cage trial later this week. We plan to test ourcurrent setups for spraying Malathion and Dibromto see if we can knock-down Culicoides should therebe a need to deal with Oropouche fever outbreaks. Modified cage with live CulicoidesFVAL successfully completed another Altosid SR-20trial with the A1 mister. A special thanks to JacobThomas, Randy Weiss, Erica Campbell, RosemaryToops, and Chris Peterson for volunteering yourtime and making this trial go well! The results fromthe previous trial were promising and we are lookingforward to gathering more reliable data from thisone. The microplate enzyme analysis setup is completefor the alpha and beta esterase tests. These assayswill allow us to rapidly test small field samples tofind what severity of pesticide resistance might bepresent as well as how that resistance works.Results on our spectro-photometer were preciseand accurate. This means that once we begin testingsamples, we know that the results that we aregetting are valid.HYACINTH CONTROLThe St. Tammany Parish Mosquito AbatementDistrict organized their first aquatic invasive plantmanagement workshop last month in Slidell,Louisiana. This meeting was comprised of localrepresentatives focused on jurisdictions andmandates to control aquatic invasive plants. Thefollowing were some of the agencies who wereinvited to present and attend at the workshop;USACE (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New OrleansDistrict), USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), LWF(Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries) and Parishgovernmental staff. LCHCD was asked to be thekeynote presenter for this collaborative andeducational aquatic plant management workshop. Iprovided a history and overview of LCHCD’sintegrated aquatic plant management programfocusing on the best methods of control andeffective operational equipment. This was the firststep for the St. Tammany folks to coordinate withtheir constituents and implement an aquaticvegetation plan to control issues associated withoverlapping jurisdictional areas. I found thismeeting to be very informative and relatable tosimilar aquatic macrophyte issues here in our ownregion. LCHCD was privileged to showcase ourprogram and provide other professionals a differentmanagement perspective on aquatic plant control.Kevin Watts, Deputy Director

PUBLIC INFORMATION & EDUCATIONAt the beginning of October, LCMCD brought thenationally recognized training “CrucialConversations” to our facility. Approximately 25employees attended a 2-day course which teachesnine powerful skills for working throughdisagreement to achieve better results. In otherwords, how to be more effective communicators(professionally and personally!). To continue thisimportant work and implement some of the specificcommunication skills, Jen McBride recentlyattended training to become a CrucialConversations for Mastering Dialogue certifiedtrainer. The 2-day course was attended by 13people from all over the world to become mastertrainers. The training was incredibly insightful andwill allow Jen to continue to implement thisimportant training at LCMCD. Jen is excited to getstarted on sharing the skills with LCMCDemployees. Stay tuned…awesome training comingto you soon! Jenifer McBride, Communications DirectorEducation Specialists, Amy Lucas and JasonBurgess, traveled to the National Science TeachingAssociation (NSTA) conference in New Orleans.Over the last several months, they have beencollaborating with software designers at TexasInstruments on a new mosquito lesson, titled,“World’s Deadliest Animal.” In this new program,students learn about the importance of mosquitosurveillance and our integrated approach through aseries of simulations and data analysis modulesusing Texas Instruments’ software. Amy and Jason had the opportunity to showcase aportion of the lesson in several booth sessions. Theywere happy with the crowds’ response, and thewheels continue turning as they build the next piecesof the program. Special thanks to Ed Foley, RachelMorreale, Steven Stenhouse, Constance Darrisawand Nick Cotter who have answered MANY questionsand emails, ensuring the accuracy of the new lessoncomponents.The Cape Coral Fire District hosted their annualopen house, featuring the popular “Don’t Bug MeStation,” specifically designed by the LCMCD andHyacinth Control District. I've heard it’s a crowdfavorite due to the livecritters and equipmentshowcase. It’s no wonderwe receive an invitationto return each year!The FGCU Water School Career Fair was a greatsuccess. Anne Askew, Michael Thomas, and JamieFowler were present to recruit students forinternships and discuss upcoming jobopportunities. Former interns attended,showing a lot of interestin applying for futureroles. One student whostopped by the tableeven reached out thesame day regarding aninternship!Amy Lucas, Education Resource Specialist I

The East Ft. Myers Rotary Club hosted their annualturkey shoot, where Mark McCreary set up aninformation table to educate visitors on how to"fight the bite." Several staff members participatedin the competition and earned the title TeamCompetition Champions! A big thank you goes tothe Maintenance Department for their dedicatedefforts in assisting with the setup!The Sanibel Island team recently volunteered at theClinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) re-sanding an outdoor enclosure in preparation for newpatients. The CROW staff expressed their gratitudefor the team's hard work and were amazed that theyfinished the enclosure in just one day! Their excellentteamwork made it all possible!Volunteers with the Six Mile Slough visited theDistricts, learning about the operations of bothDistricts and the aircraft we use. The visitorshad numerous questions and even had awaitlist of others eager to join! They arecertainly looking forward to returning foranother tour.

Acres Treated To DateSandy Johnston has officially retired. She exited in a fun way with being the LCMCD Wednesday Who’s Who onsocial media before her departure. Between the relationships she built with staff as well as the public, shedefinitely made for a great welcoming face/voice for the Districts. Though she will be missed, we know we willbe seeing her around. Jamie Fowler, Community Engagement Coordinator