(By Christina Stucker-Gassi, Healthy Food and Farms Program Coordinator) For over a decade, NCAP has increased the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on farms across southern Idaho. In the mid 2000s this work involved researching biological controls for early blight in potatoes. Since 2013, we have been working with a wide range of community partners to raise awareness around rebalancing predator/prey populations and boosting natural pollination services. We collaborate to conserve and restore critical on-farm habitat for bees and other beneficial insects.  Continue reading

(By Laura Keir, Communications Coordinator) This summer, my 8-year-old son has found lots of interesting beetles in the wild. On a hike, he spots a large black beetle on the trail and we marvel at the long antennae. “Be careful not to step on it!” he warns other hikers. Continue reading

Enjoying a meal outside in late summer can be nearly impossible if yellowjackets or other wasps have taken up residence nearby. They eat your food and can be aggressive. Yellowjacket behavior makes them difficult to love, but remember that they are an important part of the ecosystem, too. Yellowjackets feed their young large numbers of insects that might otherwise damage trees or crops. They also feed their young houseflies, and lots of them. This means that when nesting in areas of little human or animal activity, just leave them alone. For areas near your home, try these steps to reduce populations. Need expert advice for a tough pest problem? Check out our sliding scale, tailored services! Continue reading

By Glen Spain, NW Regional Director, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) More methylmercury. More arsenic. More polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). If we value human health, why on Earth would EPA significantly increase the allowed amounts of three of the most dangerous and persistent chemicals known – along with more lead and various industrial chemicals – in the water we drink, the lakes in which we swim, the rivers from which we fish and the fish we eat? Continue reading

By Francesca Anton, NCAP supporter It is May 2030.  Springtime has now reached the outer edges of its big burst of glory in Oregon City.    As with so many other cities in the U.S. and around the world, residents in every neighborhood here are enjoying the fruits of their efforts after making a collaborative commitment just over a decade ago to develop native garden habitat and discontinue the use of toxic pesticides at home, inside and out.    Continue reading