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News You Can Use from MSUE-Genesee County

September 14, 2002 -- Please help us recruit 13- to 19-year-old Genesee County area youths who would be interested in serving on the 2002-2003 Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council. This is an exciting educational leadership opportunity in the area of Natural Resources and Public Policy. This will be the council's fourth year and the tradition that the previous three councils have established has been outstanding. The sign-up deadline is September 27. Interested Genesee County teens should contact 4-H Youth Agent Brad Harnick by email at harnick@msue.msu.edu or by phone at 244-8515. Or you can contact Natural Resources Agent Darren Bagley by email at bagleyd@msue.msu.edu or by phone at 244-8524. The Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council was originally introduced by the Michigan Senate in 1999 and is coordinated by Michigan 4-H Youth Development. The Michigan 4-H Youth Conservation Council is an advanced environmental leadership opportunity for teens that promotes citizenship and environmental stewardship while giving teens opportunities to work with key conservation decision-makers and to improve their presentation and career development skills. To learn more please visit: http://www.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/m4hyccp2.html

September 11, 2002 -- Youths who are thinking about growing fruit crops or entering the farm market business are invited to attend the Great Lakes Fruit Vegetable and Farm Market Expo sponsored by the Michigan State Horticultural Society and Michigan Vegetable Council, in cooperation with Michigan State University Extension. It takes place December 10-12 at the Grand Center in Grand Rapids. Dave Smith of the Michigan Vegetable Council thought growers would give a couple of scholarships to cover the registration costs if there is an interest. He also said there would be many educational sessions. Interested Genesee County youth should contact 4-H Youth Development Agent Brad Harnick by email at harnick@msue.msu. edu or by phone at 244-8515. Those outside Genesee County can also contact Dixie Sanborn at sandbord@msu.edu or by phone at: 517-432-9534.

September 11, 2002 --MSU Extension is pleased to offer opportunities for two excellent forestry programs designed for the classroom. But we need your help! We need volunteers. 1. The TREE program is a classroom presentation for fourth and fifth grade level students. We are seeking 4-H adults to help in the delivery. Currently, demand exceeds the ability to supply. 2. The Michigan Forests Forever project is a very exciting package for introducing forests and forestry in the classrooms at any grade level, and fits very well into Michigan Curriculum Framework benchmarks. We are seeking 4-H adults willing to become familiar with these products (not too tough) and volunteer to expose them to teachers. The Teacher's Guide component of the project is at: www.dsisd.k12.mi.us/mff At this time, MSU Extension is interested in setting up a series of training sessions for leaders, adult volunteers, and other interested folks. A December through March period is when we hope to schedule most of the training sessions, although we will work with you in any way that we are able. If possible, we hope to utilize facilities such as the Kettunen Center, RAM Center, Kellogg Forest, Novi Center, Clear Lake, Bay College, and other places commonly used by MSU Extension. The plan is to have 2-3 TREE education kits in each MSUE Region that a group of training presenters have access to. This "elite" group will be able to help meet the number of presentation requests currently coming from schools. The level of these requests vary across the state. 4-H staff and volunteers have the opportunity to increase their programming time and schools receive a high quality and entertaining program. We also hope to have as many Michigan Forests Forever project trainers as possible. Hopefully, these people will be proactive in introducing this forest and forestry curriculum material to educators. For 4-H, this could establish and strengthen bonds with the schools. For schools, forests and forestry are popular topics through which a large number of standards and benchmarks can be addressed. The Michigan Forest Resource Alliance [www.mfra.org] has provided MSU Extension with a large grant to carry these forestry programs across the state. The MSU Extension 4-H program represents the finest statewide network through which educational programming can be delivered to Michigan schools and educators. We hope to tap into the best that 4-H has to offer, to deliver high quality programs, to raise the awareness and interest among Michigan's most valuable resource, our children and teachers, about the management of our miraculous forest resource. The two programs differ in focus, but the ultimate objective is to put science-based forest management concepts in front of youth and children. Michigan's forests are critical to our lifestyle, economy, and environmental quality. The “TREE” curriculum is a classroom-delivered program for fourth and fifth grade students. Training employs a kit and script that volunteers take to the schools. Several kits will be available in each MSU Extension region. Stipends are available to the County Extension Office to help defray the costs of program delivery. This curriculum has been successfully used statewide for several years in over 300 school districts. Requests exceed the ability to deliver. The Michigan Forests Forever project is a three-piece suite! An award-winning video and an interactive CD-ROM are in-class tools targeting the middle school level. The comprehensive Internet-based Teacher’s Guide allows teachers at all grade levels to build custom forestry curricula using sound information [www.dsisd.k12.mi.us/mff]. The Teacher’s Guide is fully keyed to the Michigan Curriculum Framework. Numerous activities are integrated into the Guide. Train-the-trainer workshops are available for 4-H staff so they can introduce this project to teachers. These education opportunities resulted from partnerships between the Michigan Forest Resource Alliance (MFRA), Michigan 4-H, and the MSU Forestry Area of Expertise. Grants from MFRA and support from MSU Extension foresters are seeking to train 4-H county staff, and others, interested in Michigan’s forest resource. Watch for training sessions at the Kettunen Center and regional locations, or call to have a workshop done in your area. The bulk of the training sessions will be scheduled this winter, 2002-2003.

September 11, 2002 -- The deadline to register for the 4-H Clothing and Textiles and Food, Nutrition and Fitness workshop at Kettunen Center is Sept. 24. This workshop is for leaders and teen leaders (13 years and older) who are interested in learning new knowledge, skills and project ideas in the Clothing and Textiles and Food, Nutrition and Fitness areas. The workshop is October 5 & 6, 2002. Interested Genesee County residents should contact 4-H Youth Agent Brad Harnick by phone at 244-8515 to register. Those outside of Genesee County should check the web at http://web2.canr.msu.edu/4hwkreg/ or contact Joanne Schultink at( 517) 355-7704 or by e-mail schultin@msue.msu.edu.

September 11, 2002 -- The September 10, 2002 issue of MSU's Fruit Advisory Alert is now available in the Reading Room of our MSU Extension-Genesee County website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee Please click on the "Reading Room" link near the top of our home page. From there, click on "Agriculture/Horticulture" and follow the links to the "Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters," and then "Fruit edition." Topics in this issue include: Insect update, Tree fruit news, Keeping tree fruit trees clean - NRSP 5, Small fruit news, Don't delay to control blueberry bud mite, Gray mold control in fall raspberries, Other news,Reminder of upcoming TNRC Field Day, Regional reports, and changes in the works. In our Reading Room, you can also read a wide assortment of other free publications produced by MSU, MSU Extension and many other educational and/or governmental sources. You can also link to local and national libraries and to the news media.

September 10, 2002 -- Parents and teachers who want to talk with children about the September 11 attack may wish to check out an updated list of educational resources prepared by the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MiAEYC). You can access the list from the home page of your MSU Extension-Genesee County website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee . These are in addition to a host of resources provided by Michigan State University also accessible from our site that I wrote about a few days ago.

September 10, 2002 -- The MSU Pesticide Education Program has a new publication titled, "Mold in the Home: What should you do?" It is Bulletin number E-2814. This 3-panel brochure is the fifth bulletin in the Community Integrated Pest Management Series. Like all bulletins in this series, this full-color brochure is aimed at homeowners and the general public. The brochure discusses what mold is and the possible health effects and provides mold prevention and control tips. The bulletin is now available through the MSU Extension bulletin system (517-355-0240, one copy free to Michigan residents) or can be found in pdf format at on your MSU Extension Genesee County website at http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee by clicking on the Home Repair & Maintenance icon in the middle of the page and then clicking on the link labeled: MSU Pesticide Education: Home & Garden. (If you need to download an Adobe Acrobat Reader to read pdf files, you can do so for free by clicking on the Adobe icon in the left frame of our home page.)

September 10, 2002 -- You can sign up now for MSU's Horticulture Gardening Institute's new on-line Container Gardening Program. This on-line event-centered program for gardening enthusiasts, kids, teachers and Master Gardeners features certificate-of-completion courses, advanced certificates for Master Gardeners, contests and discussion forums, practice projects and design recipes and more. A kick-off event, "Fall, Winter and Virtual Container Gardening," will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, October 5th, on the MSU campus. After the kick-off, the program will host two additional face-to-face events. Other opportunities include plant trial programs, featuring plants from "Proven Winners," an international marketing cooperative including some of the world's best propagators. On line, participants can select contests, practice gardening projects, recipes, and more. The on-line courses are self-paced and are scheduled to be available in October 2002. For more information, click on the On-line Gardening Program link on the home page of the MSU Extension in Genesee County website or visit the Institute's web site at: http://www.gardeninginstitute.com The Horticulture Gardening Institute is a joint initiative of MSU Extension's Master Gardener Program, the MSU Department of Horticulture, MSU Gardens, and the MSU Global Institute. The Horticulture Gardening Institute offers non-credit, personal enrichment programs and a "virtual community" focusing on Master Gardeners, children, K-12 teachers, and gardening enthusiasts. Master Gardeners can pursue advanced certificate programs. Kids can learn about plants and gardening, and teachers can find innovative curricula that incorporate science and imagination. As the site grows, visitors can participate in events, virtual garden tours and innovative horticultural activities that take full advantage of technology.

September 10, 2002 -- Joy Neumann Landis, editor of MSU's Crop Advisory Team (CAT) Alert newsletters asked me to pass this along to our Agricultural /Horticulture constituents. We have received the following notice from the Michigan Department of Agriculture for publication in the Alert newsletters. Since MSU will not be publishing an issue for a couple of weeks and we want this information to be timely, we are sending this email to our Genesee County Extension E-News You Can Use readers. Date: September 9, 2002
Title: European Corn Borer Quarantines May Impact Michigan Vegetable Shippers
Author: Mike Bryan, Michigan Dept of Agriculture Nursery Program Manager

The Michigan Department of Agriculture has become aware that Texas officials have rejected several shipments of Michigan vegetables for not meeting its European corn borer quarantine requirements. The list of vegetable crops that are regulated by Texas include beans in the pod, beets, celery, peppers (fruits), endive, Swiss chard, and rhubarb (cut or plants with roots). Also, the following types of horticultural crops are regulated: cut flowers and entire plants of aster, chrysanthemum, calendula, cosmos, hollyhock, marigold, zinnia, Japanese hop, dahlia (except tubers without stems), and gladiolus (except corms without stems). Texas officials have indicated that shipments of these commodities may be allowed entry only if treated for European corn borer by fumigation or treated as part of a pest management program documented through a compliance agreement with MDA. The Texas quarantine applies to all Texas counties except Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, Hansford, Hartley, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, and Sherman Counties. A copy of the Texas quarantine is available on the National Plant Board web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/npb/F&SQS/txsq.html. Other states with similar European Corn Borer Quarantines are Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. For additional information contact the MDA Regional office that serves your county or contact Nursery Program Manager Mike Bryan at (517) 241-2977.

September 8, 2002 -- The September 6, 2002 issue of MSU's Landscape Advisory Alert is now available in the Reading Room of our MSU Extension-Genesee County website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee Please click on the "Reading Room" link near the top of our home page. From there, click on "Agriculture/Horticulture" and follow the links to the "Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters," and then "Landscape edition." Topics in this issue include: Landscape insects; Nursery insects; Emerald ash borer: Should you pay for trunk injections this fall?; New disease on honeylocust trees; Emerald ash borer: Some perspectives on long-term management; Many reports of tar spot on maple; daylily rust and perennial pathology workshop at MSU; turf insects; turf renovation: how to get the green back in your turf; West Nile Virus information on the Internet: where to browse; new bugs on the screen; warm, dry weather to continue.In our Reading Room, you can also read a wide assortment of other free publications produced by MSU, MSU Extension and many other educational and/or governmental sources. You can also link to local and national libraries and to the news media.

September 6, 2002 -- As we approach the first year anniversary of the September 11 Attack, your MSU Extension in Genesee County is pleased to make available on our website ( http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee ) outstanding Michigan State University resources designed to help deepen our understanding of the events of that tragedy and its aftermath in the post-September 11 world. To access these free resources, please click on the link: "Resources to Help Mark Sept. 11 Anniversary" in the "Welcome: What's New" section of our home page. That will open a page filled with links to International News Sources, Teaching Resources, World Region/Country Information, links to MSU Global Access (a portal to information about the world that contains a database of websites and other resources selected by experts at Michigan State University) and a link to a special MSU College of Education page filled with Sept. 11 resources for teachers and parents. Also on the Genesee County Extension website is a link to MSU experts and topics to help reporters and others connect with Michigan State University faculty and resources regarding the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

September 5, 2002 -- The September 5, 2002 issue of MSU's FIELD CROP Advisory Alert is now available in the Reading Room of our MSU Extension-Genesee County website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee Please click on the "Reading Room" link near the top of our home page. From there, click on "Agriculture/Horticulture" and follow the links to the "Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters," and then "Field Crop edition."

September 5, 2002 -- The September 4, 2002 issue of MSU's Vegetable Crop Advisory Alert is now available in the Reading Room of our MSU Extension-Genesee County website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee Please click on the "Reading Room" link near the top of our home page. From there, click on "Agriculture/Horticulture" and follow the links to the "Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters," and then "Vegetable edition." Also in the Agriculture/Horticulture section of our Reading Room, you can now also access for free Michigan Agri-Weekly a newsletter about agriculture, sustainability, and the environment produced weekly by the Michigan Agri-Business Association.

September 5, 2002 --Beginning this month here in the Greater Flint area, Michigan State University is offering its Educational Technology Certificate Program in Genesee County. It is designed to meet the needs of educators, primarily in the K-12 setting, who seek to use new technologies in their schools and classrooms. Participants have the opportunity to improve their own skills in the use of the newest multimedia technology, including the World Wide Web, and develop approaches for teaching others to use technology in school.To earn a certificate, participants must successfully complete a specially designed program of three graduate courses (9 graduate credits) in Educational Technology, which appears below. All the courses are regular Master’s level offerings from Michigan State University. To accommodate the busy schedules of teachers, who want to participate in this program, the courses are accelerated with each course meeting over three weekends: Friday 4:30-10:00 p.m.+ Saturday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.. The three-course series can usually be completed in one year or less. The first of the three courses - "Teaching for Understanding with Computers" - starts September 27. What follows are the course descriptions and answers to frequently asked questions:

CEP 810: Teaching for Understanding with Computers 3 Credits
Sept 27 & 28, Oct 18 & 19, Nov 8 & 9, 2002
Location: Genesee ISD Flint, Gen-Net Electronic Classroom, Door #2.
Participants will learn to use and evaluate computer-based tools in educational environments. Included in this set of tools will be general productivity software (including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), special purpose educational software, as well as innovative technology, including the World Wide Web, as applied to educational environments. Participants will develop their own portfolios of products and strategies displaying the use of such tools with students and other clients.

CEP 811: Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education 3 Credits
To Be Determined
Participants learn to apply instructional principles and methods to educational problems; to develop hypermedia applications, including Web-based materials, for use in a professional setting. Development of the portfolio is continued in this course.

CEP 812: Applying Instructional Development and Educational Technology for Clients 3 Credits
To Be Determined
Participants will develop, present, and evaluate potentially fundable plans for the implementation of technology in educational/training settings. Taught as an intensive workshop, the course takes a “hands-on” approach to the development of plans in the educational technology domains. The Internet will be used as a means of communication among course participants in the development and evaluation of the plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does the Certificate lead to State Certification?
Students will receive a certificate from the College of Education indicating that they have achieved a satisfactory level of knowledge about and experience with many of the applications of technology in education. Students do not gain certification from the State or any other organization. However, the credits may be applicable for participants who need to earn graduate credits for their professional licensure.

2. Are these credits applicable to a Master’s program?
All the courses in the Certificate program are regular Master’s level courses which can be used to fulfill a portion of the requirements for a Master’s of Arts degree in Educational Technology and Instructional Design. Acceptance to the program is competitive.

3. Will I need to apply to MSU for acceptance into these courses?
Students who are not pursuing a degree at MSU will only need to fill out a short Lifelong Education Application form and most Certificate students enroll as Lifelong Education students. Students who are currently pursuing a degree should enroll for these courses by contacting the regional office or by contacting the technology program directly.

4. Is technology used in teaching the courses?
In this Certificate program, a very high priority has been placed upon using state-of-the-art technology to teach the courses. Development in this regard is ongoing and involves the use of the World Wide Web as a way to increase the effectiveness of course instruction.

5. What are the products of the course sequence?
Throughout the three-course sequence, students develop a portfolio of their own work in the applications of technology to instruction. Many educators have found this portfolio to be very useful for hiring or promotion purposes. Participants will also have completed and have had reviewed a proposal for acquiring resources needed to implement technology-related activities to their school setting.

6. What does it cost?
The cost depends on how you are enrolled at MSU. Most Certificate enrollees are MSU Lifelong Education students who are not currently pursuing a degree with Michigan State University. Current tuition for 2002-2003 (subject to change) for MSU Lifelong Education students is $794.25 for each three credit course.. Questions regarding student status and program fees can be directed to Dr. Codde, MSU Coordinator for Educational Technology Programs in the College of Education.

For more information, please contact Tracy Valentine, GISD, 810-591-4400, or Dr. Joseph Codde, Director, Educational Technology Programs, CEPSE, College of Education, Michigan State University at 517-432-9259 . Also, please visit the Program Web Site at: http://edutech.msu.edu
This information can also be found on our MSU Extension-Genesee County website under the What's New Section. Please share it with others.

September 5, 2002 -- Please come out and visit us out at Mott Harshbarger Children's Farm from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. this Saturday, September 7, during its Music Fest and Grandparents' Day. Your MSU Extension in Genesee County will have an educational display booth there. Our own Eric Roberts will be there to provide you, your family, and friends with MSU Extension bulletins and other educational information about environmental stewardship and how to protect our groundwater. While there, you can also enjoy a day of live vocal and instrumental music, dancing, and storytelling! The event also features some fine displays from The Collector's Club (and others) regarding our rich historical farming history. They also will be threshing grain with an old grain separator and having a small plowing demonstration. Hay rides for all, including folks in wheelchairs, will be going on all day. Concessions will be available. The day will also include the recording of "oral history" from our guests. You can also view antique farm equipment displays and hundreds of animals. It promises to be fun for all ages. Feel free to bring your own instrument, too -- parking lot pickin' is encouraged. The farm is located at 6140 Bray Road in Flint. (Click here for map.) The phone number is (810) 760-1795.

September 3, 2002 -- Biosecurity has been major issue to all Americans since Sept. 11. Farmers and other agricultural and horticultural producers can now provide input on agricultural biosecurity issues through a Web-based survey. The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) received U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to identify farmers' educational needs on homeland security. This survey will help Extension staff members, nationally and in each state, determine what direction our educational programs should take. EDEN specialists will use the information to identify educational materials and make them available to producers. So, please, take a few minutes to help us with this very important work. The EDEN survey is being conducted now through November. To take the survey, please visit the EDEN Web site at http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden , click on Homeland Security Surveys, and then click on Survey of Ag and Horticulture Producers. The survey is confidential and takes less than ten minutes to complete. It can be taken anywhere producers have access to the Web, including libraries and Michigan State University Extension offices."We've all heard a lot about homeland security issues since September 11," says Mark Hansen, MSU Extension's Emergency Management Specialist. "But it's important that we address the challenges that we are facing with educational programs."

August 28, 2002 - Unfortunately, West Nile Virus continues to spread and remains very much in the news. It is an infection of the brain that is transmitted to people by mosquitos. To help you better understand this disease and its current status, your MSU Extension in Genesee County has included the latest information from various government sources on our website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee . Just click on the link, "West Nile Virus & Other Animal & Insect Diseases in the News" located just above the Welcome Box on our home page. There you will find a wide assortment of information on the current status of the disease, state and national, maps, data and how the disease is transmitted. You'll also have access to Emergency Management Warnings, prevention information and much more from MSU Extension, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the Center for Diseases Control and other sources.

August 28, 2002 -- 4-H Goat Leader Workshop is now open for registration. If you have any questions, contact Brad Harnick, 4-H Youth Agent, by email, harnickb@msue.msu.edu or by phone (810) 244-8515.

August 28, 2002 -- The latest Michigan Natural Features Inventory is now available in our Reading Room.

September 13, 2001 --Helping Children Cope with Sept. 11 Attack & Other Disasters -- The September 11 or "9-11" Attack on America signaled emergency in catastrophic ways for America. As adults continue to cope with the horror, stress and sense of helplessness caused by the disasters in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, we should not overlook the impact these acts and the resulting images, adult reaction and national grief can have on children. To help adults help kids cope, MSU Extension's Children, Youth & Families Program has assembled resources we hope you will find useful. You can easily access all of them right from the "Welcome Box" at the top of the MSU Extension-Genesee County Home Page: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee.

Among the resources are:

August 23, 2001 -- 2 Magazines added to our Online Reading Room --MSU Extension-Genesee County has added Internet links to weLEAD Magazine (dedicated to advancing organizational and personal leadership) and Online Learning Magazine on the free, public READING ROOM section of our website http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee, which has been averaging 2,368 hits a week this month from visitors all over the world.

To access the publications, simply follow the link in the Welcome Box at the top of our Home Page to our READING ROOM. There you will have access to more than 40 free local, state and national publications or other news sources -- including links to Genesee County's broadcast and print news media web sites featuring up-to-the-minute news and other local information.

Once you're in the Reading Room, the table of contents offers you links to newsletters, magazines, other publications and news web sites focused on: agriculture/horticulture; children, youth & families; community news media; energy; environment & natural resources; food safety & nutrition; leadership; state & local government; Master Gardeners; MSU & Alumni affairs; technology & computers; and tourism. Several of the resources are produced by MSU and/or MSU Extension. It even features MSU Extension-Genesee County Master Gardener's Down to Earth. The Reading Room also provides links to local, MSU, and Internet libraries.

August 22, 2001 -- MSU Online Alert Helps Farmers Deal With Drought -- A "Special Drought Issue" of Michigan State University's Field Crop Advisory Team Alert is available on-line on the MSU Extension-Genesee County website to help area farmers. It features numerous articles that livestock and crop producers will find helpful. Examples include: "Harvesting Drought-stressed Corn for Silage," "Herbicide Carryover - A Big Issue Following A Drought," "Crop Insurance Adjustment Procedures," "Insects and Drought," and much more.

You can access it from the Welcome Box on our home page at http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee or from our website's on-line READING ROOM where you can find all issues of the Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters. MSU faculty and Extension field staff write the articles and reports that address both immediate and long-term production and pest management concerns. (Five editions are available: Fruit, Vegetable, Field Crop, Landscape, or Greenhouse.) These CAT Alerts are made possible with funding support from Project GREEEN and the Michigan Department of Agriculture's Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division and its Environmental Stewardship Division.

And, always standing ready to assist area farmers, are Agriculture Agent Phil Kaatz, who specializes in field crops, and Agriculture Agent Craig Burns, who specializes in livestock. Phil can be reached by email at kaatzp@msue.msu.edu or by phone in Lapeer at (810) 667-0344. Craig can be reached by email at burns@msue.msu.edu or by phone in Shiawassee County at (517) 743-2251.

August 20, 2001 -- West Nile Virus information available on our website -- West Nile Virus has been in the news recently. It is an infection of the brain that is transmitted to people by mosquitos. To help people better understand this disease and its current status, MSU Extension-Genesee County has included information links from various government sources on our page on our website: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee . From the Home Page, go to: "Animal- & Insect-Related Diseases in the News" and then click on "West Nile Virus". There you will find information on the current status of the disease, maps, data and how the disease is transmitted. You'll also learn how report important monitoring information.

According to the Department of Agriculture, mosquitoes become infected with West Nile virus when they feed on infected birds that carry the virus in their blood. After 10 to 14 days, the mosquito's salivary glands become infected and those infected mosquitoes can then transmit West Nile virus to humans and other animals while biting them to take blood. During blood feeding, the mosquito injects the virus into the animal or human, where it multiplies and may cause illness.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Community Health, and the Genesee County Health Department are taking reports on dead crow sightings within Michigan. While MDA and MDCH are interested in collecting information about dead crows as part of their efforts to understand West Nile Virus, not every dead crow will be tested, officials report. However, state residents and other agencies (local animal control, local health departments, and Wildlife Division - Department of Natural Resources) are being encouraged to report all sightings of dead crows and related species to MDA as part of the state's West Nile Virus monitoring efforts. For more information, residents can contact the MDCH Hotline at 1-888-668-0869 or the Genesee County Health Department at 810-257-3821.

GENESEE COUNTY EXTENSION HOME | MSU | USDA | MDA | COUNTY

MSU Extension-Genesee County is part of the statewide Michigan State University Extension system, which exists in all 83 Michigan counties. We are connected to the national Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. We are funded jointly by the State of Michigan through Michigan State University, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and county government. Local support for the Genesee County Extension office is provided by the taxpayers of Genesee County Government through the Genesee County Board of Commissioners.

Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status.

Michigan State University Extension-Genesee County
URL: http://www.msue.msu.edu/genesee
Please direct site questions to fenechd@msue.msu.edu
Last updated: September 14, 2002 9:07 AM

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