The enabling legislation that created the Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration (WSCPR) also directed the WSCPR to provide a program for tracking the availability of effective pesticides for minor crop and emergency uses in Washington (HB 1009: July 23,1995). This mandate resulted in the creation of the Pesticide Notification Network (PNN), which has been operated for the WSCPR by Washington State University (WSU) since its inception in early 1997.

The purpose of the PNN is to inform Washington State pesticide users of registration and label changes for products of interest to agriculture. The system does this by distributing information to various commodity commissions and grower groups representing Washington State’s diverse agriculture. These groups comprise a network of contacts that have agreed to pass along information to the pesticide users they represent. The PNN also distributes information to Washington State University Cooperative Extension personnel. The system currently distributes information to a total of 161 contacts across the state.

One goal of the PNN is to get the right information to the right people. This is done by sending each PNN notification to a targeted distribution list. When people sign up for PNN service, they customize their "subscription" both by crop and by the pesticide types of interest. In this manner, an entomologist conducting research on tree fruit will receive only information about insecticides registered for use on tree fruits while the Washington Blueberry Commission receives notifications relating to all pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides) that may be used on blueberries.

In CY 2002, the PNN distributed 338 notifications via 15,476 individual transmittals. "Notification" refers to a unique message, while "transmittal" refers to a single piece of correspondence used to convey the message; one notification is distributed via many transmittals. The table below summarizes the activity of the PNN from its inception in 1997 through 2002. While the total number of notifications sent out by the PNN is slightly lower than 2001, the number of transmittals rose by just over two thousand, indicating an increased distribution. The average distribution of a single PNN notification has almost tripled from a low of 16 in 1998 to 46 in 2002.

Two improvements were made to the PNN Web site in 2002. First a "Miscellaneous Information" section was added to the PNN Web site. This new section of the home page allows the posting of any electronic information that is received by the PNN coordinator. Typically this is information from WSDA or EPA. With the current design of the PNN database, information of this type can not be directly distributed with PNN e-mail. The new section on the PNN home page allows this information to be posted. A PNN notification is then sent describing the information and directing interested parties to the posting on the Web site. Information currently posted in this section includes:

• Dimethoate: Draft Decision Table & Issues Summary by Group
• Azinphos-Methyl: Status List by Crop
• 2002 WSDA Bee Kill Update
• EPA Brochure: Methyl Bromide - Deadlines for Exemptions
• WSDA Carzol Reminder

The second enhancement to the PNN involved posting the PNN subscription form on the Web site. Now anyone interested in signing up to receive information from the PNN can print out and complete the subscription form and either fax or mail it back to WSU.

As in the past the PNN distributed several "special topic" notifications in 2002. These types of notifications cover issues outside the registration, labeling, and federal regulatory information that is normally provided on the PNN. Special topic PNN notifications distributed in 2002 include information for all the items listed above in the "Miscellaneous Information" discussion. Plus:

• Availability of updated State RUP list
• WSDA's ban of clopyralid use on turf
• Negotiations with EPA on possible azinphos-methyl continued uses
• EPA's response to questions about pesticide use on mixed crops

Due to WSU-mandated budget cuts, the full budget request for the PNN was not approved by the WSCPR in March 2002. As a result, beginning July 1 the PNN discontinued distributing notifications covering information distributed in the Federal Register (REDs, risk assessments, and PR notices published by EPA). The practice of posting individual notifications on the PNN Web site was also discontinued. The balance of the PNN services remains unchanged.