Can awareness save our citrus? Ag/Weights & Measures teams up with Museum to educate community

The county Agriculture/Weights & Measures (AWM) Department has partnered with the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM) to educate the public on ways in which they can help save the community’s citrus.

The museum’s exhibit, Pulp Culture: A Juicy Tale in the Orange Empire, is a captivating story highlighting the industry, migrant workers, fruit pests, and a visual culture that became intrinsically tied to the region’s citrus groves and packing houses.

Once inside the exhibit, you will find an educational panel that talks about the threat to California citrus. The citrus industry has recently faced serious threats due to fruit pest infestations. AWM plays an active role in promoting and protecting the citrus industry by educating the public about these pests’ importance and how to prevent them. They also help to prevent pests by conducting package inspections at parcel terminals and by trapping for invasive species in high-risk areas of the county. To help prevent the introduction of harmful pests into the state, the public is urged to declare any plant or plant products when they return home from travelling.

“The museum’s Pulp Culture exhibit is meant to highlight the rich citrus history in our region and educate visitors on this area’s robust past. The exhibit also brings to light the continued strength of this industry into the modern day, and it suggests what we can do to protect our cultural heritage and to keep our citrus trees thriving,” shared Curator of History Jennifer Dickerson.

“Residents play an important role in protecting our state and local agriculture by preventing the spread of exotic agricultural pests via infested homegrown fruit and vegetables. Please help prevent the spread of exotic fruit flies and protect local farms by not moving backyard fruit. If you are in a fruit fly quarantine area, homegrown produce may be consumed or processed (juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) on the property where the produce was grown. If it is not consumed or processed, it should be disposed of by double-bagging in plastic bags and placing the bags in the garbage bin (not green waste) for collection,” said AWM Director Brady Gergovich.

Anyone who has questions on harmful pests is encouraged to call the Agriculture/Weights & Measures office at (909) 387-2105. For information about the oriental fruit fly eradication project, visit California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) website.

The San Bernardino County Museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $10 (adult), $8 (military or senior), $7 (student), and $5 (child ages 6 to 12). Children five and under are admitted free. Museum Foundation members receive a 50% discount. Parking is free and the museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. For more information, visit museum.sbcounty.gov.

Additional County Update News – December 22, 2023