Lyman and Dale recruited Greg Johnson to come work for WEST in late 1991, to build on work for which Lyman was involved in with data analysis for field projects conducted under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). After much discussion among Dale, Lyman, and Greg, WEST accepted a contract from Miles Corporation to conduct a large FIFRA field study to evaluate effects of a nematicide used on golf courses in Florida. The project entailed trapping and using colored tags to mark six species of birds – northern mockingbird, brown thrasher, northern cardinal, eastern towhee, loggerhead shrike and blue jay – on both control and treatment areas of three golf courses. Re-sighting surveys were then conducted to record the marked birds to assess effects of the treatment. The project required hiring a field crew of 13 people. To help assist with the project, Greg recruited Dave Young in early 1992 and they spent three months in Winter Haven, Florida that year conducting the study. WEST’s foray into FIFRA studies was short-lived as the federal government stopped requiring field studies for pesticide registration in 1993. #WEST30Years
