- Author: Saoimanu Sope
Over 2,000 climate-ready trees have been planted in low-shade neighborhoods throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties thanks to the efforts of emerita advisor Janet Hartin.
Looking back at her 40 years as a UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture advisor, Hartin – who retired in July – is most proud of the “Trees for Tomorrow Start Today” program. She started it in 2019 with her colleague and friend, Mandy Parkes, Inland Empire Resource Conservation District manager.
About 10 years ago, when the project was just a fleeting thought, Hartin said wildfires and extreme heat were a growing concern in California. These natural occurrences – along with the reality of urban heat islands, a phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than the surrounding rural areas – inspired Hartin to act because more people die from extreme heat than from wildfires.
The Trees for Tomorrow Start Today program recommends planting species of trees that are more resistant to drought, heat, pests, and the impacts of urban heat islands and climate change –all factors that traditionally planted tree species cannot always withstand, according to Hartin. Cooling urban areas with heat-tolerant trees can make a huge difference for the people and animals living in those communities.
“Surfaces such as asphalt parking lots can be more than 60 degrees hotter when they're unshaded,” Hartin said. “Trees not only cool urban areas by providing shade but also through transpiration, where water vapor is returned to the atmosphere through leaves, serving as a very effective and natural air conditioner.”
Becoming the go-to tree advocate and expert in the region
To reach neighborhoods that needed shade trees, Hartin identified grassroots organizations and partnered with the UC Master Gardener Program to recruit volunteers in communities that would benefit the most to launch the Trees for Tomorrow Start Today program. When selecting neighborhoods, Hartin and her team prioritized communities that experienced higher risks of pulmonary and/or cardiovascular disease – often exacerbated by poor air quality and extreme heat.
To ensure trees thrive, Hartin partnered with UC Master Gardener volunteers to educate residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties on tree planting and care before giving them free trees to plant.
“She is the tree advocate and expert in the region,” said Parkes. “The most important aspect of her work is that UC Master Gardeners, who are especially trained in this program, help ensure that each person goes home with the ‘right' tree to increase chances of success and realization of climate benefit, and can always contact the helpline if questions or problems arise later.”
Trees for Tomorrow Start Today relies on climate-ready and drought-, heat- and pest-resistant tree species that have been vetted in various ways. Some are performing well in research trials at UC Davis, UC Riverside and the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine led by Hartin and her UC and U.S. Forest Service colleagues.
Other climate-ready trees have been identified in Hartin's independent research projects and by observing species' survival rates in even harsher climates than the climate zones the trees are now being planted in, with an eye on the future for their long-term success.
In partnership with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Hartin was able to establish community bonds in San Bernardino and east Coachella Valley, areas that have benefitted significantly from the Trees for Tomorrow Start Today program.
“The truth is that the applied aspect of my work was needed to ensure the program's success. I needed the help from my arboriculture and non-commercial clientele to keep it real,” said Hartin.
Eager to listen and better understand the community, Hartin said her clientele educated her and played an integral role in the development of the program. She describes this relationship as a “two-way street” that has been incredibly rewarding for all involved.
“When we create a continuum of applied research that includes the end user, and follow their lead on problem-solving, we can help enable that clientele to enact long-term solutions,” Hartin said.
Husam Yousef, UC Master Gardener in San Bernardino County, said the continuity of this tree-planting project means ensuring a positive impact on the environment and the well-being of San Bernardino residents in the coming decades. “It's about time we give back what we have taken for years!" said Yousef.
Years of contribution recognized by industry organizations
Hartin has emerged as a statewide leader in landscape water management and sustainable landscaping, which have become critical issues during the lengthy and persistent California drought. In 2022, Hartin was inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals with a minimum of 20 years in the landscape, nursery or floriculture industry and who have made significant contributions to the field.
“There is no doubt about the high quality and effective nature of Janet's contributions to the University of California and industry,” said Don Hodel, emeritus UCCE environmental horticulture for Los Angeles County. “Her knowledge, competence and professionalism are beyond question, and uphold the University's strong and high reputation for academic research, education and service.”
The California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) recently recognized Hartin for several series of pest management seminars she organized for landscape clientele in San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties, and her contribution to the 2024 statewide CAPCA Conference.
“Janet is an excellent writer and contributor, and easily conveys information to clientele in a clear and precise manner,” Hodel added. “Her presentations are always timely, informative, lucid, interesting, well-illustrated and delivered in a professional manner and met with much audience enthusiasm.”
Thinking back to 1984 when she first joined UCCE as an environmental horticulture advisor fresh out of graduate school, Hartin remembers there was a focus on equity and ensuring that clientele of all ethnicities and races were served. How to do this, though, remained less clear back then.
Over the years, Hartin has learned to focus on listening, and working with and learning from colleagues and clientele with diverse backgrounds – as exemplified by her Trees for Tomorrow Start Today work.
Paving a path for rising environmental horticulturalists
Her leadership experience as the Chair of UC ANR's Associate Editors Board, and a member of the academic Peer Review Committee, statewide Master Gardener Steering Committee, and Water Strategic Initiative panel helped prepare her for a long-term role as an UC ANR Environmental Horticulture Program Team leader with colleagues Don Hodel and Heiner Lieth.
Together, they coordinated annual Program Team meetings and workgroup meetings and oversaw the authorship of a white paper describing the size and impact of the environmental horticulture industry. These efforts, coupled with support from county directors involved in the position identification process, were instrumental in the hiring of vital UCCE environmental horticulture advisor positions over the last five years.
“It's great to have fresh ideas and new skills in our cohort,” Hartin said. “We were down to bare bones, numbers-wise, before these hires.”
Hartin said that she would advise the younger generation of academics to recognize how important and rewarding cultural experiences and opportunities to work with diverse clientele can be. She also urges advisors to let clientele help define their programmatic vision and path forward.
“I love to see UC ANR and partners and collaborators that are so supportive of our mission and vision work closely together with clientele to identify and tackle tough issues, improving the quality of life for Californians,” Hartin said. “I know that ANR is in good hands moving forward.”
- Author: Michael Hsu
Document includes refreshed vision and mission, outlines challenges where UC ANR can make impact
Vice President Glenda Humiston and the Strategic Visioning Committee are pleased to announce the release of the UC ANR Strategic Vision 2040, which will guide our work, structure and resource allocation to optimize and align its research, programs and partnerships over the next 15 years.
The document is the result of a 15-month process, during which the committee synthesized thousands of comments and feedback from hundreds of UC ANR employees and community members, including agency staff, elected officials, nonprofit groups, California Tribes, industry partners, farmers and producers.
“The Strategic Vision 2040 represents a reaffirmation of UC ANR's commitment to serve as a catalyst for positive change – cultivating, co-creating and sharing science-based solutions on a wide range of issues,” Humiston said. “I want to personally thank the Strategic Visioning Committee and everyone who contributed to creating this truly grassroots document that shows where we can make a real difference for our state, nation and world.”
The visioning process produced a refreshed vision and mission for UC ANR:
Our Vision: UC ANR will be valued in every California community for meaningful engagement and making a positive impact in people's lives.
Our Mission: UC ANR cultivates thriving communities, sustainable agriculture, resilient ecosystems, and economic prosperity in California through development and sharing of equitable and collaborative science-based solutions that have national and global impact.
In addition, the extensive community input helped the committee identify seven distinct California challenges as priority areas in which UC ANR can make a significant impact.
On top of our core areas of Agriculture and Food Systems, Natural Ecosystems and Working Landscapes, and Thriving People and Communities, the Strategic Vision 2040 document lists four issues that overarch all our research and extension work: Climate Change; Innovation; Regulations, Policy and Compliance; and Systemic Inequities.
The Strategic Vision 2040 document is not intended to be a full strategic plan. This week, a new committee kicked off a series of meetings to develop UC ANR's 2025-2030 Strategic Framework with specific goals, objectives, metrics and deliverables designed to operationalize the Vision.
/h3>- Author: Saoimanu Sope
When 4-H in Ventura County sought to raise funds that would help it meet the needs of local youth now and in the future, the community responded with tremendous generosity.
A national youth development organization, 4-H aims to empower young people with leadership skills for personal and professional growth. In California, the 4-H program falls under the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources umbrella and is administered through local UC Cooperative Extension offices based in counties across the state.
In May 2023, the Ventura 4-H Volunteer Management Board established the Forever 4-H Ventura County Endowment to ensure sustained financial support for future Ventura County 4-H youth.
Recognizing the value of long-term financial sustainability for 4-H, the Ventura County Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture organized a donation drive to grow the endowment. By July 2024, their members and supporters had donated over $30,000 in support of Ventura County 4-H youth.
“With deep gratitude, the UC 4-H Youth Development program in Ventura County would like to thank every individual and organization for their generosity,” said Shannon Klisch, UC Cooperative Extension Area Director for San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
“A special thank you to our partners at the Farm Bureau of Ventura County for their leadership in raising over $30,000 to support 4-H youth. We know that 4-H youth are more likely to be civically engaged and make healthy choices than their peers and the difference that 4-H can make is in large part due to the supporters and donors that make programming possible," she added.
Funds from the endowment will support general 4-H operations and new programming for youth in 4-H which may include establishing a 4-H camp in Ventura County, increasing programming for youth at the Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and providing youth with opportunities to develop leadership and life skills.
To learn more about the Forever 4-H Endowment Fund, visit: https://ucanr.edu/sites/4hfoundation/Forever_4-H/
To learn more about 4-H in Ventura County, visit: https://ceventura.ucanr.edu/Families_-_Communities/
Editor's note: The month of donations last received has been updated and program plans for the funds have also been specified in the last paragraph.
/span>- Author: Saoimanu Sope
About 15 years ago, Mary Maser saw an ad in the classified section of her local newspaper for a job opening with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program serving San Diego County. As a community education specialist with EFNEP, she has provided nutrition lessons for thousands of Spanish-speaking residents until her retirement on July 1.
Maser, who is of Mexican descent and fluent in Spanish, enjoyed working with the Spanish-speaking community in San Diego because it kept her connected to her roots. Before joining University of California Cooperative Extension, Maser taught factory workers English and served as an interpreter in the medical field.
“I've had a lot of different jobs and being fluent in Spanish has helped me in my line of work tremendously,” she said.
“We offer the EFNEP courses in English and Spanish, but a majority of my students were Spanish speakers,” recalled Maser, who taught nutrition education and healthy living practices to adults. Making her students feel as comfortable as possible was important to Maser.
Based on her time with EFNEP, Maser said that she is most proud of her students' dedication.
“I was impressed with the number of students who showed up to every class, wanting to learn, even during the pandemic,” Maser said. When the COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandate hit California, Maser said she started teaching students over the phone.
“I had one student who was spending quality time with family in Tahoe, and I told her that it was okay for us to postpone class,” Maser said. “But she insisted and said she wanted to do it, so we did.”
Maser was the only community education specialist who worked in San Diego's North County. For years, she participated in community events like the Fallbrook Clinic Health Fair, promoting EFNEP and connecting with residents. In 2019, she was recognized by Senator Brian Jones for her work with EFNEP and continued efforts teaching healthy living.
“Many of my students didn't speak English well or at all and had varying levels of education. For some, it was the first class they ever took in their life,” said Maser. “There's a lot of fear and stress they deal with on a daily basis, but it never stopped them from coming to class,” she added, emphasizing how much she admires her students' tenacity to learn.
Shirley Salado, UCCE nutrition supervisor for EFNEP in San Diego County, described Maser as a positive, respectful and considerate teammate. “Mary loved to teach nutrition and fondly cared for the Hispanic community. She was so attentive to her participants, ensuring nutrition knowledge was clearly presented to help families make better healthy choices for their well-being,” Salado said.
In her retirement, Maser is looking forward to traveling and learning another language. “I think Italian would be the easiest for me to learn, and I know a little bit of Portuguese, but I'm also interested in French,” she said.
Maser will also be using retirement to practice what she has preached for so many years, by focusing on her health and wellness.
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
After 13 years of telling the UC ANR story through written articles and video production, Norma De la Vega retired on June 29. De la Vega joined UC ANR's News and Information Outreach in Spanish team in 2009 as a senior writer.
NOS fulfilled UC ANR's vision of developing educational and informational programs in Spanish to serve the Latino community. For more than 40 years, NOS has been producing information formatted for radio, television, and online audiences, and De la Vega has played an instrumental role in helping NOS expand its reach and diversify its creative approach to storytelling.
When she started, most of her writing focused on nutrition, highlighting groups like the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and the Nutrition Policy Institute. “Norma's contributions were spot on,” said NOS Program Manager Ricardo Vela. “Her impact has been bringing the importance of nutrition into the stories that we bring to the community.”
De la Vega earned a bachelor's degree in science communications from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in her hometown of Mexico City. “Learning how to produce videos when I went to school was very different than now,” said De la Vega. “We didn't have the kind of cameras we do today.”
Following college, De la Vega worked as a television reporter in Tijuana before moving to San Diego County where she started focusing on writing. Prior to UC ANR, De La Vega worked as a writer for the Enlace Union-Tribune's Spanish newspaper in San Diego for nearly a decade.
Before it became NOS' primary medium for storytelling, De la Vega helped lead the team's video production effort despite her limited experience. “We weren't experts, but we realized the importance of video production to get our information out. It was a team effort,” she said.
In 2010, De la Vega wrote a story and produced a video on the importance of planning for old age. In many cases, adult children had to manage their parent's care without guidance, and most caregivers of the elderly spoke Spanish as their first language and needed more resources to do a better job.
De la Vega's story relied on research conducted by Patti Wooten Swanson, UCCE nutrition, family and consumer science advisor in San Diego. Not only was Swanson honored at the 2013 Galaxy Awards for her contribution to the story, but De la Vega, a member of the NOS team at the time, won first place at the Western Region Television/Video Communications Award Ceremony despite the lack of a Spanish language category.
In 2016, De la Vega produced a video of the first bilingual 4-H club, the result of a partnership with the Community Settlement Association in Riverside County. “A lot of good things were happening at that time and are happening now because ANR is evolving with more bilingual experts on different topics,” De la Vega said.
Although she started as a senior writer, De La Vega evolved and became a broadcast communications specialist. Her success in the role allowed her to become well-connected to other communicators and community leaders. “Norma always had a contact we needed for a story that we were working on,” said Miguel Sanchez, another broadcast communications specialist on the NOS team.
Lisa Rawleigh, NOS administrative assistant, established a personal and professional relationship with De la Vega. “Norma ensured that our Spanish articles were written properly and that we did not miss any accents or typos. I can always count on her to proofread my posts on social media,” said Rawleigh.
De la Vega said that she feels “enormously satisfied” to have worked with a team of fellow pioneers. “Although we were not experts, we learned so much every day and together,” De la Vega said. “Today, there are several experts in the production of community videos, and we helped enrich the graphic archive for UC ANR's community programs. I think our contribution was to lead the way in that direction.”
Looking ahead, De la Vega will be spending her retirement traveling and exploring other countries and cultures. Since she was a girl, De la Vega enjoyed swimming and can't wait to do more of it. “I love to swim because being in the water always makes me feel young,” she said.
Finally, De la Vega will enjoy quality time with her grandchildren, teaching them Spanish and volunteering at the Spanish immersion school they attend.
To read this story in Spanish, visit https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=57440.
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