To address these budgetary issues, cost increases must be offset by increasing the proportion of research costs covered by research projects. We project that approximately 25 percent of today's central funding will need to be redirected to cover increases in personnel salaries and benefits, deferred maintenance, strategic investments to ensure long-term operation of the REC system for generations to come, and increases in operating expenditures that are not included in research expenses. Increased expenses will be covered over time through a combination of fund development, increased revenue generated through increased programming and services, increased efficiency of business operations, and a reduction in the current level of research funding by UC ANR which, at present, averages approximately 80 percent across all REC supported projects.
For over a year now, we have been working to secure a bright future for the REC system by looking at the research that is conducted at each REC and considering how we do business now and in the future. In addition to the current work and programming that occurs at each REC every day, there is incredible untapped potential for new research and programs. Improved understanding of the cost to conduct research has been a key part of the review process undertaken at each of the centers over the past year. A deep dive into the accounting and cost structure has occurred at each facility; identifying the lines of service at the facility and the costs to provide those services. The FY 2018-19 cost structures for each center have been submitted to the UC ANR Rate and Recharge Committee for review this past week. Following review, the REC system will receive feedback and recommendations for changes to be made prior to rate approval.
We aim to have the full cost structures approved by late April 2018. Concurrent with the effort to identify costs for each line of service is work by each REC director to identify the level of funding that will be available in their individual budgets to reduce those costs to support research projects at each facility. We anticipate these rates will be available in late April for projects conducted in FY 2018-19 and with estimates for FY 2019-20 available at the same time.
Continuing a long tradition of supporting impactful research at each REC to solve agricultural and natural resource issues remains our highest priority. Ramp up of fund development efforts and identification of new or additional income opportunities at each REC will take time as will the ability for these strategies to offset research costs. In the meantime, the REC directors have identified that providing extra financial support to UC academics who have been in their jobs six years or less is critical to the success of new and early-career UC academics. To the extent that UC ANR funding permits, extra financial support may also be provided to support exploratory or high risk/high reward projects, projects that extend critical, under-funded, long-term research, and projects conducted by PIs who are first time users of the REC.
While the current budgeting efforts come with uncertainty and discomfort in the short-term, change is needed to secure long-term success. The leaders of each REC and UC ANR senior leaders are committed to transparency of research costs, exemplary customer service and investment into facilities and infrastructure that further our ability for sustained growth of the REC System.
Sincerely,
Glenda Humiston, vice president
Wendy Powers, associate vice president
Tu Tran, associate vice president, Business Operations
Jeff Dahlberg, director, Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Jairo Diaz, director, Desert Research and Extension Center
Jose Fernandez De Soto, director, Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Beth Grafton-Cardwell, director, Lindcove Research and Extension Center
Darren Haver, director, South Coast Research and Extension Center
Bob Hutmacher, director, West Side Research and Extension Center
Jeremy James, director, Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center
Kim Rodrigues, director, Hopland Research and Extension Center
Rob Wilson, director, Intermountain Research and Extension Center
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
- Author: Andy Lyons
The UCANR IGIS team will hold its next DroneCamp training June 18-21, 2018, at UC San Diego.
This bootcamp-style workshop will cover the full suite of steps and skills for using drones for mapping and data collection, including:
- UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and sensor technology
- Principles of photogrammetry and remote sensing
- Safety and regulations
- Mission planning
- Flight operations including hands-on practice
- Data management, processing, and analysis
- Visualization
The fee for this three-day workshop is $500 for University of California employees and students, and $900 for everyone else. A limited number of fee waivers are available based on need.
Additional information and registration information can be found at http://igis.ucanr.edu/dronecamp. Registration requires a short application (no fee) about your background and learning goals. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to submit an application by April 15 for guaranteed early registration.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Douglas DeWitt McCreary, UC Cooperative Extension natural resources specialist, died on Feb. 15 in Grass Valley. He was 72.
“Doug was the epitome of what a CE specialist should be - a world-renowned researcher, a first-rate teacher, and an attitude that could bring people from diverse backgrounds and philosophies together,” said Richard B. Standiford, UC Cooperative Extension forest management specialist emeritus and long-time colleague of McCreary.
Born in San Mateo and raised in Berkeley, McCreary earned a bachelor's degree in economics at UC Riverside. After graduating from UCR, he studied at the London School of Economics for one year, then traveled throughout Europe. He earned his master's degree and Ph.D. in forestry at Oregon State University.
In 1986, McCreary joined UC ANR as part of its statewide Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program, newly created in response to public concern that oaks, the most common tree species in California hardwood rangelands, and their habitats were declining through neglect.
“Prior to Doug's work, oak planting on rangelands was a costly and low-success enterprise,” Standiford said. “Natural oak regeneration of white oaks was lacking in many areas, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of oak woodlands. Doug developed low-cost, practical techniques for planting oaks, predominantly blue and valley oaks, on rangeland sites. This work was widely adopted throughout the state.”
McCreary introduced the use of tree shelters from Europe, and found that they increased survival of oak seedlings in California's Mediterranean climate. He also developed the timing for successfully gathering acorns for regeneration. After the 49er Fire, which started near Highway 49 in Nevada County in 1988, he organized Project Acorn, a county-wide effort with dozens of volunteers who collected and planted acorns in areas devastated by the fire. In 1990, McCreary was honored for Project Acorn with the Take Pride in America Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.
McCreary, who was based at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center, worked with state, federal and private nurseries to produce high-vigor bare root and containerized seedlings. He also developed silvicultural techniques to encourage natural seedlings to recruit into larger size trees.
“Doug was not content to just produce voluminous scientific journal articles on oak regeneration, but organized countless oak regeneration field days, workshops and symposia throughout the entire state,” Standiford said. “His biannual oak regeneration field days at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center were must-attend events for the restoration and conservation community.”
The ANR publication, “Regenerating Rangeland Oaks” written and updated by McCreary in 2009, Standiford said, “is the bible for oak restoration, and provides a practical guide for all parts of the regeneration cycle for landowners and professionals.”
McCreary retired in 2011.
“We will all miss Doug very much. He was a wonderful colleague and friend,” Standiford said.
“I concur with Rick,” said Mel George, UC Cooperative Extension rangeland management specialist emeritus.
McCreary is survived by his partner, Therese Hukill-DeRock, his children Tyson McCreary and Megan Cielatka, and his grandchildren Hazel, Sybil, Ian and Isaac.
A celebration of McCreary's life is planned for June 10 in Grass Valley.
Read more about McCreary at https://www.theunion.com/news/obituaries/obituary-of-douglas-dewitt-mccreary.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all individuals who are employed or participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation or intimidation.
Our commitment includes complying with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. Sexual harassment and sexual violence are forms of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX.
To fulfill its obligations under Title IX and other related state and federal laws, including the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), which amended the Clery Act, effective January 1, 2016, the University implemented an updated Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy. The updated policy outlines the University's procedures for responding promptly and effectively to reports of prohibited conduct such as sexual harassment and sexual violence, which includes sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and gender-based harassment. The policy prohibits retaliation against a person for the good-faith reporting of any of these forms of conduct or participating in any related investigation or proceeding. The University of California systemwide Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment is available online at http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH.
UC ANR's local procedures have been added to the Administrative Handbook and are available at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/255148.pdf on page 5. The procedures for reporting incidents are also located on UC ANR's Discrimination and Sexual Violence Prevention website under Reporting Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment.
To further support the UC ANR community, UC ANR recently expanded its resources by adding the UC Davis Center for Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE). CARE is the Advocacy Office for Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Sexual Misconduct, and it serves as a confidential resource for UC ANR staff and academics, as well as students, who have experienced any form of sexual violence, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic/dating violence and stalking. CARE provides 24/7 emergency response, crisis intervention and support services for survivors.
All UC employees (except those specifically identified and designated as confidential employees) are required to notify the Title IX Officer if they receive information from a student about a possible incident of sexual violence or sexual harassment. CARE and the UC Davis Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) can offer confidential consultations without reporting the incident to the Title IX Officer.
Any member of the UC ANR community may report conduct that may constitute sexual violence, sexual harassment, retaliation and other prohibited behavior by contacting the UC ANR Title IX Officer, John Sims, or another Responsible Employee. A Responsible Employee in UC ANR who receives a report alleging sexual violence or sexual harassment must promptly notify the UC ANR Title IX Officer even if the individual making the report requests that no action be taken. Responsible Employees include academic appointees, all personnel of the UC ANR Human Resources Office, and directors, managers and supervisors.
Anyone who is aware of an act or acts of violence can anonymously report the incident by reporting the incident to The UC Whistleblower hotline at http://www.ucop.edu/uc-whistleblower or (800) 403-4744.
The University will respond promptly and effectively to any report of harassment and discrimination and will take appropriate action to prevent, correct and, when necessary, discipline behavior that violates University policy.
Creating an atmosphere free of violence, harassment and discrimination for everyone to work and learn is a responsibility that we all share. Thank you for helping maintain a safe and comfortable community for UC ANR members and stakeholders.
For more information, please visit UC ANR's Discrimination and Sexual Violence Prevention website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/DiscriminationSexual_Violence.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Wendy Powers, Associate Vice President, has provided an update on the 2018 Call for Cooperative Extension (CE) positions, which was released on Feb. 7. The call aims to identify positions that address programmatic gaps and emerging needs.
CE Advisor position proposals
The UCCE county directors and REC directors have narrowed their list of proposed CE advisor positions to 27. They have discussed these with program team leaders and statewide program/institute directors. Through ongoing two-way communication, they are encouraged to work with program teams, statewide programs/institutes and external stakeholders to develop those proposals. At their May 10 meeting, county directors and REC directors will further narrow the list to 20 proposed positions for submittal May 15. The list of 27, and proposed positions that aren't moving forward but can be picked up by other groups such as program teams and statewide programs/institutes, are posted at http://ucanr.edu/2018positionproposalideas along with more detail on their next steps.
CE Specialist position proposals
Conversations for proposed CE specialist positions have also begun. Through two-way communication, department chairs, CE specialists and Agricultural Experiment Station faculty will engage with program teams, statewide programs/institutes and external stakeholders to develop positions. The list of department chairs to contact is posted, as will be proposal ideas when available (no later than April 20). The final list of 20 proposed positions will be submitted by May 15.
“We thank the ANR network for actively engaging in this participatory process to strengthen and rebuild CE positions statewide,” Powers said.
The 2018 Call for Cooperative Extension positions, the new process flowchart and timeline, criteria, proposal template and interactive academic footprint maps are posted at http://ucanr.edu/2018callforpositions.