Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) is soliciting proposals for new and continuing research projects for the period July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.

Hopland REC encompasses more than 5,300 acres of oak woodland, grasslands and chaparral rangeland in southeastern Mendocino County. The facility provides research opportunities in animal science, range management, wildlife ecology, plant ecology, entomology and epidemiology, pest management, viticulture and natural resources management. Some unique features of interest include the capacity to study paired watershed effects, grazed and non-grazed vernal pools, diversity of species (including the discovery of a new species of wildflower) and more.

New projects are encouraged and there may be opportunities to use existing research designs for new research questions. HREC's resources include an array of habitat types, almost 700 species of vascular plants including 11 species of oaks, a resident sheep flock and an array of mammal species including black-tailed deer, wild feral pigs and coyotes. Facilities include 12 acres of irrigated pasture and vineyard, all-season road access, lab space, high-speed Internet, a nationally acclaimed lysimeter, basic wet and dry lab facilities (currently being renovated), capacity to perform necropsies on site and a dormitory that can accommodate over 20 students.

Please refer to http://hrec.ucanr.edu for a complete description of center resources. For even more detailed descriptions of the natural resources and related features of interest, please look at our interactive storybook at HREC Story map.

Hopland REC provides outstanding staff with diverse skills to provide local labor, equipment, research facilities and technical and management support to UC academics and to personnel from cooperating non-UC organizations. Hopland REC expects to award hours of center-provided labor at minimal cost to support approved projects during this coming program year.

Hopland REC assesses an annual research project fee and a per-hour labor rate for staff assistance on all active projects. Both rates are subsidized for UC affiliates. Non-UC affiliates are charged the full rate.

To submit a proposal, please submit forms electronically, via the “Universal Review System” accessed through the UC ANR Portal by April 21, 2017.

To submit a proposal, go to http://hrec.ucanr.edu. On the left hand side under RESEARCH you will see the tab "Submitting a proposal." You will be asked for your ANR Portal login. Once you are logged in, you will see a list of proposals for the PI or Co-PI. Only submit the proposals that you are the PI for unless the PI has asked you to submit the proposal as a Co-PI.

If you have any questions, contact Amber Shrum, administrative assistant, at 707-744-1424 Ext. 101, or Kimberly Rodrigues, HREC director, at (707) 744-1424, Ext 115.

Following an interview process and review of the feedback collected from the search committee and seminar attendees as well as the application materials, AVP Wendy Powers requested that the Vice Provost – Cooperative Extension search be extended so that we may solicit more candidates for consideration.

“Although we saw several strong applicants, we want to be certain that we have done our due diligence in finding the very best person for this critical job,” she said.

The Vice Provost – Cooperative Extension is a key position that provides oversight and coordination for the academic review process. In addition, the person in this position will provide leadership and vision for our network of county leaders and how we partner with counties, seeking to strengthen these partnerships going forward while providing support to UC ANR county leaders. Chris Greer will continue to fulfill the duties of the Vice Provost until June 30. 

"I want to thank the search committee for the exceptional work they have done to date," Powers said. "I especially appreciate their continued willingness to search for that extraordinary leader who possesses the unique set of skills needed to build on UC ANR's current successes and direct our programs toward California's future needs."

The ideal candidate will be a leader who

• understands the complexity of our county partnerships and the county-by-county needs across California;
• can create, gain buy-in to and deploy a vision to support Cooperative Extension county leadership and facilitate their success;
• appreciates the breadth in program areas within UC Cooperative Extension;
• has extensive personnel experience with academic hiring and merit and promotion processes; and 
• can quickly get up to speed, building on his or her past demonstrated expertise in Extension and academia.

The Vice Provost – Cooperative Extension position is an ongoing recruitment until the position is filled.

UC Office of the President has put together a new systemwide website that provides news, resources and support for those affected by President Trump's executive orders on immigration, including ones that could affect UC's student Dreamers.

The University of California supports legislative efforts to rescind the order. Like universities across the country, UC is deeply enriched by students, faculty and scholars from around the world, who come to study, teach and conduct research. It is critical that the United States continues to welcome the best students, scholars, scientists and engineers of all backgrounds and nationalities.

UC is also deeply concerned that all three executive orders on immigration signed by President Trump earlier this year are creating a climate of confusion and fear among members of our community, especially among undocumented students and those of the Muslim faith.

The information gathered on the website is intended to provide guidance, resources and support for navigating this fluid situation, and to reaffirm the University of California's commitment to all members of its community.

The website is at https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/immigration.

Duncan McMartin, UC Cooperative Extension poultry specialist emeritus in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, died Jan. 14. The following obituary was provided by his daughter Shona Hilton.

Duncan McMartin

Duncan was born on March 30, 1932, to Alistair and Jean McMartin, at East Lodge on the Rannoch Estate at the west end of Loch Rannoch, Scotland, where his father was head gamekeeper. Duncan, along with his siblings Betty, Jessie and David, enjoyed a country childhood. Some of his best days were spent out on the moors or loch, hunting and fishing, more often than not with a dog by his side. His stories of growing up in such a wild and beautiful environment during a bygone era have kept friends and family entertained and inspired for many years. 

He attended the tiny primary school Georgetown School at Bridge of Gaur and then Breadalbane Academy, Aberfeldy. He boarded in the hostel with other remote-living pupils and during the week he continued his fiddle lessons with Miss McGregor. Duncan first began these lessons earlier in Rannoch with John Robertson, and playing Scottish fiddle music became a lifelong passion for him.

After leaving school, he spent two years in the Army doing his National Service.

In 1957, he graduated in Veterinary Medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Following this he was employed as assistant specialist in the Experiment Station at UC Davis and received his doctorate in Comparative Pathology from UC Davis in 1961.

During these years in Davis he met and married his loving wife of nearly 50 years, Hyla Tinklepaugh (who passed away in 2007). The couple soon moved back to Scotland where he worked for the British Ministry of Agriculture Veterinary Laboratory at Lasswade, near Edinburgh, becoming Head of Microbiology there. For his outstanding work on eradication of M. gallisepticum from commercial poultry in Britain, he was awarded the Hall Gold Medal by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, London, in 1969.

During this time Duncan and Hyla raised four children  - Christina, Duncan, John and Shona - at their home in the small village of Edgehead, Midlothian. Here he enjoyed the idyllic life of a small country village with many great friends and neighbors. He was active in the local community and had great times and memories of local social events and gatherings. 

In 1980, Duncan was appointed as a Cooperative Extension specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and he and his family emigrated to the U.S. His career was focused on the impact of diseases on large and small commercial flocks of layers and broilers, but he also had interests in pet and exotic birds. Duncan considered it his privilege to travel throughout California liaising with individual farmers, practicing veterinarians and poultry companies and applying the latest scientific research and knowledge to the health and welfare challenges facing the agricultural community. He developed a dynamic applied research program aimed at eradicating and controlling bacterial and viral diseases that confronted the poultry industry. His research and leadership contributions to avian health and food safety were recognized both nationally and internationally with numerous invitations to speak at professional conferences along with providing his expertise to state and federal regulatory/governmental agencies. Additionally, Duncan enthusiastically and readily shared his knowledge about poultry care and health with his colleagues, veterinary residents, college students and many young people. He retired from UC Davis in 1993.

Duncan was well-known and loved, especially within the Scottish community in California. An accomplished fiddle-player and Gaelic speaker, he brought joy to people as he shared his love of Scottish music and culture, often with a wee dram in hand. He was a longtime member of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco and a founding member of the Dixon Scottish Cultural Association in which he participated in many activities. He was involved in helping with the sheepdog trials and fiddling, and was well known for his dramatic and inspirational rendition of Burns' “Address to the Haggis.” He had an amazing memory and often regaled others with music, songs and his vast historical knowledge. Duncan was also known for his kindness, wit and humble nature; he always saw the best in others and went out of his way to be there for family and friends around him. He will be greatly missed.

Duncan is survived by his sons Duncan and John, daughters Shona and Christina, sister Betty, grandchildren Laura, Andrew, Lex and Jake, and will also be lovingly remembered by many extended family members and friends.

There will be no immediate service, but a celebration of his life will be held this summer in Davis and a service will be held in Scotland. Both will be announced in due time. Although he lived in his adopted home of Davis for many years, his heart was always back in Scotland. His family will be returning him home to Rannoch, along with Hyla, to be buried there.