- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Hundreds of wildfires burned in California in 2020. The biggest single wildfire, according to Cal Fire, was the Creek Fire, which started on Sept. 4 near Shaver Lake in Fresno County. It destroyed 856 structures and burned 379,895 acres mostly in the Sierra National Forest until it was declared contained on Dec. 24.
“Fresno County 4-H had several families that lost homes in the Creek Fire, especially from our Ridge Top 4-H Club,” said 4-H program representative Tracy Newton.
To help their fellow 4-H members and community recover from the Creek Fire, 4-H Ambassadors in Fresno County assembled baskets containing handmade dough ornaments and a seedling to give to fire survivors. They also partnered with Intermountain Nursery and Sierra Resiliency Fund to begin protecting the scorched land from erosion.
In a video about their efforts, 4-H Ambassadors Caydin Simonian, Ciara Zito, Nicole Ward and Clayton Pennebaker and local partners describe their roles.
“Without volunteers, we can't get very much done. It's nice to have a core group of individuals that are excited and motivated to do work,” Allyson Brooks, Sierra Resiliency Fund volunteer coordinator, said in the video.
Zito added, “I know together we can make a difference.”
Newton is proud of the Ambassador team's efforts supporting the Creek Fire recovery. "They've worked so hard, I'd like to see our community aware of their great efforts as well as our UC ANR community," she said. “I think they've done an amazing job! “
“Through sales of 4-H logo items and donations received, the team was able to purchase 750 seedlings which will be planted locally,” Newton said. “They are working towards participating in multiple workdays for tree plantings. In addition, there were workdays at the nursery transferring seedlings to larger containers and watering. They also supported in creating a community display that will be placed in the Creek Fire exhibit at the Sierra Historical Society.”
See the video at https://youtu.be/fCvHuFu8e1k.
- Author: Mark Bell
Unify-Communicate-Advocate
The Strategic Initiatives offer a home for strategic thought - drawing on members of the wider UC ANR community and beyond to 1) help people connect and 2) help them identify and address issues of current and emerging importance.
1. Program Teams - DEIJ added
This month, the SI leaders approved the addition of a Program Team on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice. Program Teams operate at a broad level to help people within UC ANR and beyond network, share and learn. The submission of the DEIJ PT (by Clare Gupta and Sonja Brodt) and subsequent approval represents how UC ANR continues to evolve to better meet the needs of California. Learn more about Workgroups and Program Teams here.
For more on the SIs and their activities, contact:
Jim Farrar: Pests (EIPD)
OPEN: Natural Ecosystems (SNE)
David Lewis: (Water)
Deanne Meyer: Food Systems (SFS)
Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty: Families and Communities (HFC)
Mark Bell: Vice Provost (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy - Fee Policy for Graduate Student In Absentia Registration. The policy is proposed to be revised and includes the following key issues:
- The revisions to the policy language would permit Deans to establish “a local campus region within which in absentia registration will not be considered” instead of limiting eligibility to students studying outside of California.
The proposed policy is posted at https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Administration/Business_Operations/Controller/Administrative_Policies_-_Business_Contracts/Policy_and_administrative_handbooks/ANR_Administrative_Handbook/Recent_Updates/.
If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than July 22, 2021. Please indicate “Grad-In Absentia Policy” in the subject line.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is hosting UC ANR Walks on Wednesday, May 12, at 10 a.m.
As a virtual walk, all ANR employees are invited to participate in this annual community-building event by walking – outdoors or indoors – or engaging in another form of exercise such as yoga to promote a healthy active lifestyle.
UC ANR promotes wellness by encouraging employees to take time out of their day to be physically active. As a UC ANR sponsored event, UC ANR Walks allows everyone to get together, be physical active, have some fun and hopefully is the catalyst for all of us to be more physically active.
Grab your walking shoes, water bottle, hat and sunscreen, and join your UC ANR colleagues as we take a walk break for good health and community. Make your walk an adventure by playing Walking BINGO along the way.
You can join the live event at 10 a.m. via Zoom. The Program Support Unit will send an email containing the Zoom link.
A stretching coach will lead light and fun stretching before your 30-minute walk or yoga session. After you walk or do yoga, rejoin the group online to do cool-down stretches to avoid injuries and to share comments about the exercise.
Photo Contest! Take photos and videos along your walk. Share your walk experience through real-time videos and photos during the virtual Zoom event. Enter a photo in the category of nature, fashion or urban point of interest. Photo winners will get a signed UC WALKS t-shirt, water bottle and fanny pack.
Enter the UC ANR Staff Assembly Wellness Committee raffle by doing the following:
- Complete this survey after the walk.
- Promote your walk on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) using the hashtags #UCANRmoves and #ucwalks2021.
For more information, visit http://staffassembly.ucanr.edu/Subcommittees/Wellness_Committee/Wellness_Committee/UC_Walks or email the UC Walks planning working group: David Ritz, Scott Brayton, Nora Lopez, and Molica Sim.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
A series of ANR publications have been developed for people who wish to engage Latinx youth and families in their programs.
These briefs were inspired by a research project and the Journal of Youth Development article Guiding Principles for Reaching and Engaging Latinx Youth in Youth Development Programs, by Fe Moncloa, Nancy Erbstein, Aarti Subramaniam and Claudia Diaz Carrasco.
“We know that, in general, youth-serving practitioners do not read journal articles so we used the information to write easy-to-read briefs,” said Moncloa, UC Cooperative Extension 4-H youth development advisor in Santa Clara County.
The brief ANR publications are authored by Moncloa and Claudia Diaz Carrasco, UCCE 4-H youth development advisor in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The five-part series are
Engaging Latinx Youth: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8690.pdf
Conceptual Foundations: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8691.pdf
Organizational Infrastructure: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8692.pdf
Program Elements: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8693.pdf
Building Relationships in Latinx Communities: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8694.pdf