- Author: Wendy Powers
Have you ever had one of those weeks when you are exhausted and then suddenly realize that it is only Thursday? Last week started with a 2-day retreat to determine how to start moving forward with our strategic plan and get to a place that positions us to accomplish our goals. While I think we all left tired and a bit brain-dead because of the intense focus, it was a good use of time and we made some really good progress on goals 1, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 15. I especially want to thank those who participated that were not members of the development group. Despite not being part of the original group that assembled the plan, these people (County Directors, REC directors, Strategic Initiatives, Statewide Programs, Staff Assembly, Specialists, AES faculty and campus leadership) jumped right in with thoughtful contemplation and great ideas.
It was particularly helpful to talk about goal 5 and what the purpose of the goal is and isn't. Goal 5 started as a key strategy embedded within a different goal and became a key strategy, in part, because UC ANR personnel have expressed feelings of having too much on their plate but also because we (UC ANR) recognize that new areas of research and stakeholder challenges are emerging all the time. So, given the changing needs of the people of California, it makes sense to take a step back every now and then to make sure we are directing efforts appropriately to reach the vision that has been laid out. For UC ANR, that is likely the 2025 Vision. Goal 5 isn't about reducing the effort of the division or making the pie smaller but rather ensuring that program goals are aligned with the vision and we have the appropriate amount of effort directed towards different programs in order to attain the vision.
While the work needed to get through goal 5 is daunting, it is an opportunity to focus what we as individuals do and have a greater collective effort towards reaching our goal. In spite of the work ahead of us, I see this as exciting because it's not about cutting things but rather about improving what we do, how we do it, the impact it has, and the toll it takes on each of us. Having been places and observed other places where this ‘step back' didn't occur until after there were threats to the budget, UC ANR is in an enviable position because we can review our efforts as a means of positioning us for growth and greater impact in improving the lives of 40 million Californians who are our clientele.
The drive back from the retreat certainly helped me think through everything I heard. What helped a bit more was a bit of a diversion I took to spend a few minutes at Pt. Reyes. Nothing like water and elephant seals to clear the mind.
The week finished with pretty much the same topic as it started. The Statewide Program and Institute Directors met to talk about the approach for working through goal 5. No doubt the workload is large and the timeline short but that ‘push' to get things underway means we are better positioned, sooner, to reach those goals and hopefully address that sense of a never-ending ‘to-do list' coupled with being pulled in far too many directions that we all experience.
Here's hoping that this week brings as many useful insights as last week did.
- Author: Wendy Powers
Admittedly, when I have thought about southern California in the past, I have imagined that once you moved east of the crowds and beaches it was a barren desert sans camels. But UC ANR personnel in Riverside and Imperial Counties have shown me that there is so much more to the far southeastern part of the state! The Coachella Valley, in particular, is just beautiful. From what seems like an enormous amount of cilantro and dill to orchards, rows of 7-acre greenhouses, and leading table grape production, the 60+ crops not to mention feedlot inventory, meat processing and hay acreage have changed my impression of those counties and opened my eyes to some of the challenges and opportunities in the region. I want to thank Jairo Diaz, Oli Bachie, Jose Aguiar, Eta Takele Carmen Gispert, Sonia Rios, and Pratap Devkota (new Advisor in Imperial County!) for helping me get up to speed as well as Vince, Scott and Jeff for letting us stop by their operations.
Clearly I'm not the only one intrigued by all of the production in the desert. While we were at the Imperial UCCE and REC facility, there was a group there as participants in the winter tour series. I learned this is part of the FARM SMART program; an initiative that spans youth development, community nutrition, gardening and agritourism. Overall, it's a fascinating program and a novel way to tie all the strengths of UCCE together while reaching a number of target audiences.
Chris Greer, Oli, Pratap, Jairo and I also spent some time with David Bradshaw from the Imperial Irrigation District to see firsthand the New River Wetlands project, designed to alleviate degradation of the Salton Sea. We stood at the edge of the Salton Sea but water levels are clearly low already and projected to go even lower in the near future.
The trip to the desert was enlightening, as much because of what was growing in the desert as because of the insights it provided about how important our partnerships across the borders (state and national) are in that region. Repeatedly I heard that clientele include growers from El Centro, Indio, Yuma and Mexicali, alike. And students from Mexico are an important part of the research underway. The strong partnerships and stakeholder support became obvious when I was able to meet so many special guests that attended lunch at the Imperial UCCE and REC facility. Guests included the local Farm Bureau, area growers, NRCS and commodity group representatives, and administrators from a university in Mexicali. A great turnout and a great meal prepared by the personnel.
- Author: Wendy Powers
One of the best things about getting out of the office is putting faces with names. Take last week, for example, when I met Claudia Diaz Carrasco in person. Previously we had only communicated via email. And for the same reason you wouldn't want to use email as a means of communication for difficult conversations, email provided little insight into how enthusiastic and passionate Claudia is about the work she does. After meeting with the Riverside office I can see that enthusiasm permeates throughout the group. Based on the program overview that Rosa Olaiz, Janet Hartin, and Chutima Ganthavorn gave it is clear the group works together well. The result is a strong, integrated program in partnership with the Community Settlement Association (CSA) that brings together the efforts of Master Gardener volunteers with nutrition education and youth development. With Claudia and Emma Sandoval as our guides, Chris Greer and I toured the CSA community garden that includes adult and youth plots. Then Yolva Gil invited us in to visit with UC ANR's first bilingual 4-H group that was meeting after school. I have to admit that I don't know the 4-H pledge in English, much less Spanish and English as this group does! But what really impressed me about this group of future leaders was what they shared with Chris and I about what the program had done for them. The kids were so articulate and forward-thinking! One participant, probably 8 or 9 years of age, greeted us at the door with a handshake and an introduction, and then later told us he planned to be a paleontologist. And he wasn't even the group's president! I'm pretty sure that at that age I had no idea what paleontology was and likely couldn't pronounce the word. This group will be going places and it will be interesting to see where they are in 10 years.
Speaking of difficult conversations, Jan Corlett and Linda Manton are teaching Crucial Conversations later this week. A good friend and colleague, Deanne Meyer (UCD Specialist, couldn't say enough good things about her experience when she took the training so I have enrolled in the April training down in Irvine. If any of you taking it this week learn any tips I should know in advance, please send them along. I had really hoped to get to the homework reading well in advance of the class but homework has never really been my thing. Deanne's probably much better about homework than I am so it's no surprise she was just accepted into LEAD21. It's a competitive program but she's always been a strong leader – way to go Deanne! And congratulations to Tapan Pathak and Karina Diaz Rios, who are participating in the Western Extension Leadership Development (WELD) program this year. If you have someone in mind you would like to nominate for next year's WELD class, please let me know as it's never too early to assemble a list of names. It seems everyone in UC ANR is a leader in some form or another so we are really fortunate to have leadership development opportunities available to us whether it is a year-long program or a 2-day training.
- Author: Wendy Powers
What a week – and it's still Tuesday! It started in Michigan with a graduate student successfully defending his M.S. degree – way to go Dave! Then on to San Diego County where Chris Greer and I met with the UC ANR personnel. We were joined by a group from eXtension, including CEO Chris Geith. I can tell you that Jim Bethke and the group in San Diego County made UC ANR look really good! From Derrick Robinson's work with youth to improve their financial literacy capacity through Money Talks, to Ramiro Lobo's overview of small farming in the county, Patti Wooten Swanson's Your Money, Your Goals program targeted at improving financial management skills of social workers so that they can help their clients, Cheryl Wilen's efforts with Healthy Garden, Healthy Home and Jim Bethke's own efforts pest management programming the eXtension group no doubt left impressed with what UCCE offers in SoCal. And that was before we all stopped in at the San Diego Zoo to meet with one of Jan Gonzales' colleagues and saw firsthand the results of shot hole borer, then met with Jennifer Pelham, Scott Parker and a couple of Master Gardeners at Founder's Square before heading to see a 4-H military program in action and learn more about the program from Sue Manglallan and Debbie McAdams. The enthusiasm of this office must be the result of the Qigong exercises lead by Margarita Ramirez-Schwarz.
I didn't know what to expect. It certainly wasn't the snow and salt truck we passed on the way from San Diego to Imperial at the end of the day. And I didn't expect Lori Renstrom to share with us the Live Well San Diego program, a collaboration of all county departments, including UCCE. In particular, the pyramid that verbalized a vision (desired state), strategic approaches to achieve the vision, areas of influence and indicators of progress was a surprise. In preparation for a retreat next week that will serve to develop action plans around some of the strategic plan goals, a few of us have been tossing around ideas about how to approach the program prioritization goal. The pyramid reminded me of a recent discussion and a concept I plan to throw out as a starting point for discussion at the retreat. I think it would be something familiar to the UCCE San Diego County.
- Author: Wendy Powers
On my tour around UC ANR across California, I had a chance to visit the Hopland REC and the personnel of Mendocino and Lake County. Even with the rain there's no mistaking that it's a beautiful place. I had heard about the sheep flock but learned about some of the work a faculty member has planned and saw, firsthand, the result of Jim Lewer's exceptional animal care. And for the first time I learned about the extent of the forestry work that Kim Rodrigues and a graduate student, Kirsten, are undertaking with blue oaks. As the station of work for Adina Merenlender and Brook Gamble it made perfect sense to talk about the huge success that is the California Naturalist program as well as some of Adina's research. Lawrence Mitchell, a Master Naturalist and volunteer, showed me some of the trees he monitors weekly, demonstrating the importance and interest in citizen science. We also talked Master Gardener with Wendy Roberts and Gabrielle O'Neill, the coordinators for the program in Mendocino and Lake Counties, respectively. Just spending the night in Cloverdale and then driving to Hopland I have an appreciation for the challenges they face in recruiting volunteers and class participants. But poor internet connectivity doesn't stop the ambitious group in this part of California from having a robust web presence, from Gabrielle's Facebook page to the extensive online educational resources that Ryan Keiffer walked us through. If you haven't met Ryan, he's a wealth of information about Hopland and all of the work that is taking place there as well as what work has come before. Not surprising, 4-H clubs are very popular and I stand in awe of how Linda Edington manages to keep track of all that is going on in the 11 clubs across the area.
One thing that became apparent as Shane Feirer talked about the work of IGIS, not just at the Hopland REC but around the state, is that entire team located at Hopland is well connected through UC ANR and UC, in general. And I think that's what it is all about. Each of us, whether we are in a county office, a campus, a REC or one of the UC ANR buildings in Oakland or Davis are essentially a gateway to the entire network of UC ANR. Our external partners and stakeholders benefit not just from those with mailing addresses at any particular location or just from whomever is sitting across the table from them at any particular moment but from the entire UC ANR network through our internal partnerships, networks and resources. The strength and impact of UC ANR doesn't come from the size of the division but from the fact that the outcome of the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
I hope to meet Hannah Bird next time I visit Hopland REC. So far we have exchanged a few emails and I've heard only great things about her.
Heading to the desert later this week. I can't wait to see the Salton Sea after reading so much about it over the years. In the meantime, I need to start thinking about how to finalize one more grants program, yet to be released (matching funds opportunity).
