- Author: Karen Giovannini
From 2015 Sonoma County Harvest Fair:
Larson is working closely with Sonoma County Tourism, and her efforts are bringing more economic opportunities to local agriculture producers, making their operations more sustainable and economically viable. Her program integrates ecosystem services provided by rangelands and highlights the benefits of using grazing animals as tools to manage local landscapes. As a certified rangeland manager, she works with land managers to help them to make sound ecologic decisions about managing working landscapes for the benefit of all users. Larson is also the current principle investigator for the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher program, which is training “agropreneurs” to increase food production throughout a five county region. Larson is working to develop an incubator farm that will provide opportunities for these beginners to learn their skills and increase local food access. “Programs like this are important to combat the shrinking acreage available for growing crops and the climbing prices of farmland, particularly in Sonoma County,” says Larson."
- Author: Julia Van Soelen Kim
- Contributor: Michael Levy
It was run by researcher Michael Levy, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, along with Mark Lubell, an influential social network scientist at UC Davis. Levy asked participants to define sustainable agriculture by drawing "mental models" consisting of the important aspects of sustainable agriculture and how they affect each other.
Participants first constructed their own mental models electronically by creating mind maps or a web of words linked together. Then the group constructed a larger mental model together and discussed the implications. According to Levy, “the data generated will lead to research that informs UC ANR programs and advances the social science of sustainability and agriculture, and it will help us get a richer picture of how sustainable agriculture knowledge is distributed and moves through the community.”
Conceptualizing each individual's understanding of sustainable agriculture as a network of related concepts allows Levy and Lubell to apply cutting-edge network analysis tools to test hypotheses and find new insights.
- Author: Jenna Dohman Jenna.Dohman@ccc.ca.gov
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, members of the greater Santa Rosa community celebrated the National Day of Service at Paulin Creek Open Space Preserve. Over 100 volunteers from 4H, local girl scout troops, Youth Connections, AmeriCorps and local neighbors came together to help preserve a critical riparian corridor within urban Santa Rosa. These engaged community members removed invasive French Broom from the preserve and planted native seed. These efforts will help the vegetation return to its natural state, improving wildlife habitat and stream health.
In conjunction with Sorrel Allen from the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (SCAPOSD), this volunteer event was organized by Troy Cameron and Jenna Dohman, AmeriCorps members from the Watershed Stewards Program serving their term at California Sea Grant. The SCAPOSD has ongoing volunteer efforts to protect and enhance the natural resources in this preserve. The Watershed Stewards Program and SCAPOSD would like to thank all the 4H members that participated in this event, helping to protect natural resources in Sonoma County for future generations.
Site Background:
The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (SCAPOSD) purchased this land in 2002 when prospective development of two parcels of the land raised public awareness about the property and led to a call for preservation. The Paulin Creek Preserve encompasses 46 acres of land and 9 of those acres are owned by SCAPOSD which are open year-round to the public.
Paulin Creek flows through the middle of this preserve. It flows westward into Piner Creek, then Santa Rosa Creek, the Laguna de Santa Rosa, and finally reaches the Russian River before flowing out into the ocean. The Russian River is a class 1 fisheries stream as it has threatened and endangered salmonid species including Coho, Chinook, and Steelhead. Specifically, Steelhead have been seen in Paulin Creek, so this habitat is very important for the survival of the species in the Russian River system. The Sonoma County Water Agency also owns a portion of this preserve and on their portion, there is a dam with a flood control reservoir. This holds back water to prevent flooding, but outflows are released throughout the year, so downstream of this dam Paulin Creek has water all year, even through the dry season in the summer. Paulin Creek Open Space Preserve also has diverse vegetation. It is home to a number of native plants including mixed grasslands, mixed oak woodlands (bays, coast live oak, Oregon oak, madrone, big leaf maple, buckeye), understory (snowberry, poison oak, native honeysuckle, native blackberry toyon) riparian woodlands and wetlands.
There are also invasive plants present including the French Broom that was removed during this event! While invasive plants can sometimes be pretty, they can severely outcompete native plants. Because they are foreign to the landscape, they may not have any natural predators in the area. Native plants might also not have defenses appropriate for this new plant. An invasive plant might be aggressive enough to completely dominate an area of land, which decreases biodiversity. As the invasive plant takes over, it can change food webs in an ecosystem. An animal used to eating the plant life in one area may not get the necessary nutrients from this new invasive plant, causing these animals to move to a new location. Similarly, new species of animals may come to eat this invasive plant.
Needless to say, this volunteer effort to remove invasive French Broom will greatly benefit the wildlife habitat on the Paulin Creek Preserve. Thanks again to all the volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to lend a hand in their community!
If you are interested in learning more, visit Watershed Stewards Program or find them on Facebook: Americorps Watershed Stewards Project.
If you would like to hear about future volunteer opportunities please visit Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, or find them on Facebook: SCAPOSD.
- Author: Rhonda J Smith
February 10, 2016
Program, 8am to noon at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
7am to 8am: Sign-in and breakfast
$40 if pre-registered by Feb. 19; $45 at the door
Sonoma County Grape Day presents research-based topics of interest to grape growers and vintners. This year Pierce's disease, vine mealybugs, spray technology and berry phenolic composition will be addressed.
UC Berkeley researchers and Cooperative Extension advisors have recently started a three-year research project in Sonoma and Napa counties to gain information on vector populations inside vineyards year round, and the incidence of infected versus diseased vines in those sites. The objective is to improve management practices to reduce PD.
Vine Mealybugs
View the agenda and register at: www.ucanr.edu\scgrapeday
- Author: Karen Giovannini
Mary Engebreth was presented with one of the Sonoma County's highest honors, a Gold Resolution from the Board of Supervisors. Mary was presented with the Gold at the State 4-H Leaders Forum by Louise Silacci, "As President of the CA 4-H State Leaders Council, I wanted to recognize one outstanding leader at our convention, and that one leader was Mary. One of her most important contributions came this past year when we were approved to start a new program called "Discussion Meet." We follow the Young Ranchers and Farmers outline with a 4-H twist. Mary wrote the project manual and I can't say enough wonderful things about her."
"Mary Engebreth's countless hours of volunteerism,
the leadership of a successful youth program
and her continuing spirit to help our youth succeed,
should be noted as a model for
our community to celebrate."
Mary Engebreth started her 4-H career in 1969 as a project leader for Sewing and a project called Beginning Boys for new 4-Hers. Little did she know that 46 years later she would still be a vital part of the organization. Although she started at the club level, she took on greater leadership roles.
- Sonoma County Club Council officer 1980-88, president 86-88
- North Coast Section officer 1986 including Policy Secretary & President
- Sonoma County All-Star adviser 92-93
- California Diamond Star program adviser 92-94
- National 4-H Conference 94 & 97
- Western Regional Leadership Forum 93-present
- National 4-H Camping Institute 98-02
- Developed California 4-H Camping Institute 2000, president 00-02
- Discussion Meet committee charter member 2012-present
Mary has created innovative programs:
- Started the Countywide Wildlife Project in 1987 and continues to be the project leader of this non-traditional project, the project was awarded the Golden Clover earlier this year;
- She partnered with the six counties that use Los Posadas 4-H Camp to create CAMP (Create a Memorable Program) staff training weekend;
- She founded CAL Conference (Create a Leader) for North Central Section youth leadership weekends;
- Began WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program) with a team of specialist and teachers - WHEP is a takeoff of a National Program that focused on California habitat.
And if that wasn't enough, she was an integral part of the re-write of the original State Presentation Day Manual and State Fashion Revue Manual.
THANK YOU MARY for your past, present, and future
contributions to and leadership of the 4-H program