- Author: Kendra T Rose
Dear Colleagues,
1) WSARE California is Now Accepting Applications for Professional Development Education Implementation Mini-Grants
WSARE California invites proposals for small grants (up to $25,000) to support professional development opportunities in sustainable agriculture targeted primarily to agricultural professionals such as extension staff, non-profit, state and federal agency staff, PCAs/CCAs, etc. Farmers and ranchers may be included but should NOT be the primary audience. The goal of the program is to increase the capacity of agriculture professionals who work in California to apply the principles of sustainable agriculture while working with their clientele (farmers, ranchers, consumers, youth, businesses, government, or communities). Applications will be accepted through September 25, 2024. For more information regarding priority areas, eligibility, and the application process, please visit: https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/news/western-sare-mini-grants24-26
2) The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is soliciting proposals for two programs; Research Grants and Alliance Grants Programs. The DPR's 2025 solicitations aims to fund projects that support the state's goal of transitioning to systemwide adoption of safer, more sustainable pest management, aligned with the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap objectives.
Alliance Grant Program
Alliance Grants Program provides funding for projects that promote or increase the implementation, expansion, and/or adoption of effective, proven, and affordable integrated pest management (IPM) systems or practices that reduce risks to public health and the environment in agricultural, urban, or wildland settings.
Projects under this category must address one or more of the following priority areas:
- IPM for underserved or disadvantaged communities;
- Decreasing the use of pesticides of high regulatory interest (such as fumigants like 1,3-dichloropropene or sulfuryl fluoride);
- Advancement of urban IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in urban settings;
- Advancement of IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in agricultural settings adjacent to or near a school(s);
- Meeting the IPM needs of small growers; and/or
- TWO or more of the three sustainability pillars noted below and referenced in the
- Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) Roadmap:
- Human Health and Social Equity
- Environmental Protections
- Economic Vitality
The RFA and application materials for Alliance grants are available at: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pestmgt/grants/alliance/app_materials.htm
Proposals Due: November 21, 2024 for Alliance Grants
Funding Amount: $50,000 to $400,000 for Alliance Grants
Project Length: Up to 3 years
Research Grants Program
Research Grants Program provides funding for research projects that advance integrated pest management (IPM) knowledge in agricultural, urban, and wildland settings. Projects should focus on reducing impacts to public health or the environment from pesticides of high regulatory interest.
Projects under this category must address one or more of the following priority areas:
- IPM for underserved or disadvantaged communities;
- Decreasing the use of pesticides of high regulatory interest (such as fumigants like 1,3-dichloropropene or sulfuryl fluoride);
- Advancement of urban IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in urban settings;
- Advancement of IPM and safer, more sustainable pest management tools and strategies in agricultural settings adjacent to or near a school(s);
- Meeting the IPM needs of small growers; and/or
- TWO or more of the three sustainability pillars noted below and referenced in the Sustainable Pest Management (SPM)Roadmap:
- Human Health and Social Equity
- Environmental Protections
- Economic Vitality
The RFA and application materials for Research grants programs are available at: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pestmgt/grants/research/app_materials.htm
Proposals Due: September 19, 2024 for Research Grants.
Funding Amount: $50,000 to $500,000 for Research Grants
Project Length: Up to 3 years
Visit the DPR Grants web page at https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/dprgrants.htm for more information.
Thank you.
Kimberly Lamar, Associate Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Meanwhile, here's another look at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's 2024 Moth Night, which drew widespread interest.
No one knows exactly how many moth events took place across the nation during National Moth Week, just as no one can predict how many species of moths and other night-flying insects will come to your porch light at night, or to your blacklighting display (UV light illuminating a hanging white sheet).
"Scientists estimate there are at minimum 150,000 moth species, and some believe that there could be over 500,000! Moths have been found that are small as a pinhead and as large as an adult-human's hand," according to NationalToday.com. "But of course, it's the incredibly complicated wing colors and patterns that make them especially dazzling."
A New Jersey non-profit organization, Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, launched the national event in 2012. The organization is dedicated to the conservation and promotion of the local environment.
The Bohart Museum's global collection of 8 million insects includes some 825,454 specimens of moths and butterflies, including 618,750 moths, ranging in size from the huge Atlas moths (10-inch wingspan) to the extremely tiny (4 mm wingspan) leafminer moths, says Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection. He and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas showed dozens of moth specimens and answered questions.
What moths were drawn to the blacklighting display? (See list on Bug Squad blog). Retired UC Davis staff associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus and his colleagues set up the blacklighting display. UC Davis doctoral student Iris Quayle fielded questions about the differences between moths and butterflies (See Bug Squad blog).
In today's blog, we share images of
- Moth-er Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering
- Moth-ers UC Davis doctoral candidate Peter Coggan and his father, Pete Coggan of Minnesota (See Bug Squad blog)
- UC Davis student Kaitai Liu who showed stick insects and Madagascar hissing cockroaches from the live petting zoo
- UC Davis graduate student Riley Hoffman and fellow Bohart volunteer Barbara Heinsch, who staffed the family arts-and-crafts table.
Light Pollution. The Coggans answered many questions about light pollution. "Most organisms have come to rely on nighttime darkness for knowing when to reproduce, preparing for the winter, and moving around their environment," commented UC Davis doctoral student Peter Coggan. "The Industrial Revolution Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) has become a major conservation issue, disorienting and confusing countless species, often resulting in death. ALAN often kills or displaces organisms like bats, moths, and fireflies, making our nights less bio- diverse and more mosquito filled."
"Not only does it alter animal behavior but ALAN also has been linked to many human health issues like depression, obesity, and cancer," he said. "Although not widely known, ALAN is one of the easiest environmental crises to solve. Raising awareness and getting communities to reduce their light usage can solve the issue overnight and bring back the animals of darkness and the stars back to them."
The Bohart Museum's Moth Night also featured a display of various silk textile and cocoons, donated to the museum by Professor Richard Peigler of the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio. Bohart associate Mike Pitcairn, retired senior environmental scientist and supervisor, California Department of Food and Agriculture's Biological Control Program, staffed the table. (See more in upcoming Bug Squad blog.)
The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. Director of the insect museum is Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair of UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, Agricultural Sciences, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The open houses are free and family friendly. The next open house is on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. The theme: "Museum ABC's: Arthropods, Bohart and Collecting." Access the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu or email bmuseum@ucdavis.edu for more information.
![Moth-er scientist Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, displayed his images of moths. This is the adult form of the tobacco worm, Carolina sphinx, Manduca sexta. Moth-er scientist Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, displayed his images of moths. This is the adult form of the tobacco worm, Carolina sphinx, Manduca sexta.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108157.jpg)
![Moth-er Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, answers questions about moths at the Bohart Museum Moth Night. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Moth-er Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, answers questions about moths at the Bohart Museum Moth Night. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108158.jpg)
![Father and son moth-ers, UC Davis doctoral candidate Peter Coggan (left) and Pete Coggan of Minnesota, answer questions about moths and light pollution. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Father and son moth-ers, UC Davis doctoral candidate Peter Coggan (left) and Pete Coggan of Minnesota, answer questions about moths and light pollution. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108159.jpg)
![UC Davis graduate student (forensics) Riley Hoffman and fellow Bohart volunteer Barbara Heinsch lead a family arts and crafts activity. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) UC Davis graduate student (forensics) Riley Hoffman and fellow Bohart volunteer Barbara Heinsch lead a family arts and crafts activity. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108160.jpg)
![UC Davis student and Bohart Museum volunteer Kaitai Liu shows a walking stick to Connor Williams, 10, of Livermore, Alameda County. The Bohart Museum open houses draw visitors from all over the region. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) UC Davis student and Bohart Museum volunteer Kaitai Liu shows a walking stick to Connor Williams, 10, of Livermore, Alameda County. The Bohart Museum open houses draw visitors from all over the region. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108163.jpg)
- Author: Taiyu Guan
Date: September 4, 2024
Location: Rice Experiment Station
(955ButteCity Hwy., Biggs, CA)
** Registration and Waiver of Liability Required! **
** Registration Link: Rice Pest Management Course Registration 2024 **
Meeting Agenda:
7:30-8:00 am |
Check-in at Hamilton Road Field |
8:00-8:10 am |
Introduction - WhitneyBrim-DeForest, UCCE |
8:10-9:40 am |
Tour of rice field research plots - Deniz Inci, Saul Estrada, Michael Lynch, UC Davis |
9:40-10:00 am |
Travel from Hamilton Road Field to Rice Experiment Station Morning Break |
10:00-11:00 am |
Breakout Sessions:
|
11:00-11:30 am |
Pest Identification Quiz - Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE |
11:30-12:15 pm |
Light Lunch |
12:15-12:30 pm |
Integrated management of rice diseases - Luis Espino, UCCE |
12:30-12:45 pm |
Pesticide laws, regulations, and permit conditions - Craig Riddle, CA Rice Commission |
12:45-1:00 pm |
Integrated management of rice invertebrates - Ian Grettenberger, UC Davis |
1:00-1:15 pm |
Algae and Nostoc management - Jens Beets, USDA |
1:15-1:30 pm |
Afternoon Break |
1:30-1:45 pm |
Common rice permit condition violations - Louie Mendoza, Butte County Ag Commissioner |
1:45-2:00 pm |
New rice herbicides to manage herbicide-resistant weeds in CA - Deniz Inci, UC Davis |
2:00-2:15 pm |
Emerging weeds - Sarah Marsh, UCCE |
2:15-2:30 pm |
Watergrass management and double propanil alternatives - Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE |
2:30-2:45 pm |
Evaluation and Wrap-up |
2024 Rice Pest Management Course Agenda.docx
Waiver of Liability
Dear Colleagues,
As we enter the full swing of campaign season, now is a great time to re-post an advisory from the UC Office of General Counsel regarding political campaign activities. Please take time to review the resources below and familiarize yourself with what is/is not permissible. This is not to be taken lightly - there are state and federal laws prohibiting the use of public resources for political and campaign activities and the misuse of these resources could result in criminal and civil penalties.
The University strongly supports civic engagement by members of the University community. At the same time, we need to recognize that we are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and therefore prohibited from engaging in certain political campaign activities. UC's legal team is available to answer your questions and provide guidance.
Below is an excerpt from the UC's Office of General Counsel advisory on political activities. The full advisory is linked below.
The University strongly supports public and civic engagement by members of the University community, in both their professional and personal capacities. At the same time, as both a Section[1] 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization and a state entity, the University is prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in political campaign activities: 1) supporting or opposing candidates for elective public office (“electioneering”); and 2) supporting or opposing measures that have qualified for the ballot. These restrictions apply to the activities of the University overall, as well as to activities of individual University faculty and staff acting in their capacity as representatives of the University and/or using University resources.
This advisory, previously issued in 2019, is being re-issued now in light of the upcoming election cycle to remind the University community of the applicable rules and about the importance of complying with them.
… It is important for all University employees to comply with these rules. There are potential criminal and civil penalties for misuse of public resources, and, in the case of the federal rules that govern tax-exempt charitable organizations, the University's tax-exempt status could be revoked (and/or substantial tax penalties imposed) by an activity that constitutes electioneering.
Please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/2024/02/ogc-guidance-on-political-activities.html for details.
If you have any questions, please contact UC ANR Government and Community Relations at ammegaro@ucanr.edu, (530) 750-1218 or Sheron Violini, Associate Director at sviolini@ucanr.edu, (530) 461-3441. You may also contact UC Office of General Counsel directly as posted on the advisory website.
Anne Megaro
Government and Community Relations Director
- Author: Joy Humphrey
This time of year, I'm drooping. Just like my hydrangea when it gets that short blast of sun in the late afternoon. Just like that dang million bells (Calibrachoa) hanging on the fence that can never seem to get enough water (me: “What is wrong with you?! I thought you liked to dry out between waterings!”) I'm drooping and I'm irritable and I can't believe I was ever even remotely interested in gardening. I'm beaten down by the heat, the pests, the watering schedule, the non-blooming rose bushes, the guilt over not fertilizing the non-blooming rose bushes because I don't have the energy to find a magnifying glass in order to read the microscopic instructions on the fertilizer box. I am the Cranky Gardener. No, scratch that. I'm not even a gardener at this point in the summer; I'm just cranky.
It is tempting to think that I am the only one who feels this way. Even reading this very blog, it can seem like everyone else is fabulously engaged in their gardens or completely passionate about some very cool project they are participating in, and that they never lose one iota of interest in gardening. I'm sure those people exist, but a quick Google search reveals that gardening burnout is real, and that even the most passionate gardener can get ground down in the dog days of summer.
While pondering this, as well as the fact that I needed to produce a gardening blog post regardless of my feelings, I went into my garden to see if there was anything worthwhile to take a picture of. As I went from one plant to the next, thinking, “This coneflower is doing pretty well,” and “Oh! That new sage is blooming, I didn't realize,” and “These vincas are so perky,” my perspective changed. I realized I had been focusing only on the negative—what was being eaten, what wasn't thriving, what had died. The freshness of spring is a hard act to follow, but mid-summer is not without its beauty, and once I went looking for it, I realized I had beauty in abundance.
So, to all you Cranky Gardeners out there, I encourage you to consciously look for something beautiful in your garden and focus on it. Failing that, pour yourself a cold drink, put your feet up, and know that feelings change, just like the seasons.
And just to keep it real…
![My non-blooming rose ('Sunny Sky' Eleganza) My non-blooming rose ('Sunny Sky' Eleganza)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108112.jpg)