I know we are all grateful that the Woolsey Fire is nearly contained and are anxious to hear that the Camp Fire has been fully contained as well. Campus and building closings haven't slowed things down much, though the fires have certainly been the focus for many in UC ANR, including those keeping us informed about who has been directly impacted, those who are responding with answers and programming, and others who are compiling lists of UC ANR responses to fire activity throughout the state to be shared with the President's office. Yana took some time to think about forest raking and was recognized for her expertise by national reports.

Glenn McGourty and colleagues held a successful UCCE Lake Mendo IPM Seminar on Friday with 90+ attendees.  Glenn attributes the success to a wide range of topics including weeds, insect biocontrol, pheromone confusion, viruses, plant bacteria, and nematodes with much of the information shared representing research conducted by the speakers. It sounds like the highlight for Glenn was a chance to get to better know some of his new colleagues: Gabriel, Kari and Houston. It sounds like it was a worthwhile trip up north!

Even UC Merced was closed due to the Camp Fire smoke. What really surprises me is that Lake Almanor was as clear as it was over the weekend. I was looking forward to a visit to UC Merced today. The trip represented an opportunity to meet with some of the leaders at UC Merced and better understand their goals/plans and how we might partner to achieve common goals. Rescheduling is never fun but hopefully we will find a new date soon. I think that one was a month or so in the making.

Mark B. still had a great view in Almanor this past weekend

Tomorrow promises to be a busy day, irrespective of what's open or closed. Fortunately we can remain productive thanks to Zoom! I had hoped to attend a webinar entitled “Evaluation Strategies for Documenting the Dollar Value of Extension Programs” however I have another commitment during that time (11 am). If anyone happens to have a chance to listen, please let me know your key takeaways from the discussion. Next week, also, looks busy. In preparation for a 2-day workshop on Ideation, I had to think through a Zen statement over the weekend. Definitely a bit out of my comfort zone so we'll see where that ends up.

The upside of a change in plans is that I think I am close to being caught up on things – at least those items that had a looming deadline. Granted I may feel differently tomorrow but I'll take what I can get today. Perhaps I will have more time than anticipated over the upcoming long weekend to be creative and carry that mindset into next week!