- Author: Chris M. Webb
Did you know that California employers are required to take four steps to prevent heat illness? The steps are:
- Training employees and supervisors about heat illness prevention.
- Provide enough fresh water for each employee to drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage them to do so.
- Provide access to shade for at least 5 minutes of rest for an employee who believes they need a preventative recovery period.
- Develop and implement written procedures for complying with the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Standard.
Further information can be found at the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/HeatIllnessInfo.html. Main topics for further heat related information are:
- Heat illness training – including seminars and PowerPoint training in English and Spanish.
- Heat illness regulation.
- Heat illness prevention publications – many available in English and Spanish.
- Additional heat illness links.
The University of California has heat stress information as well as many other safety tips at http://groups.ucanr.org/ehs/Safety_Notes/.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The University of California Communication Services Division has created a new website. The website is designed to help people easily and quickly find hundreds of free, online publications written by UC ANR (Agricultural and Natural Resources) authors.
The site has much to offer for everyone. The most popular publications are located in the center of the homepage. On the left hand side, the site is easily browsed using the following subjects:
- Agricultural Production
- Agronomy and Range
- Animal Science
- Biotechnology
- En español
- Food Safety
- Home Gardening/Landscape
- Natural Resources
- Nutrition and Health
- Organic Production
- Pest Advice
- Soil, Water and Irrigation
- Vegetable Crop Production
- Youth, Family/Community
This growing collection of free information can be found at https://ucanr.org/freepubs/.
/span>- Author: Chris M. Webb
The University of California’s Early Detection Monitoring Manual for Quagga and Zebra Mussels publication defines aquatic invasive species (AIS) as ”non-native aquatic organisms that have caused, or likely will cause economic or ecological harm or impacts to human health (pg 1).”
Written by Ventura County UCCE’s Carolynn Culver and Monique Myers and Los Angeles County UCCE’s Sabrina Drill and Valerie Borel, this publication gives great background information while providing clear guidelines and instructions for monitoring small lakes, reservoirs and streams in California and is designed especially for citizen volunteer and monitoring groups. We hope that early detection of these species in California’s waterways will reduce their negative impacts. From the manual:
The sooner a population is detected, the more time there will be to take action and the higher the likelihood of successful eradication. Responding to an infestation at an early stage is also referred to as rapid response. Rapid response plans for AIS in general, and quagga/zebra mussels in particular, are being developed and updated in California (pg 1).”
For more information about these invasive species, check out the California Department of Fish and Game website at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel/. Anyone interested in monitoring a water body is encouraged to contact your local Fish and Game authorities to coordinate efforts.
The Early Detection Monitoring Manual for Quagga and Zebra Mussels is available for viewing in the Ventura UCCE office (please call first to make sure) and for purchase online at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/. Use promo code PRVEN56 at checkout to receive a 10% discount. For orders of five or more, please contact our office for bulk discount rates.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Today, Ventura County UCCE’s Maren Mochizuki explains the routine maintenance required to keep CIMIS weather stations functioning accurately.
Data from CIMIS stations, please see previous post for details, provide accurate weather data to aid growers in irrigation planning and scheduling. To ensure that each individual station measures and records accurately, monthly maintenance is performed at all stations.
For the CIMIS station at the Hansen Agricultural Center in Santa Paula, Staff Research Associate Maren Mochizuki checks the functioning of all the sensors. She also checks the calibration of the relative humidity sensor using a psychrometer. A psychrometer has one thermometer exposed to ambient air and another thermometer attached to a wick that is saturated with distilled water; a battery-powered fan forces air past the wick to evaporate the water and cool the temperature measured by the thermometer.
Using a conversion table, we can estimate the relative humidity based on the difference between the ambient temperature and the wetted temperature. Drier air means more evaporation and a larger temperature difference between the two thermometers. If the difference between the relative humidity calculated by the psychrometer reading and the station sensor is greater than 5%, the station sensor requires re-calibration. The station is an inviting perch for birds so we also hose it down monthly to keep it clean.
inside of CIMIS station
psychrometer
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The national 4-H program has implemented a Science, Engineering and Technology Program (SET) to encourage youth to excel in science, engineering and technology. We hope this program can help reverse the trend of children left behind in these areas, a problem that may lead to a shortage of scientists and engineers in the future if left unaddressed. The national message can be found here. Information on how California is working on the program can be found here.
Locally, our office is working with area youth to teach these vital skills and generate interest. This effort is lead by Susan Gloeckler, our 4-H program representative. She and local 4-H clubs are working to help meet the national goal, which is to provide hands-on SET experience by 2013 to 1 million children. In addition to the approximate 2,000 Ventura County youth that participate in county 4-H clubs, Susan reaches thousands more by providing workshops at local schools and organizations. Additional information about our local program can be found in this recent Ventura County Star article.
If you or someone you know would like to find out about becoming involved in this important effort, please contact our office.
Susan Gloeckler teaching our youth