The Pollinator Partnership, which includes the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, the National Gardening Association and the USDA has put together a great online curriculum titled Nature’s Partners: Pollinators, Plants, and You. The curriculum can be found at http://www.pollinator.org/curriculum/index.php.

The education materials are designed for children in grades 3-6; however, I imagine most of us can learn a great deal from the website. The background information contained in each module is written for educators. Adults interested in learning about pollinators themselves will find a wealth of knowledge for the taking!

In addition to the great educational information, the site has fabulous photos, instructions for a wide variety of activities, ideas for community service projects, links for further information, and much more.

Agritourism has been gaining momentum as a way to increase revenue on farms and ranches. It is anticipated that agritourism will continue to grow as people continue to search for ways to connect with nature and learn more about our food systems.

The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Division (UC ANR) has some great resources to help navigate the process – and two of the three are free!

Read below for a description of the free publications:

Agritourism can be a great boon to the California grower, but you have to be aware of your legal responsibilities, get your permits, and follow the rules regarding land use, zoning, public health, and other areas. This gives you a brief overview. (8 pages)

http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/FreePublications/8333.aspx

This publication gives you a game plan for navigating the maze of permits, plans, and approvals you will need to get in order before you launch a potentially profitable agritourism enterprise on your California farm or ranch. (6 pages)

http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/FreePublications/8334.aspx

If after reviewing the free publications you are interested in finding out more, UC ANR has a priced publication, Agritourism and Nature Tourism in California, which provides more in depth information.

The chapters include:

• Evaluating Your Resources: Is Tourism for You?
• Creating Your Business Plan
• Navigating Legal Constraints
• Developing Your Risk-Management Plan
• Forming Your Marketing Strategy
• Resources for Success
• Planning Farm Visits for Children

To find out more about the book, please visit http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/SmallFarms/3484.aspx. By clicking on the “search in this book link”, provided by Google, you can get a feel if the publication is right for you and your operation before purchasing. The book can also be viewed and studied for free at your local University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) office. To be safe, call first and make sure it is available before driving to the office.

If you decide to purchase this great resource, purchase online and save 10%. Use promotion code PRVEN56 at check out to receive the discount. In addition to saving you money, a portion of the proceeds will benefit local programs!

Every wonder what 4-Her’s do? They are busy for sure! Read the following Featured Club Happening, submitted by Ventura County Loma Vista 4-H member, Kimberly Coverly.

Ask anyone who you encounter for the definition of 4-H and you are bound to get a description of “some club that raises livestock and goes to the fair.” Although this may describe part of what some 4-H Clubs do, this is pretty far from what Loma Vista 4-H Club is like. With projects ranging from archery to easy meals and rabbits to beading, Loma Vista is so much more!

In our club we focus on being well-rounded individuals. We give our members lots of variety to choose from and there is a project for everyone. We try to make our club welcoming.

While everyone fits into a project we focus on unity as well. At every monthly meeting we have a program that is sure to capture every member’s attention. We also recognize monthly birthdays by leading members up to the front of the group and sing happy birthday to them. This really makes the younger members feel very welcomed and special by the other older kids that they look up to. In these ways our club is very different from some other 4-H clubs in VenturaCounty and the state of California.

Now, when someone gives you the definition of 4-H as “some club that raises livestock and goes to the fair”, you can correct them and say, “Not Loma Vista!”

The 4-H Featured Club Happenings began in February of this year. More Featured Club Happenings can be found in our Clover Lines newsletters.

Dr. Sabrina Drill, of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), is a Natural Resources Advisor covering both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. One of the issues she is currently studying is the New Zealand mudsnail (NZMS), Potamopyrgus antipodarum.

NZMS is an aquatic invasive species that was first found in the United States in Idaho in 1987. It has since spread to every Western state except New Mexico. They were found in California’s Owens River in the late 1990’s. In 2006 it was found in the Santa Clara Watershed, which straddles the two counties Dr. Drill covers in her UCCE work.

New Zealand mudsnails are tiny, with adults only reaching 3-5 mm and juveniles even smaller, about the size of a grain of sand. They are usually light to dark brown, and may appear black when wet. They have conical shells that have five or sometimes six whorls.

New Zealand mudsnails reproduce clonally and bear live young. A single female and her offspring are capable of yielding 40 million individuals in a year! As is typical with invasive species, they compete with native invertebrates for food and habitat, and as they provide little in the way of food value, may have detrimental effects on fish and wildlife. They have a wide ranging temperature and salinity tolerance, and can survive for several days out of water under moist conditions.

Taken together, their small size, dark coloration, and ability to stick to things makes them excellent at invading new systems. They can hitch a ride on fishing gear, sampling equipment, shoes (hiding in the treads and under the laces), and clothes, as well as on the fur of dogs and horses. We know of no way to get rid of them once they invade a river system, other than drastic dewatering or poisoning. Researchers are investigating options for biological control.

The best way to manage New Zealand mudsnails and other invasive species is to try and prevent them from spreading.

Please help contain the spread of NZMS by doing the following:

• Stay out of infected streams and do NOT go from one stream to another in wet gear.
• If you need to go into an infected stream, consider having dedicated clothes and gear that you don’t wear anywhere else.
• Scrub all gear with a stiff brush before you leave an infected site; mudsnails are experts at hiding, so you can’t trust a visual inspection.
• Let all gear dry completely between visits, or freeze for a minimum of six hours between uses.

As Dr. Drill continues to monitor the distribution and impacts of NZMS in the Santa Clara River she will be adding her findings to the NZMS website. You can find the site at http://groups.ucanr.org/NZMS/. She will also be doing outreach for fisherfolk in the fall. Check back for dates and locations!