UC ANR visits with rural county partners

The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), a service organization that champions policies on behalf of California's rural counties, held its annual meeting in Napa on Sept. 14-16. 

Vice President Glenda Humiston talked with Del Norte County Supervisor Chris Howard. Yana Valachovic, UC Cooperative Extension director for Humboldt and Del Norte counties, visited with Glenn McGourty, UCCE farm advisor emeritus and current Mendocino County supervisor. 

Karmjot Randhawa, UC Cooperative Extension director for Madera, Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties, and Anne Megaro, director of government and community relations, also attended. County partners are important to UC ANR's work in communities.

Karrie Reid’s work helps optimize urban landscape irrigation, conserve water

Karrie Reid didn't plan to become a scientist, but she fell in love with plants. Reid, who joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources as the UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture advisor for San Joaquin County in 2010 with funding from the county's Public Works Solid Waste Division, retired Sept. 30.

Reid, who was born in Jackson in Amador County, earned her bachelor's degree in biology from UC Santa Cruz and her master's degree in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis. She has written nearly 100 articles on – and trained hundreds of people in – sustainable urban landscape management.

“I wasn't much interested in biology in high school,” Reid said, “but after taking a botany class at San Joaquin Delta College, I fell in love with plants and subsequently took every class related to plants I could find both at Delta and UCSC.” 

“After spending several years teaching and raising my children, I decided to go back to school for my graduate degree mostly because I saw such a great need for better planning and management in urban landscapes.”

While working on her graduate degree, Reid began assisting Loren Oki, UC Cooperative Extension landscape horticulture specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, on two projects related to landscape water conservation and quality. 

For one of those projects, she identified chemicals in urban runoff water from single-family homes and educated homeowners on practices to reduce pollutants sent to local waterways. In the other, she ran irrigation and climate zone trials on landscape ornamental plants in Northern California at UC Davis and Southern California at UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.

“At the time, I didn't know the job of environmental horticulture advisor even existed, so when I discovered it, I was eager to try that career path,” she said.

As a UCCE advisor, Reid has continued to collaborate on the UC Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials project, sharing the results with UC Master Gardener volunteers, landscape professionals and home gardeners, who use the water use and climate performance data to select their plants. Because about half of urban water in California is used for landscape irrigation, the plant varieties chosen can help conserve water.

When asked what stands out looking back on her career, Reid said, “I feel most proud of my role in the UC Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials because it has reached so many people and had such a high impact for the nursery and landscape industries. We had a lot of detractors, but we continued to pursue it because we believed in it. It has been a powerful vehicle for raising awareness and changing practice around urban landscape water conservation.”

Reid and Oki received nearly $1 million in 2020 from the CDFA/USDA Specialty Crops Multistate Program to fund a new Climate Ready Landscape Plants project, expanding the research trials to Washington, Oregon, Utah and Arizona. She is currently finishing up that research and the results will help people in the other Western states make informed decisions to select low water-use landscape plants.

In 2020, when the county considered redirecting funding for Reid's salary as a UC Cooperative Extension advisor to cover new mandates, several people who had collaborated with Reid over the years wrote letters urging the county to continue funding her position. 

One of her supporters was Todd Rocha, Parks and Recreation superintendent for the city of Tracy.

“When I reached out to the UC Cooperative Extension for assistance with an issue in a streetscape, Karrie responded,” Rocha wrote. “Upon her arrival, it became immediately evident she is knowledgeable and eager to share that knowledge. As an added result to the solution she offered that day, we coordinated a landscape irrigation seminar in which she presented basic irrigation principles in a manner that was straightforward and understandable by my maintenance staff.” 

Pleased with Reid's seminar, Rocha arranged for her to provide Green Gardener training to City of Tracy's parks staff and school ground staff. Green Gardener's environmentally friendly landscape practices conserve water, prevent polluted runoff, divert green waste from landfills and use best management practices to care for grass, shrubs and trees. After the training, the city diverted thousands of yards of chipped tree trimming to be used as mulch.

“What they are learning in this program will improve the conditions of our sites, make the facilities safer and just as importantly – help us protect and conserve resources,” wrote Don Scholl, Tracy's Public Works Department director.

Reid said, “I am also quite satisfied with the Green Gardener Training I put together for landscape maintenance professionals and the large number of folks in the industry that educational program has helped during my relatively short career with UCCE.”

Timothy Pelican, agricultural commissioner in San Joaquin County, wrote: “The job she does in helping gardeners understand the use of integrated pest management helps to protect our air and waterways from unnecessary pesticide exposure. In San Joaquin County, runoff from improper pesticide use oftentimes ends up running off into the Delta, endangering both people and wildlife.”

Steve Dutra, president of Tree Lodi, wrote that he has attended several of Reid's workshops. “As a certified arborist, I have relied on this advisor numerous times,” Dutra wrote. “It is a known fact that not everyone can know everything in their given profession. From my prospective, having the expertise and experience available is of great value.”

Farmers also voiced appreciation for Reid. Jerry Barton of Ripon worked with her to recycle his orchards by chipping trees for mulch rather than burning the wood.

“In Karrie Reid you have an exceptional person working as our environmental horticulture advisor in San Joaquin County,” Barton wrote to the Solid Waste Division. “On numerous occasions I have called on her for advice. She is always prompt in her response and I have even received her counsel after normal business hours. She represents the very definition of an exceptional public servant.” 

L&D - Program development, GIS Training, Mapping our Impact, Contracts and Grants

 

 

 

 

 

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

 

ANR LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT  

Landing page|Webinar Recordings|Learning Resources

Do you have a webinar to present in any of these four learning strategies?
Let us know by filling out this interest form!

Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Office, Team, & Personal Management

 

UCCE Program Development and Evaluation Capacity Building Trainings! 

9-part series from Oct. 4-Dec. 6
Every Tuesday 10 a.m.-Noon 

Click here for session descriptions.
Click here to register.
Join us for online interactive trainings to help you with planning and evaluating programs and projects! These trainings highlight UCCE examples. This is a 9-part series offered a la carte; select whichever interests you or take the complete series!

Introduction to Fall GIS and R Workshops from IGIS

September–December 2022

Click here for session descriptions.
The Informatics and GIS (IGIS) Statewide Program is pleased to share their Fall 2022 Workshop Schedule. All workshops will be on Zoom, and are free for the ANR community. Workshops include: 
-Introduction to ArcGIS Online
-Intro to R (3-part series) 
-Introduction to ArcGIS Pro
-Introduction to ArcGIS Field Maps
-Computing Agroclimate Metrics in R
-Introduction to ArcGIS Story Maps

Mapping the impact of our work

Oct. 20
Noon-12:30 p.m.

This session will focus on framing our work around UC ANR's public values and advancing our efforts on measuring changes in conditions that result from programmatic efforts. The condition changes serve as evidence of public impact. During the session, we will showcase a draft new tool that is being designed to help us internally to find and learn from examples where our programs are having economic, social/health, or environmental impact. Presented by Katherine Webb-Martinez, Christina Becker, and Leyla Marandi from UC ANR Program Planning and Evaluation.

Zoom webinar: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning
Or join by phone: +1 669 900 6833

Where is …? The new UCD Library website and redesigned resources

Nov. 3
3-4 p.m.

The UC Davis Library website was redesigned and brought up on Aug. 16, 2022. Learn about UC Davis Library resources and delivery services, VPN, and key research tools and strategies for specific disciplines. We will review/use the following redesigned guide during this workshop: https://guides.library.ucdavis.edu/uc-cooperative-extension. With Ruth Gustafson, UC Davis STEM Librarian & Erik Fausak, Veterinary Medicine Librarian

Zoom webinar: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning
Or join by phone: +1 669 900 6833

Extension Skills: Survey Says: Strategies, tips, and tools for getting REAL feedback and impact data (Extension Foundation)

Oct. 13
11 a.m.-Noon

Click here to read more and register.
Come prepared to learn and share best practices and tools to get information from participants before, during and after a program or activity either virtually or in-person. Learn More

Innovation Skill-Building Experience (Extension Foundation)

Starts Oct. 25
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Click here to read more and register.
This 4-part series welcomes teams to incubate and tease out innovation in project and program development. With the help of trained Impact Facilitators, your team will learn 17 unique and exciting approaches to infusing new thinking into your offerings for maximum impacts. Learn More

Innovation Facilitator Training (Extension Foundation)

Starts Oct. 25
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Click here to learn more and register.
In this perfect companion to the Innovation Skill-Building Experience, individuals attend this training alongside each session to transform the curriculum into facilitation and coaching skills. We can't wait to see what you bring to the nationwide Impact Facilitator network! Learn More

About the Extension Foundation

Click here to read more.
The Foundation provides professional development to Cooperative Extension professionals and offers exclusive services to its members. In 2020 and 2021, the Extension Foundation has awarded 85% of its direct funding back to the Cooperative Extension System, 100% of funds are used to support Cooperative Extension initiatives.

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Open Forum/Questions for Office of Contracts and Grants

Oct. 26
9:30-10:30 a.m.

The world of contracts and grants can sometimes seem complicated. Let us help you alleviate your concerns. Please join our team for an open forum to answer your most compelling questions. If possible, please send us questions in advance (not required) for an informative discussion. Presenters are Kathleen Nolan, Kim Lamar and OCG Team. E-mail questions to kdlamar@ucanr.edu

Zoom webinar: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT0
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

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Understanding the Digital Equity Landscape and Extension's Role (Connect Extension, Extension Foundation)

Oct. 3
12:30-1:30 p.m.

Click here to read more.
Click here to register.
As a part of Bridging the Digital Divide in Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Communities in the South, a NIFA AFRI-funded project, individuals were surveyed to better understand the digital equity landscape, including access to the internet and devices as well as internet use and benefits. Findings from this survey can better prepare Extension to play a role in their respective state's Digital Equity plan and implementation. Join us on Oct. 3 to learn more about this important topic. Presenter: Dr. Roberto Gallardo, Director, Purdue Center for Regional Development.

 

Where Accessibility Champions Can Find the Time & Knowledge They Need to Succeed Webinar (Deque – Web accessibility experts)

Oct. 6
11 a.m.-Noon

Click here to learn more.

Every successful accessibility program relies on five foundational elements of accessibility:

1. The inclination to practice accessibility
2. The time to practice accessibility
3. The knowledge to practice accessibility
4. The automation and tools to practice accessibility
5. The availability of expert resources for future changes

In the first part of this webinar series, we covered the first foundational element to fostering accessibility across an organization: the inclination to practice accessibility.

Can we talk about Implicit Bias? Virtual Workshop (UC ANR)

Oct. 31
9–11 a.m. 
50 Seats

Click here to register by Oct. 24. 
Join us to help learn how to make UC ANR a more inclusive organization! 

UC ANR Human Resources and Learning & Development are offering a workshop to further explore, develop and supplement the UC Implicit Bias Series. We will divide into facilitated breakout groups to tackle strategies that counter negative scenarios and encourage positive interactions. This workshop will be a great opportunity to practice “standing in the community” and supporting ANR Principles of Community and ANR's strategic mission to expand Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

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Accomplishing More with Less (Virtual - UC Davis)

Oct. 4
1-4:30 p.m.
Click here for details and to register.
Virtual Instructor-Led Training

Career Management Academy (Virtual- UC Davis)

Click here for details and to register.

Oct. 6
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Virtual Instructor-Led Training 

Habits: A Science Based Approach (Virtual- UC Davis)

Click here for details and to register.
Oct. 13
8:30 a.m.-Noon
Virtual Instructor-Led Training

Customer Service Essentials (Virtual - UC Davis)

Click here for details and to register.
Oct. 14
8:30 a.m.-Noon
Virtual Instructor-Led Training

How to Set Goals When Everything Feels Like a Priority (LinkedIn Learning)

Click to access course. Request your LinkedIn Learning account with ANR IT @ help@ucanr.edu.

Sometimes it can feel like you're working on everyone else's to-do list instead of your own. How can you make space for accomplishing the goals that are important to you? Join best-selling business author and consultant Dorie Clark as she shares practical advice on how to prioritize effectively so that you can get meaningful things done.

Designing a Presentation

Click to access course. Request your LinkedIn Learning account with ANR IT @ help@ucanr.edu.

In this course, designer Tony Harmer takes you through the essentials of presentation design to give you the tools you'll find most useful in thinking about, designing and building successful presentations. Tony covers a variety of key topics, including moodboards, outlines, layout, type and text, color considerations, graphics, video, charts, transitions and animations.

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Everyone can learn something new.

ANR Learning & Development
Find webinar announcements and recordings here.

Ironstone Vineyards hosts 4-H/FFA fundraiser

More than 3,000 people attended the Ironstone Concours d'Elegance, a fundraiser supportingFFA and 4-H, on Sept. 24. Vice President GlendaHumiston; Mary Ciricillo, UCANR director of development; Carolyn Warne, California 4-H Foundation director; JoLynn Miller, UC Cooperative Extension director for the Central Sierra; and 4-H Foundation members were among the attendees of the event, which benefits Central and Northern California youth in agriculture.

"I enjoyed the event and talking with 4-Hers about their projects,” June Coleman, California 4-H Foundation Board member, said. “As a 4-H volunteer who is also a licensed rabbit judge, it was particularly fun to talk with Lily, a 4-H youth from Amador County, who will be competing in the upcoming 99th national American Rabbit Breeders Association Convention.”

Former California 4-H Foundation board member and 4-H leader Gail Kautz and her husband, John, own Ironstone Vineyards, which hosted the annual event. The event supports 4-H at the statewide level for the State Leadership Conference and local 4-H programs in El Dorado, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and surrounding counties.  

The Ironstone Concours d'Elegance is an antique and classic car show held each September at Ironstone Vineyards near Murphys. More than 300 antique and classic cars participate. The event also features vintage trailers, house cars, antique trucks and motorcycles, race cars and wooden boats. Honored guests from the old-car hobby and the auto industry regularly participate in the show, which was first held in 1993. 

 

Interactive maps show locations of UCCE positions across the state

The new UC ANR Programmatic Footprint Maps illustrate the locations of UC Cooperative Extension advisors, UCCE specialists, other UCCE academics, and community educators by program areas. They also show UCCE advisor and specialist positions that are under recruitment.

This tool was formally released during the UC ANR Town Hall on Sept. 15. This tool had a soft launch in the fall of 2021 to serve as a resource during the 2021 UCCE position call process. It now has its own webpage, improved instructions and several other enhancements thanks to feedback from UCCE academic users, Program Council, Government Relations, Strategic Communications and Development Services.

UC ANR Programmatic Footprint Maps

Where are the maps?

The link to this map tool and the informational web page can be found at https://ucanr.edu/sites/ANR_Footprint and under the UC ANR website's “People” tab.

Who works on what?

This tool was designed primarily for members of the UC ANR network to find out who we have working in key program areas and where they are across the state. You can find colleagues working on similar projects who you might not already know. With our great fortune to be hiring so many new people, we imagine this tool will be particularly helpful for new colleagues.

The information also can illuminate gaps and needs to inform UCCE position proposal development and future hiring.

Updating display data

UCCE academics can quickly change which program maps and counties they appear on in Project Board. The updates will appear on the maps the following day. More how-to information is on the “Help” web page.

Community educators can make adjustments to their selections, and thus how they display on the maps, through the condition-change full-time equivalent survey sent annually in June or July.

Please take moment to update or improve your ANR Directory information, some of which displays on these maps. Specifically, make sure your title is descriptive and that you have added a primary discipline and specialty information (e.g. organic/regenerative agriculture, small farms, wildfire, etc.)  See the “Update Your Profile” web page.

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