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Posts Tagged: climate change
Webinars explore role of trees in climate change resilience, May 14-16
A free webinar series titled “Trees to the Rescue: Solutions for Climate Change” will be held on May 14-16, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. The webinars are sponsored by the University of California Thelma Hansen Fund.
“The webinars aim to increase our understanding of the role of trees in mitigating climate change, how to plant the right trees and keep them healthy in urban environments, and the challenges of increasing the number of trees at the local level,” said AnnemiekSchilder, director of Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center, who is organizing the series. Hansen REC is operated by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The agendas for each 90-minute webinar are listed below. To register, visit https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=42636.
Tuesday, May 14: Trees as a Tool for Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience
4 pm Welcome—Annemiek Schilder, Director of Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center
4:05 pm Opening Remarks—Matt LaVere, Ventura County Supervisor District 1
4:10 pm Improving Outcomes of Tree Growing and Forest Restoration Efforts—Karen Holl, Professor of Environmental Studies, UC Santa Cruz
4:50 pm Climate Resilience through Urban Greening—Edith de Guzman, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist, Water Equity and Adaptation Policy, UCLA
5:30 pm Closing—Annemiek Schilder
Wednesday, May 15: Optimizing Tree Survival in a Changing Climate
4 pm Welcome—Emma Volk, Production Horticulture Advisor, UCCE Ventura and Santa Barbara counties
4:05 pm Cooling Urban Heat Islands with Climate-Resilient Trees—Janet Hartin, Environmental Horticulture Advisor, UCCE Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties
4:30 pm Keeping Trees Healthy from Sapling to Maturity—James Downer, Environmental Horticulture & Plant Pathology Advisor Emeritus, UCCE Ventura County
5:05 pm Dealing with the Inevitable Threat of Exotic and Invasive Pests—John Kabashima, Environmental Horticulture Advisor Emeritus, UCCE Orange County
5:30 pm Closing— Emma Volk
Thursday, May 16: Tree Advocacy and Planning at the Local Level
4 pm Welcome—Julie Clark, Natural Resources Community Education Specialist, UCCE Ventura County
4:05 pm Native Tree Restoration with Partners and the Public—Joey Algiers, Restoration Ecologist, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
4:30 pm Panel Discussion (Joey Algiers, moderator):
- Joey Algiers, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
- Mireille Vargas, County of Ventura Sustainability Division
- Mikaela Randolph, Green Schoolyards America
- Jan Scow, Registered Consulting Arborist, Ojai Valley
- Max Young, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council
5:30 pm Closing— Julie Clark
Extension professionals gather to form climate-action plan
More than 40 Cooperative Extension professionals from across the U.S. and outlying territories gathered recently in Tucson, Arizona, for Cooperative Extension's first national Climate Action Convening.
Individuals from land-grant institutions met with USDA leaders to discuss how the Extension system can quickly and effectively contribute to climate change solutions.
The event was hosted by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy's Climate Program Action Team.
“Using insights gathered at the Climate Action Convening, Extension Foundation and collaborators will co-create a series of logic models,” wrote Rose Hayden-Smith, UCCE advisor emeritus and Extension Foundation's chief editor. “These logic models will be incorporated into a white paper about the outcomes Extension believes it is best positioned to achieve through active and new climate programs, projects, and resources. The anticipated release date for the white paper is Spring 2024.”
Tapan Pathak, UC Cooperative Extension climate adaptation specialist based at UC Merced, and Sarah-Mae Nelson, UC Climate Stewards Initiative academic coordinator, participated.
Read more about the Climate Action Convening at https://connect.extension.org/blog/extension-professionals-unite-at-historic-climate-action-convening.
Humiston visits UCCE in San Diego County
Vice President Glenda Humiston visited San Diego County on Aug. 3. The day started with UC Cooperative Extension San Diego advisors and staff introducing themselves and County Director Oli Bachie briefing Humiston on San Diego County agriculture, current programs and new UCCE positions to be filled soon. Bachie also highlighted some of the constraints UCCE San Diego faces implementing research and extension programs, and voiced the need for expanded facilities.
Following Bachie's briefing, Humiston interacted with the advisors and staff. She spoke about current funding opportunities for UC ANR, employee salary equities, and the need to communicate with local elected officials and stakeholders about the role of UCCE and the value it provides to the community. Over a light lunch, Humiston entertained questions from advisors and staff – ranging from her vision for the future of UC ANR to the path she took to become VP. At the conclusion of lunch, Bachie and other UCCE advisors and staff led Humiston on a field tour so she could meet UCCE collaborators and see firsthand some of the agricultural production in San Diego County.
The tour started with a visit to an avocado grove in Escondido where Ali Montazar, a cross-county UCCE advisor for irrigation and water management, has an active research project. Montazar's project addresses water use and efficiency in avocado, one of the primary crops grown in San Diego County and much of Southern California. Although the steep and hilly terrain made accessing the site difficult, this stop provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the research and extension activities of the county and cross-county advisors.
At the next stop, Humiston had the chance to visit Ken Altman, the largest horticultural producer in the country, at the Center for Applied Horticultural Research in Vista. During the visit, Altman briefed Humiston about his nursery and the extent of his business. Altman grows a large variety of nursery crops for indoor and landscape purposes, and employs over 6,000 people all over the country. Altman also spoke about the facilities at CfAHR and his willingness to offer research and laboratory space for use by UCCE San Diego. A long-time collaborator with UCCE, Altman expressed his commitment to support UC ANR's research needs and described the benefits he sees from UCCE partnering with local producers. While the laboratory at CfAHR is currently unused, Altman reiterated his desire to share the space with any interested UCCE San Diego advisors. Humiston and Bachie thanked Altman for his generous offer of support and facilities.
At the San Diego County Farm Bureau headquarters in Escondido, Humiston met with its president, Mary Matava, and discussed the importance of Farm Bureau as both collaborator and clientele, and the importance of keeping good relationships with the local UCCE office. Both reiterated the mutual benefits that come from a strong working relationship between UCCE and Farm Bureau. They also discussed UCCE San Diego's office lease, and the need for facilities that satisfy the requirements of the UCCE office, such as storage, laboratory, greenhouse and commercial standard kitchen space.
“Regardless of whether UCCE San Diego continues to lease the Farm Bureau offices, UCCE San Diego will show its presence and visibility at the Farm Bureau building at least on a rotational basis and will continue to collaborate with the important partner that is Farm Bureau,” Bachie said.
The final stop was at Escondido City Hall for a brief tour guided by Jennifer Schoeneck, deputy director of economic development for the City of Escondido. Also in attendance were leaders from nearby community colleges. Schoeneck provided detailed information on a currently unused warehouse facility that the city intends to remodel and retrofit so it can be used as an agricultural hub. Various agricultural technology companies, universities and colleges would use the space together to conduct research, teach and support agriculture within San Diego County. Humiston expressed her appreciation for the potential of the center and said that UC ANR will look at opportunities to collaborate with the city to develop the facility into a broad-spectrum agricultural hub.
Throughout the field tour Humiston was accompanied by Eric Middleton, UCCE integrated pest management advisor; Chandra Richards, agricultural land acquisitions academic coordinator; Robert Padilla, digital media specialist; Jan Gonzales, project coordinator and community education supervisor; Shirley Salado, EFNEP community education supervisor; Lea Corkidi, staff research associate; and Sue Lake, administrative officer.
By the end of the visit, Humiston and the group had gained a deeper understanding of UCCE San Diego programs, projects, challenges and opportunities.
Save the date for UC ANR statewide conference on April 24–27
The 2023 UC ANR statewide conference will be held on April 24–27 at the Fresno DoubleTree and Fresno Convention Center in Fresno. Please mark your calendars and plan to join your UC ANR colleagues.
For the first time since 2018, ANR academics and staff from across the state will gather to share best practices on how to elevate and amplify their research, extension and education efforts.
The conference is also the official kickoff to UC ANR's 2025-2040 visioning process. We will begin identifying the challenges facing California and set a course detailing how we can more effectively address them over 15 years.
For more information, please visit the conference website at https://ucanr.edu/sites/statewideconference2023.
If you would like to propose a presentation, fill out the request form at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=38880. All suggestions will be evaluated by the Learning & Poster Session Committee.
For more information, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/statewideconference2023.
UC ANR celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15
Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 through Oct.15 and Ricardo Vela, manager of UC ANR News & Information Outreach in Spanish, has planned educational activities for colleagues and friends to attend throughout the month.
Each year, UC ANR celebrates the culture and contributions of people whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Latinos comprise 40% of California's population and a growing portion of UC ANR's clientele. Our Latinx colleagues help to customize UC ANR's outreach for the Latino community, from immigrants to native-born citizens.
To start the celebration, the newly formed Latinx & Friends Affinity Group will meet for the first time on Sept. 21. To register, visit https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=38886.
“UC ANR is giving us this fantastic opportunity to share our stories of struggle, success and dreams within a safe space,” Vela said. “This space is open to all of us who are Latinx/Hispanic or of Latinx/Hispanic descent, allies and friends to discuss the many cultural identities.”
The September events will be held via Zoom for UC ANR colleagues:
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 12-1 p.m. Jose Pablo Ortiz-Partida will discuss the results of an environmental justice study he conducted in the San Joaquin Valley. Ortiz-Partida is a senior water and climate scientist for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Events scheduled for October will be conducted in Spanish and open to the public on Facebook Live:
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 1-2 p.m. – Susana Matias, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology at Berkeley, will discuss healthy living, obesity and breastfeeding.
