Dear Colleagues,
Over a decade ago, Adina Merenlender had a vision – a vision for a corps of Californians dedicated to appreciation and stewardship of the state's natural environment. The result of her vision was the UC California Naturalist (UC CalNat) program – a new type of UC ANR Statewide Program teaching people about the wonders of our natural heritage and providing them with the capacity to care for it. Joined by Sabrina Drill and an advisory group of extension personnel, Adina spent 5 years building a solid team with a strong commitment from a growing network of partners. Her new model saw each partner empowered to cultivate the network of UC CalNat-certified participants.
The program has continued to thrive, seeing expansion in new areas of the state, and to new audiences such as conservation corps and native Californian-focused partners, additions like the Climate Stewards course and the Regional Rendezvous, and successful completion of its first Five-Year Program review. With the program in such good health and a seasoned management team in place, Adina is excited to contribute to the program in new ways, including chairing the ANR California Naturalist Workgroup, shepherding Climate Stewards, and working to strengthen our community in collaboration with the Development Services office.
Sabrina Drill began serving as the Associate Director for the program in 2014 and as the Interim Director since the beginning of 2019. Having built up the program in Southern California and expanded efforts to diversify participation and encourage CalNat as a tool for conservation workforce preparation, Sabrina will be heading on a much-deserved sabbatical to investigate the nexus between urban ecology and disaster management. She looks forward to continuing to support our CalNat urban partners in Southern California with her research.
After a rigorous internal selection process, Greg Ira has been identified as the new Director of the UC California Naturalist Program. For the past several years, Greg has been responsible for the planning, management and operations of the program and its many partnerships. Before joining UC ANR, Greg worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as the Director of the Office of Environmental Education and Sustainable Initiatives. Prior to that, he worked for six years in the Philippines, integrating conservation into the context of rural development. His areas of interest include field-based environmental education, community and citizen science, empowering communities to address climate change, volunteer water quality monitoring, methods for integrating culture into environment programs, and strategic program planning.
Please join us in thanking Adina for her vision and commitment, Sabrina for her willingness to take on the interim role in this transition period, and Greg for his enthusiasm to take on the role of UC CalNat Director.
Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Posted on Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 8:35 AM
Reposted from UCANR News
While scientific reports continue to mount confirming that global climate change is increasing temperatures, causing more frequent weather extremes and raising the sea level in California, UC Cooperative Extension is working to ensure the worst predictions are avoided and California residents and businesses will be able to adapt to the change.
Each year, a diverse group of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources academics and program implementation professionals meet to share and collect the latest climate change experiences, ideas, science and solutions. The team works with farmers across the state to improve production practices and minimize environmental impact, conduct agricultural and natural resources conservation research, and coordinate programs like California Naturalist and UC Master Gardener, which recruit and educate volunteers to reach out to communities statewide to extend research-based information.
Reaching real people
In 2019, extension practitioners explored new approaches to delivery of information and services. For example, the first speaker addressed the way climate change impacts may be viewed through the lens of African-American or First Nation experiences, influenced by poverty, historical trauma and even spirituality.
Theopia Jackson, clinical psychologist at Saybrook University in Oakland, encouraged the team to consider whether assisting Americans navigating the changing climate or suffering the consequences of extreme weather events have “the bandwidth to take in one more helping hand.” Jackson has a long history of providing therapy services, specializing in serving populations coping with chronic illness and complex trauma.
Jackson suggested helpers ask themselves, “Are we inadvertently causing more stress than good? Do I have a sense for what they are already dealing with before bringing something new into the community?”
Jackson said the conversation about climate change in many communities might be more productive focused less on whether climate change exists or not, and instead on how to “join with them around the human experience.”
“If I'm trying to ‘talk them into it,' I need to step back,” Jackson said. “The conversation could be about scarcity or lifestyle. We need to find a way to join and hope they will get it before we've done irreversible damage.”
The careful selection of terminology and approach in climate change conversations was also raised by Dan Sonke, director of sustainable agriculture for Campbell's Soup. The company's primary and best-known product is soup, but it owns other familiar brands, including Pepperidge Farms, Snyder Pretzels, Kettle Chips and Emerald Nuts.
In California, Sonke works closely with farmers producing fresh produce to be used in Campbell's products, particularly processing tomatoes. During his career, he also worked in Campbell's marketing, based on its “corporate purpose.”
“We make real food for real people,” says the Campbell's corporate purpose. “People love that our food fits their real lives, fuels their bodies, and feeds their souls. And they appreciate knowing what goes into our food, and why — so they can feel good about the choices they make, for themselves and their loved ones.”
Sonke was hired to increase the use of sustainable farming practices by the company's producers and help farmers apply for grant funding from the state to implement climate-smart irrigation practices. The company was able to track a 20 percent reduction in water use and document a significant reduction in the emission of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. The program is successful, but isn't driving their farmer communications or soup sales, Sonke said.
“Farmers don't think in terms of climate change, but they respond to what they know,” Sonke said. “Consumers don't respond to climate change adaptation in terms of what products they buy. They respect sustainability, but have no understanding of ‘sustainable agriculture' and ‘carbon sequestration.'”
Growing UCCE climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience programs
UC ANR is working on new ways to reach out to farmers and the public with information on climate change. Six community education specialists have been hired and four more are being recruited to work in counties around the state to help farmers access programs that will help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms and dairies, build resilience to climate change and increase profit.
The Climate-Smart Farming Program is a collaborative effort with the California Department of Food and Agriculture focused on implementing on-farm solutions to improve soil health, nutrient management, irrigation management, on-farm composting and manure management.
The CDFA programs involved are:
The new community education specialists are already deployed in Mendocino, Glenn, Yolo, Santa Cruz, Ventura and San Diego counties. The four positions under recruitment will serve Imperial, San Joaquin, Fresno and Kern counties. To get information about these programs, contact:
- Fresno County, UCCE advisor Dan Munk, dsmunk@ucanr.edu
- Glenn County, UCCE advisor Betsy Karle, bmkarle@ucanr.edu
- Imperial County, UCCE advisor Oli Bachie, obachie@ucanr.edu
- Kern County, UCCE advisor Brian Marsh, bhmarsh@ucanr.edu
- Mendocino County, UCCE advisor Glenn McGourty, gtmcgourty@ucanr.edu
- San Diego County, UCCE advisor Laurent Ahiablame, lmahiablame@ucanr.edu
- San Joaquin County, UCCE advisor Brent Holtz, baholtz@ucanr.edu
- Santa Cruz County, UCCE advisor Mark Bolda, mpbolda@ucanr.edu
- Ventura County, UCCE advisor Ben Faber, bafaber@ucanr.edu
- Yolo County, UCCE advisor Morgan Doran, mpdoran@ucanr.edu
Climate stewards
To reach a broad swath of California residents with research-based information on climate change mitigation and adaptation, UC ANR's California Naturalist program is leveraging its well-established partnerships with formal and informal science education institutions across the state to create a legion of climate stewards. At the team meeting, CalNat coordinator Greg Ira announced that the California Naturalist program has hired an academic coordinator to develop curriculum that will allow existing partners to deliver the material as part of the California Naturalist program. The graduates of this California Naturalist course focused on climate change will be encouraged to engage in volunteer service that helps build community resilience to climate change. These include participation in local adaptation planning efforts, community and citizen science projects, or addressing issues of social justice. The coordinator begins Feb. 19.
The future
Renata Brillinger of the California Climate Action Network shared optimistic thoughts about the opportunities for climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. In terms of politics, she said California leadership has accepted climate change as a settled matter and are supportive of programs to address the issue. At the federal level, it is not easy to talk about climate change, but “that will change,” she assured.
Brillinger said biodiversification of California is an exciting area for climate change adaptation. Research is needed to understand how to shift crop locations for future production, and determine where, for example, water-intensive crops or orchards with chill requirements should be grown. More information is needed, she said, on how healthy soil will relate to climate resilience in agriculture.
“We have to reinvest in extension and Resource Conservation Districts,” Brillinger said.
Other possible climate change outcomes in California may be returning farmland to less-intensive uses, such as grazing. Fallowing land was one way that the agriculture industry coped with the drought of 2011-16, and implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act – a direct result of the drought – is estimated to take 1 million acres of farmland out of production. This approach won't be a solution for all farmers and ranchers, said David Lile, UC Cooperative Extension natural resources advisor.
“Ranchers and farmers interested in long-term sustainability, keeping the farm in place, will need help to integrate competing forces,” Lile said. “Economics will not be the only driving force.”
Posted on
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at
8:56 AM
- Author:
jeannette warnert
While scientific reports continue to mount confirming that global climate change is increasing temperatures, causing more frequent weather extremes and raising the sea level in California, UC Cooperative Extension is working to ensure the worst predictions are avoided and California residents and businesses will be able to adapt to the change.
Each year, a diverse group of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources academics and program implementation professionals meet to share and collect the latest climate change experiences, ideas, science and solutions. The team works with farmers across the state to improve production practices and minimize environmental impact, conduct agricultural and natural resources conservation research, and coordinate programs like California Naturalist and UC Master Gardener, which recruit and educate volunteers to reach out to communities statewide to extend research-based information.
Reaching real people
In 2019, extension practitioners explored new approaches to delivery of information and services. For example, the first speaker addressed the way climate change impacts may be viewed through the lens of African-American or First Nation experiences, influenced by poverty, historical trauma and even spirituality.
Theopia Jackson, clinical psychologist at Saybrook University in Oakland, encouraged the team to consider whether assisting Americans navigating the changing climate or suffering the consequences of extreme weather events have “the bandwidth to take in one more helping hand.” Jackson has a long history of providing therapy services, specializing in serving populations coping with chronic illness and complex trauma.
Jackson suggested helpers ask themselves, “Are we inadvertently causing more stress than good? Do I have a sense for what they are already dealing with before bringing something new into the community?”
Jackson said the conversation about climate change in many communities might be more productive focused less on whether climate change exists or not, and instead on how to “join with them around the human experience.”
“If I'm trying to ‘talk them into it,' I need to step back,” Jackson said. “The conversation could be about scarcity or lifestyle. We need to find a way to join and hope they will get it before we've done irreversible damage.”
The careful selection of terminology and approach in climate change conversations was also raised by Dan Sonke, director of sustainable agriculture for Campbell's Soup. The company's primary and best-known product is soup, but it owns other familiar brands, including Pepperidge Farms, Snyder Pretzels, Kettle Chips and Emerald Nuts.
In California, Sonke works closely with farmers producing fresh produce to be used in Campbell's products, particularly processing tomatoes. During his career, he also worked in Campbell's marketing, based on its “corporate purpose.”
“We make real food for real people,” says the Campbell's corporate purpose. “People love that our food fits their real lives, fuels their bodies, and feeds their souls. And they appreciate knowing what goes into our food, and why — so they can feel good about the choices they make, for themselves and their loved ones.”
Sonke was hired to increase the use of sustainable farming practices by the company's producers and help farmers apply for grant funding from the state to implement climate-smart irrigation practices. The company was able to track a 20 percent reduction in water use and document a significant reduction in the emission of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. The program is successful, but isn't driving their farmer communications or soup sales, Sonke said.
“Farmers don't think in terms of climate change, but they respond to what they know,” Sonke said. “Consumers don't respond to climate change adaptation in terms of what products they buy. They respect sustainability, but have no understanding of ‘sustainable agriculture' and ‘carbon sequestration.'”
Growing UCCE climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience programs
UC ANR is working on new ways to reach out to farmers and the public with information on climate change. Six community education specialists have been hired and four more are being recruited to work in counties around the state to help farmers access programs that will help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms and dairies, build resilience to climate change and increase profit.
The Climate-Smart Farming Program is a collaborative effort with the California Department of Food and Agriculture focused on implementing on-farm solutions to improve soil health, nutrient management, irrigation management, on-farm composting and manure management.
The CDFA programs involved are:
The new community education specialists are already deployed in Mendocino, Glenn, Yolo, Santa Cruz, Ventura and San Diego counties. The four positions under recruitment will serve Imperial, San Joaquin, Fresno and Kern counties. To get information about these programs, contact:
- Fresno County, UCCE advisor Dan Munk, dsmunk@ucanr.edu
- Glenn County, UCCE advisor Betsy Karle, bmkarle@ucanr.edu
- Imperial County, UCCE advisor Oli Bachie, obachie@ucanr.edu
- Kern County, UCCE advisor Brian Marsh, bhmarsh@ucanr.edu
- Mendocino County, UCCE advisor Glenn McGourty, gtmcgourty@ucanr.edu
- San Diego County, UCCE advisor Laurent Ahiablame, lmahiablame@ucanr.edu
- San Joaquin County, UCCE advisor Brent Holtz, baholtz@ucanr.edu
- Santa Cruz County, UCCE advisor Mark Bolda, mpbolda@ucanr.edu
- Ventura County, UCCE advisor Ben Faber, bafaber@ucanr.edu
- Yolo County, UCCE advisor Morgan Doran, mpdoran@ucanr.edu
Climate stewards
To reach a broad swath of California residents with research-based information on climate change mitigation and adaptation, UC ANR's California Naturalist program is leveraging its well-established partnerships with formal and informal science education institutions across the state to create a legion of climate stewards. At the team meeting, CalNat coordinator Greg Ira announced that the California Naturalist program has hired an academic coordinator to develop curriculum that will allow existing partners to deliver the material as part of the California Naturalist program. The graduates of this California Naturalist course focused on climate change will be encouraged to engage in volunteer service that helps build community resilience to climate change. These include participation in local adaptation planning efforts, community and citizen science projects, or addressing issues of social justice. The coordinator begins Feb. 19.
The future
Renata Brillinger of the California Climate Action Network shared optimistic thoughts about the opportunities for climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. In terms of politics, she said California leadership has accepted climate change as a settled matter and are supportive of programs to address the issue. At the federal level, it is not easy to talk about climate change, but “that will change,” she assured.
Brillinger said biodiversification of California is an exciting area for climate change adaptation. Research is needed to understand how to shift crop locations for future production, and determine where, for example, water-intensive crops or orchards with chill requirements should be grown. More information is needed, she said, on how healthy soil will relate to climate resilience in agriculture.
“We have to reinvest in extension and Resource Conservation Districts,” Brillinger said.
Other possible climate change outcomes in California may be returning farmland to less-intensive uses, such as grazing. Fallowing land was one way that the agriculture industry coped with the drought of 2011-16, and implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act – a direct result of the drought – is estimated to take 1 million acres of farmland out of production. This approach won't be a solution for all farmers and ranchers, said David Lile, UC Cooperative Extension natural resources advisor.
“Ranchers and farmers interested in long-term sustainability, keeping the farm in place, will need help to integrate competing forces,” Lile said. “Economics will not be the only driving force.”
Posted on
Friday, February 1, 2019 at
11:03 AM
- Author:
Jeannette Warnert
The UC California Naturalist program successfully completed its first UC ANR five-year statewide program review. Associate Vice President Powers and I extend a thank you to the ad-hoc committee for their time commitment and thoroughness in examining the program and providing recommendations to UC ANR's Program Council. The time Adina Merenlender, California Naturalist director, and Greg Ira, program coordinator, spent providing detailed information on all aspects of the program is also greatly appreciated. Last, but not least, a big thank you to all the UC California Naturalists, instructors and partners who submitted feedback during the review.
We recognize the program's accomplishments in their first five years – development of a new education and service program, creation of a network of more than 47 statewide partner institutions, and training over 2,600 Certified California Naturalists who have contributed over 140,000 hours of volunteer service (as of June 2018) – promoting the stewardship of California's natural resources.
To guide the program into the future, below is a summary of the direction and next steps for the California Naturalist Program:
1. Until recommendations in #2 below are addressed, roll out Climate Stewards as a continuing education opportunity within the UC California Naturalist program.
2. Revisit the current models that are being used to deliver the California Naturalist curriculum to consider an expansion in on-line instruction, post-course community engagement, and new UC ANR tools for program evaluation.
3. Continue efforts in equity, diversity and inclusion to increase the program's reach to new and underserved clientele; and focus the next needs assessment on the course participants since the first assessment was focused on partner organizations and instructors.
4. Develop a method to systematically collect success stories that are aligned with the UC ANR public value statements and metrics to illustrate contribution to UC ANR condition changes.
5. Add members to the Program Advisory Council who are external to UC ANR.
I look forward to working with the California Naturalist Program as it pursues these and other opportunities that may arise. In particular, I hope to explore how to incorporate more community and citizen science activities and expand collaboration with other UC ANR programs. Best wishes for the ongoing success and growth of the California Naturalist Program!
Sincerely,
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2018 at 1:34 PM