Tuesday Morning Notes

December 19th, 2000




Happy Holidays! We want to wish each and every one of you best wishes as you spend time with family and friends. Hopefully you have time to reflect on the good things we have accomplished during 2000 and on the opportunities for the new Millennium. Since many of us will be on the New Faculty Tour, the next Tuesday Morning Notes will be January 9, 2001. Cheers!

* Welcome Aboard to Marthalin Bylas, who began as the new Secretary on the San Carlos Apache Reservation on October 16, 2000, and to Brenda Larry, who will begin as the new Secretary to the Navajo Nation, Window Rock office on January 2, 2001.

* The Arizona Department of Agriculture put on a Biotechnology Forum on December 19, 2000 in Phoenix. All segments of the industry from producers to grocery store managers discussed various science and consumer issues. Representative Mike Gleason, Chair of the Agriculture Committee was present. Gene Sander reported on the range of activity (research and outreach) that the College is providing. It was an excellent program, one I would like to have for all of Extension.

* Congratulations to Kitt Farrell-Poe (Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering), Jim Walworth (Soil, Water, & Environmental Sciences), and Pete Waller (Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering) for obtaining an $84,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to compare the effectiveness of drainfields and seepage pits for the treatment of septic tank effluent in Arizona.

* Navajo Extension Partnership (NEP) meetings were held November 29th and 30th in Window Rock. Twelve livestock seminars were held on the Navajo Nation during the year 2000, with funding coming from a USDA Food Safety Grant. Farm seminars were held for Navajo producers at Shiprock, Kayenta, Ganado, Lupe and Many Farms with over 150 producers being trained in the areas of Soil and Water Conservation, Pesticide Safety, Weeds and Weed Control, Pest Management, Soils and Soil Fertility, and Noxious Weeds over the past year.

* A Strengthening Native American Families for the new Millennium conference was held April 27-28, 2000 at San Juan College with 125 attendees. Topics for the two day conference included Herd Health, Livestock Marketing, and Nutrition.

* Educational Communications and Technologies (ECAT) is organizing a technology day (March 15) with various presentations to be held on campus, during spring break. They are proposing a Tucson location so they can draw on expert speakers from campus, and can offer some of the sessions as hands-on. The current list has 12 topics for beginners and 12 topics for intermediate/advanced users. They would like input on your priorities, since not all of these can be given. Any College faculty, staff, student or volunteer may participate. There is no charge for these sessions. Please complete the indicated form, giving your priorities, by January 19, 2001. They will then select topics and announce the sessions to be given. Depending on survey responses, they would like to have two or three concurrent sessions, so people can have more choices. The form for giving input is found at http://cals.arizona.edu/ecat/classes/survey.html Linda Ffolliott is your point of contact at 520/621-7179 or by e-mail at ffolinda@cals.arizona.edu.




James A. Christenson, Ph.D.
(jimc@cals.arizona.edu)
Associate Dean and Director
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Forbes, Room 301
Tucson, Arizona 85721
520/621-7209
520/621-1314 FAX