Pima County celebrated the ground breaking for the Recycling Garden of the
Our Yard - landscape learning center project on December 5. Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality is the major funding support for the
Recycling Garden and their representative was there to share in the
festivities. About 50 people, who are Our Yard supporters, saw the plans
for the overall Our Yard project, the details of the recycling garden, and
the model for the rammed earth teaching pavilion that will be the hub of
Our Yard. Exciting was the word for the morning as the plans were
explained. The Recycling Garden will feature three household settings
where recycled products will be used and demonstrations on recycling green
waste and other household products will be given. Congratulations to the
Pima County Horticulture Team!
*We regret to inform you that Dr. Ivan "Tiny" Shields passed away December
5, 2001. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday this past April. "Tiny"
was the Maricopa County Extension Director in the 60s and 70s. His stature
of 6'4" earned him the nickname "Tiny." Memorial services are scheduled
for Sunday, December 16, 2001 at 2:30pm at Christ the Redeemer Lutheran
Church, 8801 N. 43rd Avenue (south of Dunlap/Olive), Phoenix. For more
information, contact Willa Shields ("Tiny's" daughter) at 602-439-5417.
* A conference titled "Building Partnerships and Educational Programs for
Water/Watershed Education" was held December 4-6, 2001 at the Tucson
Airport Clarion Hotel. The purpose of the conference was to provide
in-service training, share water resource/watershed programs between
various campus departments and centers, and plan future Extension water
programs. The conference was attended by 65 people, which included
department heads, center directors, agency personnel, agents, specialists,
and county-based educators. Proceedings are being assembled by Jeff Schalau
(E-mail jschalau@cals.arizona.edu for a copy).
* This summer we debated how to initiate additional marketing for
Extension. At the same time we were discussing how we could show our
appreciation of Extension faculty, staff, and advisory boards for all the
quality work they provide. The idea, borrowed from several surrounding
states, was to provide a 'bag' with the new College name to the
aforementioned people. Obviously these decisions were made before September
11 and budget cuts. We do have the 'bags' and are distributing them. If you
want one and have been overlooked, give me a call. We wanted to provide
these to grant supported personnel and students working in our offices, but
we do not have enough. We appreciate all the good work that you do.
*Coconino County Cooperative Extension in conjunction with Terry Mikel,
Ursula Schuch, and the Arizona Community Tree Council conducted a week long
arborists training in November. The training was specifically designed to
prepare tree workers to pass the International Society of Arboriculture's
certified arborist exam. The exam is a comprehensive test covering 12
subject areas. The average pass rate nation wide is about 20%. The pass
rate for those who took our training was 80%. The highest pass rate since
Extension and Arizona Community Tree Council has been conducting trainings.
Many thanks to Terry, Ursula, Juan Barba, and Steve Zimmerman for assisting
Tom DeGomez with the teaching duties. Thanks to Steve Campbell and his
office, they conducted a similar training in Show Low this summer, for
helping us over several hurdles we encountered in the planning process.