Tuesday Morning Notes

October 29, 2002


I'm proud to announce that our county faculty salaries rank 5th highest in the Nation in 2001 (following California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Delaware). Specialist salaries are in the top 1/3 but about average for peer institutions. We have no national data on staff salaries and they remain a challenge to be competitive. We are trying. So, in spite of these difficult times, we are trying to keep the best, reward the best, and remain competitive.

I would like to thank the entire faculty who helped to facilitate the National Extension Indian Reservations Program (EIRP) meeting this past Sunday and Monday, October 27-28, 2002, and the Intertribal Agriculture Council meeting (IAC) which brought together 350 tribal leaders from throughout the U.S. to discuss common issues. Special thanks to Gerald Moore who coordinated the EIRP meetings and will be leading Thursday's program at IAC. Copies of the PowerPoint presentations will be available on the website next week. Presenters were Gerald Moore, Prunell Charley, Esther Peterson, Anthony Chavez, Liz Didier, Linda Masters, Matt Livingston, Joe Hiller and myself.

A rangeland monitoring workshop was held in Camp Verde on October 22, 2002. Ranchers, Arizona Game and Fish, U.S. Forest Service, and concerned members of the public were among the 27 attendees. Attendees were interested in collecting data to support management decisions and document the effects of grazing on public lands. George Ruyle, Larry Howery, Jim Sprinkle, Barron Orr, Dave Schafer, and Jeff Schalau presented from the University of Arizona. Michele Girard and Clare Hydock also presented from the U.S. Forest Service.

The 2003 CALS Development Day/Extension Staff In-Service date has changed. The original date of August 5-6 has been moved to a week later so mark your calendars for August 13-14 instead. Location will be announced later after the bid process and other details are confirmed.

The International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC) is currently accepting proposals for its FY2003 funding of Research & Development Projects and FY2003 Demonstration Projects. It is anticipated that more than $800,000 will be available. The deadline for receipt of all proposals is November 15, 2002. Some examples of the themes include: 1) land use & reclamation; 2) soil & water resources development & conservation; 3) ecosystem processes supporting & enhancing the management & restoration of ecological systems; 4) inventory and measurement techniques; and 5) the human and institutional dimensions of themes #1 - #4. Faculty members may want to consider submitting a proposal. Contact Jim Chamie in Tucson at 520-621-3024 for copies of the research and/or the demonstration FY2003 Request for Proposals, or to obtain more information. Also the "requests for proposals" are available on the IALC Web site at http://ialcworld.org.

The "4-H Trick-or-Treat so Others Can Eat" food drive is coming to an end for this year, and the Wildcat Collegiate 4-H Club has already collected over 100lbs of food from the boxes placed around the Ag College on campus. Kudos go to the faculty & staff in FCS who stacked extra boxes of food next to the already overflowing "Treat Boxes"! You all are to be commended for your help and generosity! To cap off this year's food drive the 4-H Club is going to be out during lunch on October 30 and Halloween encouraging everyone on campus to donate food and help feed the hungry! A table will be on the south side of Old Main/the Mall, right near the Forbes Building, to collect food for Tucson's Food Bank from members of the campus community. Please help out by bringing your canned or non-perishable food items out to help those who are less fortunate! Thank you! For more information contact Collegiate 4-H Club President Lauren Taraba at lctaraba@email.arizona.edu.





James A. Christenson, Ph.D.
(jimc@cals.arizona.edu)
Associate Dean and Director
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Forbes, Room 301
Tucson, Arizona 85721
520/621-7205
520/621-1314 FAX