Tuesday Morning Notes

April 1, 2003


The family of Sarah Harman announces that a service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, April 19 at 11:00 am at Adair Funeral Chapel, 1050 N. Dodge Blvd., Tucson. They also invite her friends to a reception to be held immediately following the service in the Friendship Hall of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 1949 E. Helen (corner of N. Campbell and Helen). Parking is available in the north and south church lots.

I want to extend my thanks and best wishes to Dotty Sherwood-Cooney for her leadership, service and communication skills as an Administrative Associate to the Director. Her last day in our office will be April 7, 2003. She will become the Administrative Associate in the department of Physics effective April 14. We do not plan to fill this position as a part of our budget cuts. Her responsibilities will be redistributed among several staff members.

Overall, approximately 4 staff FTE's have been eliminated from the State 4-H and Extension Administrative offices. Those cuts helped to account for about 40% of our overall budget cuts. As you recall the 4-H and State Extension Administrative offices are being merged. Shirley O'Brien's position will not be filled at this time, but does not count in the budget cuts as this is a faculty position. So our offices are down 25% in faculty and about 30% in staff. You might recall that most statewide programs, travel, and operation dollars are held in our office. So we got hit pretty hard with the 12% cut.

Please join us for a Spring Epsilon Sigma Phi-Kappa Chapter meeting that will be held in conjunction with the CALS Retiree's Barbecue. The meeting will be on April 12, 2003 at 3:30 at the El Rio Neighborhood Center located at 1390 W. Speedway Blvd. (west of I-10). If you plan on attending the barbeque, please RSVP to Patti B. at pattib@ag.arizona.edu, 621-5308. BBQ sandwiches will be provided and you are asked to bring one dish to share. If you've already RSVP'd as a retiree, you don't need to do so again as an ESP member. This may be the only chance to see some of our life members. See you there.

A successful 6th Annual Growing Awareness Southwest Youth Gardening Conference was held March 20-21, 2003. The Conference was hosted at the Pima County Extension Office and the University of Arizona campus. There were 125 participants from all over the country-from Vermont to Florida to Idaho and all parts in between! Youth directed several tours and the conference involved hands-on sessions that included topics such as container gardening, raised beds, garden row covers, soil solarization, greenhouses, water gardens, plant propagation, worm bins, irrigation, and basic gardening skills. Our thanks to conference organizers Cynthia Flynn, Curt Peters, Liz Harrison, John Begeman and the Pima County Master Gardeners, Kate Koester, Lucy Bradley, Lisa Lauxman, and Sandra Saad.

Our policy is to cover all statewide programs and meetings that we call with state funds. Travel dollars will be provided for Development Day at the Maricopa Office on May 1, 2003. The program will be forthcoming.

As of today and due to budget cuts, the Navajo County Extension fax line has been discontinued. They will share a county fax line and pick up faxes twice a week at that location. The fax number is: 928-524-4239.

The 12th Annual Desert Horticulture Conference will be May 16, 2003 at the Tucson Convention Center. The cost is $35.00 per person if received by May 1, 2003. After May 1, 2003 registration is $75.00. For more information: http://ag.arizona.edu/deserthort/.

Join the Arizona Studies Academy, June 23-28, 2003, at Northern Arizona University (NAU) for a unique, integrated approach to teaching and learning about Arizona's Natural Resources! This is a cooperative effort of Arizona's natural resources education community. For more information, visit the Arizona Studies Web Site at www.azstudies.org or call 602-266-4417. Please pass this information on to other educators you know!





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