Tuesday Morning Notes

October 25, 2005


Colin's 25 years of leadership as director of the experiment stations in Wyoming and Arizona has contributed to agriculture in the state, regional, national and international arenas. Through his dedicated service, resources have increased, planning and accountability have been enhanced, more highly trained scientists have been created, and the overall programs of research, extension and education have been improved. Colin has played a pivotal role serving CSREES and USDA for over 20 years in major leadership assignments. He chaired the committee that reorganized and reoriented the national CRIS reporting system to make it more responsive to research, extension and academic programs. He also served as chairman of the Science Roadmap Committee and the Genomics Initiative Steering Committee. CSREES has been enhanced by his involvement, contributions and overall support for the system of research, extension and academics.

At the CSREES Day of Appreciation on October 13, Colin Kaltenbach was inducted into the CSREES Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding individuals who have worked, coordinated, or supported activities exemplifying CSREES' synergy of excellence in any combination of research, education, and extension approaches on local, regional, national, or international levels, and who have demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on the agency. In addition, Alma Sperr received a USDA Certificate of Merit for going through (“surviving”) the AREERA audit and her efforts in resolving the USDA Office of Inspector General Audit of CSREES's implementation of AREERA.

It’s my pleasure to announce that Pima County Master Gardener, Nancy McCue, has been recognized as the 2005 Arizona Master Gardener of the Year by the Arizona Nursery Association (ANA). She was presented the award by Association President, Robin Franklin, at their Annual Banquet held at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix on October 20. Nancy was accompanied by her husband Steve as well as John Begeman, Pima County Urban Horticulture Agent, to the evening event. The award is presented annually by the ANA for outstanding service to the Association through the furthering of information and knowledge in horticulture to the residents of Arizona. This ANA award is also in recognition of the value placed on the Master Gardener Program by nursery and garden center professionals throughout Arizona and their way of saying thanks. Thanks ANA and congratulations, Nancy!

The newest edition of our Extension folders is available for ordering through the Publications Distribution Center for 70¢ each (which includes shipping). You can access the online ordering form at http://cals.arizona.edu/ecat/pubs/orderformCoopExt.pdf and order some for your unit. You must enter the username of “cals” and the password of “ua” to access a sample of the front and back cover at http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/download/ExtensionFolders2005.pdf. The form can also be used to order other Extension-related materials such as the Reaching Arizonans Statewide brochure, the Water brochure and the 4-H Youth Development brochure. These items are free of charge. If you have any questions, contact Steven Crofts (520-621-7145 ).

Volunteers, staff and partners of the Arizona Master Watershed Steward Program will be at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project Grand Opening on Saturday, November 5. The public will be invited to participate in a variety of activities that feature this new statewide program's knowledgeable volunteers. There will be informational displays, water-related demonstrations and wetland walks for all ages. Partners included in this event are Arizona Project W.E.T., SAHRA, the UA Water Sustainability Program, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and the Arizona Native Plant Society. The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project Nature Festival will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. along Central Avenue at the Salt River Bridge. The Arizona Master Watershed Stewards and their program partners will be located next to the reconstructed wetland. For more information, go to http://www.phoenix.gov/riosalado or http://cals.arizona.edu/watershedsteward.

A new website is now available featuring information on how to help nursery and agricultural workers cope with heat stress, reduce or prevent work-related musculo-skeletal disorders, improve communication in the workplace and information on legal and regulatory information related to workers in the nursery industry. Information found on the website include short PowerPoint presentations, Heat Stress prevention bookmarks and additional information and resources designed to be used as training tools for supervisors and workers. The website was developed by Ursula Schuch, Trent Teegerstrom and Russ Tronstad with assistance from Kelly Block. It can be viewed at http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/riskmanagement/.

The University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is accepting proposals for research grants under the Water Resources Research Act, Section 104B. The WRRC usually funds three to five small grants of about $10,000-$12,000 for small research projects on water-related issues of importance to the state and region. Only faculty members at the three Arizona state universities may submit proposals. Researchers in any of the social, biological, physical and engineering sciences and fields such as water management, water law, economics and public health are invited to apply. The start date for funded projects is March 1, 2006. Proposals must be submitted electronically via the NIWR web site. Guidelines are available on the WRRC web site(http://ag.arizona.edu/azwater/). The deadline for submittal of complete proposals is 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 14, 2005. For more information, contact Terry Sprouse (520-792-9591, ext. 13).

Yavapai County Cooperative Extension has created and adopted its 2005-2008 Strategic Plan. This document is the result of several planning sessions held during the summer and involved input from the Extension Advisory Board, county faculty and staff, Deborah Young and volunteers. This single page document contains vision and mission statements, goals and educational programs offered. A three-year Plan of Work was also developed during the planning process. The Strategic Plan is available on-line at http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/.







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