Thanks to Kelly Block, Lisa Lauxman, Bryan Chadd, Susan Pater and others -- the Arizona Cooperative Extension 4-H website has been
redesigned. Check it out at http://cals.arizona.edu/4-h/index.html.
On October 8, 2004, the Governor’s Drought Task Force announced the Arizona Drought Preparedness Plan. Arizona Cooperative Extension
is part of this plan and there are several committees and groups in the proposed structure: Monitoring Committee, Interagency
Coordinating Group, and Local Area Impact Assessment Group (LAIAG). We, along with County Emergency Management, have been asked to
co-chair the LAIAGs and to serve as the local coordinators in each county. To determine our role, several Extension faculty met with
the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) on February 2. In attendance were Deborah Young, Susan Pater, Jim Sprinkle, Jeff
Schalau, Rob Grumbles, Mike Crimmins, Susan Craig, Rodney Held and Margie Risk and myself. The objectives of the LAIAG are to: 1)
identify local drought-related impacts; 2) define societal impacts, severity and loss; 3) identify response options; 4) identify
unmet needs; and 5) identify and facilitate efforts to mitigate impacts focusing on preparedness and reducing drought vulnerabilities.
These groups could be developed at the county level or could employ the existing Rural Watershed Alliances or other existing groups.
ADWR serves the facilitator, provides staff support, web services, and assists with report development and public outreach.
Cochise County Extension has initiated the Local Area Impact Assessment Group in their county and several meetings have been held.
However, all Arizona Extension offices have been asked to participate and Deborah Young will be contacting CEDs to determine a key
contact.
The 2005 CALS Faculty Sabbatical Results Summary Report is now available at http://ag.arizona.edu/dean/sabbatsum2005.html. Faculty
featured this year (and their general subject areas) include Ron Allen, Animal Sciences (gene regulation of muscle stem cells);
Jack Elliot, Agricultural Education (effects of high stakes testing on career and technical education programs); Kevin Fitzsimmons,
Soil, Water and Environmental Science (aquaculture and agriculture integration); George Frisvold, Agricultural and Resource Economics
(agricultural water use); Rick Gibson, Pinal County Cooperative Extension (sustainable agriculture for arid lands); Martha Hunter,
Entomology (bacterial symbionts in wasps); Guy McPherson, Natural Resources (ecological research, instruction and service projects);
Kim McReynolds, Cochise County Cooperative Extension (noxious weed management); Marta Stuart, Yavapai County Cooperative Extension
(logic model systems in universities); Tom Thompson, Soil, Water and Environmental Science (fertility island effect/subsurface
irrigation sustainability); Deborah Young, Arizona Cooperative Extension (natural resource education leadership).
A fire potential outlook for February-June 2006 is available from the 2006 National Seasonal Assessment Workshop: Eastern, Southern,
and Southwest Geographic Areas. The workshop was co-organized by CLIMAS, the National Interagency Coordination Center, and the
Program for Climate, Ecosystem and Fire Applications. A brief synopsis of fire potential is available at:
http://www.ispe.arizona.edu/climas/conferences/NSAW/publications/NSAWeastone-pager_06.pdf.
Upcoming Events & Reminders:
Cooperative Extension and the Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education & Research are sponsoring a “Small Steps
to Health and Wealth ™ (SSHW) Training on Thursday, March 2, from 1:30-5:00pm. The objective of this training is to provide the tools
to integrate SSHW™ curriculum into existing programs. Dr. Barbara O'Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management,
from Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension will be the presenter. Dr. O'Neill is the author of two trade books, “Saving On A
Shoestring” and “Investing On A Shoestring,” published by Dearborn Trade, and co-author of “Money Talk: A Financial Guide For Women”
and “Small Steps to Health and Wealth.” It is free for Extension faculty, staff, volunteers and partners who are interested in
integrating health and wealth lifestyles into their youth and family programming. Registration is required for one of the 5 sites
with the UA videoconferencing system classrooms - Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Sierra Vista or Yuma. Contact Laurel Jacobs or Linda Block or call 626-5161 for more information and to receive a
registration flyer.
Pima County Cooperative Extension invites you to participate in a unique professional development experience designed by Coconino
County Cooperative Extension to identify gaps and duplications in services, and to foster stronger, healthier families for the State
of Arizona. Consider attending the “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Simulation Workshop,” on Thursday, March 9, 2006, 8:00am to
3:00pm, at the Inn Suites Hotel in Tucson, Arizona. Registration for the simulation workshop is $35 per person and CEUs are available.
If you are interested, please contact Dan McDonald or Linda Block at 520-626-5161.
On March 29 and 30 a professional development seminar will be presented by UA Human Resources and the Extension Professional
Development Committee. It will focus on enhancing management and communication techniques. More information will be available
soon from Brent Strickland.