INTERIM PROVOST ANNOUNCEMENT:
Congratulations to Dean Eugene Sander as Executive Vice President and Provost for an interim period, beginning July 1, 2007 and ending when the next provost arrives on campus.
FOCUS ON FACULTY:
Congratulations to Dr. Robert Kattnig who was invited to serve on the national Extension Animal Agriculture Executive Councils (EEC). To date, the EEC has established a DAIRYEXEC listserv, is planning to meet at the society meetings in San Antonio this summer, are involved in speaking for Swine Educators on national issues, and much more.
WEBCASTING PRESENTATION:
The web casting presentations for the Area Assistant/Associate Agent, Agriculture (for Graham County) will be Friday, April 13 (Sabrina Tuttle & Eric Schwennesen) and Wednesday, April 18 (Bill Brandau). The title of the web cast is Developing an Extension Education Program That Will Help Cultivate a Wise Stewardship for Water and Land Resources for Producers and Consumers and it can be viewed at http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/webcasts.html. To view the web cast, you must use Internet Explorer (NOT Netscape) and have Windows Media Player installed on your computer. Candidate dates and times are: 1) Sabrina Tuttle , April 13 , 9:00-9:45am, 2) Eric Schwennesen , April 13 , 1:45-2:30pm, and 3) Bill Brandau , April 18 , 9:00-9:45am. For more information or questions, contact Glenda Thompson (520.621.3621).
POSITION OPENINGS:
There are also several active searches. Please direct potential candidates to our website:
http://ag.arizona.edu/extension/job_openings.html.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE:
For those of you who missed the Professional Development Committee's Communications Workshop or those who wanted copies of the PowerPoints, you can view them by going to http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/profdev/presentations_march21-22.html. For questions or more information, contact Evelyn Whitmer (520.458.8278).
EARLY FIRE SEASON WARNING:
According to the NRCS Arizona Basin Report, with the overall snowpack accumulation in Arizona 80 percent below average and the melt-out a month ahead of schedule, firefighters are preparing for an early fire season and water managers should plan for half of the normal stream flows for spring and summer uses. This is not good news either for those who reside in the urban-wildland interface, a focal point of concern for interagency fire management officials. As the public moves into areas that are near forests and open lands, drought elevates the risk of wildfires that threaten the safety of people and property. Arizona Cooperative Extension is working with county emergency managers and the Arizona Department of Water Resources to form "local drought impact groups". These locally-run drought planning groups can assist with statewide drought preparedness efforts, coordinate drought public awareness, assess drought monitoring needs, provide drought impact assessment information to local and state leaders, and implement local mitigation and response options. Some counties have groups that are up and running and some counties will be forming them this year. To find out more information about a local group in your area, go to http://www.azwater.gov/dwr/drought/LDIG.html or contact Evelyn Erlandsen (602.771.8441).
FOCUS ON PROGRAMS:
- The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) had a national meeting in Las Cruces, April 3-4. The Arizona Livestock Incident Response Team (ALIRT) program was presented with a focus on partnerships with state government, federal agencies, private producers and Extension. Decisions were held on the implications of introducing foreign animal diseases in American food chain, bio security incidents, plans, procedures and training with special attention to the role of Cooperation Extension in prevention, detection, response and recovery. Check out the EDEN site for program presentations and other related materials. Both Jeanne Benally and Gerald Moore have insights for these issues on tribal lands.
- The Learning to Grow: Options for a Changing Landscape Symposium took place this past Saturday in Tombstone with 120 people attending from all over Cochise County. The symposium was made possible with the help of a pre-planning team (Susan Pater, Kim McReynolds, Judy Anderson, Mark Apel, Telly Stanger, and others) and several UA students (Sarah McDonald, Corrie Hannah, Kristin Wisneski, Stephanie Kopplin) and ended with a next steps process for comprehensive planning in the county.
- The State Initiative, Understanding Youth Development: Creating the Youth Development Institute , announced that 23 Youth Development Professionals graduated from the program. This pilot program offers youth development professionals a unique cost-effective opportunity to participate in a year-long learning community or community of practice. Communities of Practice offer the opportunity for those who work with and on behalf of young people to deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting in an ongoing basis with other adults who are committed to the positive development of young people. This collaborative effort between the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences and Cooperative Extension will continue to expand this fall. The team includes Lynne Borden , Joyce Serido , Debbie Pinkney, Sun-A Lee, Anne Fisher, Alem Tecle, Brianne Richmond, Lisa Lauxman , Mike Hauser , Kim Gressley , Darcy Tessman , Amy Parrott , Jan Norquest , Juanita Waits and Marta Elva Stuart .
UPCOMING EVENTS & DEADLINES:
- An Endangered Species Workshop will be held on April 13 at Besh Ba Gowah, 150 Jesse Hayes Road, Globe. The cost is $20 per person (which includes lunch) and the registration deadline is April 10 . For more information and a map with driving directions, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/gila/whats_new/#animalsciences.
- Arizona Project Wet offers training in water education across the state. Workshops are FREE. Tucson workshops are scheduled for April 14 , June 18 & 19 . Phoenix workshops are scheduled for May 5 & 12 , June 5 & 6 , and June 13 & 14 . For specific information on each workshop and to register, go to www.ag.arizona.edu/azwater/wet.
- 2007 Organic Certification Workshop, May 9 , 8:00-12:00, Yuma County Extension, 2200 W. 28th Street, Yuma. Applications for 3 AZ, CA and CCA CEUs will be submitted.
- The 16th Annual Desert Horticulture Conference will be held on May 18 at the Tucson Convention Center. The conference presents information for green industry professionals and will focus on distributing timely, research-based information relevant to urban landscapes in the arid Southwest. Program and registration information can be found at http://ag.arizona.edu/deserthort/.
- Members of the Healthy Lifestyles Work Group invite anyone interested in increasing your knowledge of issues surrounding wellness to attend a training session on Wednesday, May 23 at the Pima County Cooperative Extension office from 11:30-3:00. If you are interested in joining the Healthy Lifestyles Work Group, planning begins at 8:30 a.m. that same day. Contact Joyce Alves (928.337.2267) or Sharon Hoelscher Day (602-470-8086 x332) for more details.