UC Blog
Experts recommend a change in California water policy
Authors of a newly published water policy book say a new approach is needed to manage California’s aquatic ecosystems, according to a Public Policy Institute of California news release about the publication.
Recommendations include moving away from the current strategy, which aims to save one species at a time under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts. Instead, a broader approach would create better conditions for many species and address the multiple causes of ecosystem decline.
Wide-ranging water policy reforms are detailed in Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation, an in-depth look at the state’s water management challenges. The authors include Richard Howitt, professor and chair of agricultural and resource economics at UC Davis, Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis, and Peter Moyle, associate director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.
The authors say that today’s system of water management, developed in previous times for past conditions, is leading the state down a path of environmental and economic deterioration.
"We’re waiting for the next drought, flood, or lawsuit to bring catastrophe,” the news release quotes co-author Ellen Hanak, senior fellow at PPIC. "But if we take bold steps now, we can move from an era of conflict to one of reconciliation, where water is managed more flexibly and comprehensively, to benefit both the economy and the environment.”
The publication makes water policy recommendations involving:
- Urban conservation
- Goundwater banking
- Water transfers
- Pollution management
- Flood management
The report's suggestions were not met with unanimous support. The Association of California Water Agencies issued a statement yesterday complimenting the authors for bringing attention to the issue, but adding that the report contains "plenty to agree with and plenty to debate."
Release of the report was widely covered by the news media, including:
- Report on state water seeks balance - Modesto Bee
- PPIC takes a crack at California's water stalemate - Sacramento Bee
- Smelt may pay price for healthy estuary - Inside Bay Area
- As $11B water bond looms, book recommends sweeping reform - California Watch
The 503-page PPIC water report.
HFC Strategic Initiative Conference set for May
The Healthy Families and Communities Strategic Initiative Conference is scheduled for May 17-19 at ARC at UC Davis.
More information about the conference will be posted at http://ucanr.org/sites/HFC/ as it becomes available. The final version of the HFC strategic plan is posted at http://ucanr.org/sites/HFC/files/57631.pdf.
The Sustainable Natural Ecosystems Strategic Initiative Conference is tentatively scheduled for September. The exact dates and other information about the SNE conference will be posted at http://ucanr.org/sites/SNE/ as it becomes available.
As we announced last week, workgroups will be aligning under the appropriate Program Teams. The first opportunity for Program Team meetings will be in conjunction with the Strategic Initiative conferences.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Internal funding opportunity for academics
ANR academics are invited to apply to receive internal funding from the Western SARE Professional Development Program for California.
The funds must be used for professional development training activities for extension educators, CE advisors, CE specialists, Natural Resources Conservation Service field staff, or other professionals involved in outreach, and must focus on sustainable agriculture/food system practices. They can also be used for specific training activities for workgroups that are open to non-workgroup participants.
Each proposal should not exceed $4,000. The total available annual funding is approximately $34,000.
Apply for the Western SARE Professional Development Program for California by submitting a short project summary and a few other details in the “Universal Review System” of your ANR Portal. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 24.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Novato garden project gets complicated
Developing a community garden in Novato is proving more complicated and costly than expected, but local organizers are pressing forward with their plans, according to an article in the Marin Independent Journal.
The garden, which will contain 50 to 80 garden plots, is proposed by the non-profit organization Novato Live Well Network. Initially, the group thought expenses for the project would amount to $25,000. However, the price tag has swelled to $220,000 to $250,000.
Reasons cited in the article for increased costs include:
- The city of Novato's fiscal problems preclude it from assisting with infrastructure and waiving fees
- Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act is making the design more expensive
- North Marin Water District announced a 2009 moratorium on new connections. The Novato Live Well Network found a contractor to help them drill an 80-foot well on the property
Project supporters say the community garden would allow Novato residents to grow their own food and make better nutritional choices. A percentage of plots will be offered to low- or moderate-income households, and plot fees will be charged on a sliding scale. "Community gardens open up the opportunity for community members to garden, and improve health factors, making them more active and getting them to eat more fruits and vegetables," the story quoted Mark Bauermeister, the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener coordinator in Marin County. "If they're managed correctly, they can be beneficial for the environment, encourage community interaction and beautify the neighborhood." Late last year, Bauermeister, Marin environmental horticulture advisor Steven Swain and Marin community development advisor Ellie Rilla completed a Marin County Community Garden Needs Assessment. UC Cooperative Extension will host a day-long Community Garden Summit April 29 at San Rafael's Pickleweed Community Center, the article said.
Native plants on display at an existing Marin County community garden.
The best agritourism is found on real working farms
The San Diego Union Tribune ran a 1,500-word story on local agritourism last Friday, featuring UC expertise and resources front and center.
UC's agritourism coordinator Penny Leff provided reporter Emily Rizzo with a definition of agritourism, "a commercial enterprise on a working farm or ranch conducted for visitor enjoyment and education that generates supplemental income for owners."
Promoting agritourism in San Diego has been underway for years, but positioning the Southern California city as an agritourism destination, said UC small farm advisor Ramiro Lobo, is a relatively new concept.
In 1993, Taco Bell's founder opened Bell Gardens, a 115-acre educational farm that attracted 100,000 visitors annually to picnic, buy fresh produce and ride a mini-train. The ranch attracted busloads of agritourists but closed in 2003, the article said.
“It was obviously a heavily subsidized operation, but (it) created attention,” Lobo commented. “Entrepreneurial farmers started tapping into this as a real alternative to diversify their income stream.”
San Diego County now has more than 100 self-identified agritourism businesses, Lobo told the reporter.
Leff and Lobo agree that consumers want to visit real agricultural operations and have a keen sense when it comes to discerning hokey operations from working farms.
“You don’t have to create a Disneyland,” Lobo said. “We want working farmers to be able to capitalize on this without having to spend a ton of money to create something artificial. Pseudo-farms, for the most part, never really did a great job. Those have come and gone.”
Among the UC agritourism resources mentioned in the story were:
- The UC California Agricultural Tourism Directory, which highlights farms and ranches to visit and upcoming events, at CalAgTour.org.
- University of California Cooperative Extension in San Diego County
U-pick operations are a form of agritourism.