UC Blog
GIANT PUMPKINS A SMALL PART OF MASSIVE DAY FOR 4-H
By SaraLloyd Truax, Staff Writer
Pumpkins, pie and prizes, popcorn, pigs and penny-arcade games were all part of the fun Sept. 9 as Santa Barbara County 4-H celebrated their fall fundraiser “Cloverfest” at the Flag Is Up Farms in Solvang.
A giant pumpkin contest was sponsored by Four Leaf Clover Foundation.
The winners were, in order, Pace Encell, Aiden Fox and Tamera Hansen in the youth division, and Tracy Waples, Gary Waples and Peggy Lane in the open division. Encell’s pumpkin was the largest, weighing in at 506 pounds.
Sherry Mills, 4-H Program Representative, deemed the event a success. “We made our goal of raising $12,500,” she says of the effort to match the challenge grant from The Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation. “These funds will help provide increased staff support for the program.”
Donations came from the 4-H community, volunteers and alumni, as well as from the Santa Maria Chapter of California Women for Agriculture and local business owners. “Doniece and Jon Parsons helped by hosting a Tip-A-4-H’er Dinner at Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant in Buellton,” Mills said.
But for the kids, it was all about fun and getting ready for next year. “My goal is to have my pig and my turkeys at the weight limit, so I can sell them,” said 10-year-old Spencer Murray of the Lucky Clover Club. Last year he used his profits for a new skateboard. With some prodding from mom, he remembers that he also donated to People Helping People and the Mission. Some of this year’s proceeds will be saved for college.
Alexander Jackson doesn’t mind getting up at 6 a.m. and going down to feed his animals in the dark. “I’m learning to have more responsibility,” he says. Snuggling her mini-lop, Laura Lowe says she neither breeds nor sells her rabbit, instead opting to focus on showmanship.
One-year-old Chloe Moses took it all in from her seat in the family wagon. Sisters Amanda, 19, Alyssa, 17, Justina, 11, and Abby, 5, along with both parents have all been involved in 4-H. “People always say, ‘Oh, your kids are 4-H,’” says mom Cathleen Moses. “No, our family is 4-H,” is her reply.
Lily Martinez, of another 4-H family, took advantage of one of the many booths and decorated a paper gift-bag. “I’m going to save this till it’s Halloween and use it for a trick-or-treat bag,” she says. Each of the different 4-H clubs sponsored a booth boasting a unique Halloween activity for young children. There were dozens of gift baskets for adults to bid on and barbecue for all to enjoy. Enjoy they did.
struax@syvjournal.com
Original article: www.santaynezvalleyjournal.com/archive/8/41/7280/
UC hosts water discussion in San Ramon
A group of Contra Costa County citizens brought together yesterday by UC Cooperative Extension agreed that the state needs to improve water infrastructure to store more water, improve water conservation efforts and improve water management to mitigate problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region.
Thursday's discussion was one in a series being held by the UCCE Community Water Conversations Project, which aims to provide California citizens with an opportunity to discuss and learn about water policy options in a facilitated, non-threatening and positive environment.
Many participants in Thursday's conversation believe the Delta water issue will reach a crisis point if efforts aren't made to strengthen infrastructure and promote conservation, according to an article in the San Ramon Patch. Political disillusionment is also a common feeling expressed by many forum participants, according to Jodi Cassell, natural resources advisor for the Contra Costa County Cooperative Extension.
"I think in this country, especially now, people are looking for ways on their own to know as much as they can about very complex issues because they don't feel they can go to governmental agencies to get what they need," Cassell was quoted in the newspaper article. "These conversations will hopefully guide them through a part of public policy as multi-faceted as this state's water usage and make them more engaged in the political process that drives it."
Craig Paterson, project manager and moderator of Thursday's forum, said the organizers wish to gather a range of opinions to share with policy makers that will inform decisions in which everybody wins. In January, project staff will finalize video and written reports on the forum's participants and their views.
In a UC Green Blog post, director of UC Cooperative Extension in Solano County Carole Paterson shared common themes that have emerged from a preliminary review of 10 water conversations that took place this year. The themes, she said, are:
- Frustration. People believe the public policy process is flawed.
- Education. People do not understand what is happening to their water. The issues are extremely complex and over the years, layer upon layer of legislation, lawsuits, court decisions and media reports have muddied the water.
- Science. People are concerned that science is being manipulated by various stakeholders to support a particular point of view.
Farmland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
4-H20 studies done in Yolo schools
Last Wednesday was National Youth Science Day, but here in Yolo County, it lasted the entire week.
Children in Winters, Davis and Woodland participated in 4-H2O science experiments to demonstrate the principals of carbon dioxide/oxygen cycles and how altering the balance can affect our oceans and planet. By blowing bubbles into water, they could actually see the pH levels changing.
But more important than the instant lesson of reducing our carbon footprint, was the bigger lesson of scientific experimentation. What do you think will happen? What did happen? Why do you think it happened that way?
"Giving children the time to explore and problem solve on their own is crucial to their academic development," said Marcel Horowitz, 4-H Youth Development Adviser. "What to think is good, but how to think is better. You may forget the exact fact, but you will remember to be curious, to ask more questions, to try to figure things out."
The need for science in the classroom is becoming more and more important as we prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow. Currently, only 18 percent of U.S. high school seniors are proficient in science. And while nearly 66 percent of Japanese college students graduate with degrees related to science, engineering or technology, American rates are only 5 percent.
Trina Camping-Lewis, 4-H volunteer for the events, dedicated her time to help educate the children on this topic. "I love watching people make connections to environmental science and realize that they play a significant, personal role in the world."
It was a collaborative effort to present this opportunity. Local schools included Woodland Montessori School, Caesar Chavez Elementary, and the Winters After-School Program at Rominger Intermediate. These experiments were presented by Megan Harns, from the UC Davis John Muir Institute of the Environment, and funding was made possible by Toyota and Time-Warner Cable. Bringing all these organizations and businesses together under the umbrella of 4-H in Yolo County provided a consistent and high-quality program for our children.
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_16316904?IADID
Rangelands could offset tons of carbon emissions
With proper management, already productive California rangeland could single-handedly offset the state's carbon emissions, believe researchers involved in The Marin Carbon Project.
The ongoing effort was covered by the San Rafael/Terra Linda News Pointer in connection with a Bioneers Conference taking place Oct 15-17 at San Rafael’s Marin Center.
The Marin Carbon Project was formed to establish the basis for rangeland soil carbon sequestration. Initiated two years ago, the project involves ranchers and researchers representing UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Cooperative Extension, Marin Organic, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Marin Resource Conservation District, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nicasio Native Grass Ranch, the Marin County Agriculture Commissioner and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Soil surveys to establish pre-existing levels of carbon in Marin rangeland soils have been completed. This baseline data will allow the accurate assessment of how much carbon improved management practices sequester over time.
For example, project co-founder John Wick told reporter Anna McCarthy that composting wet dairy manure with greenwaste and spreading it on rangelands increases rangeland production and reduces the risk of pathogen runoff into waterways. The practice also "turns the land into a carbon sucking machine," McCarthy wrote.
“It works,” Wick was quoted. “And it works at such a rate, it’s phenomenal.”
A year after adding a half-inch dusting of compost to his rangelands, Wick said the soil yielded 10 tons of carbon per hectare (10,000 square meters).
“That rate, applied on one-third of California’s rangeland, would offset all of California’s emissions every year,” Wick told the reporter.
The Marin Carbon Project seeks to document carbon sequestration in rangeland.
ANR town hall set for 9 a.m. October 28
All members of ANR are invited to join VP Dooley for a 60-minute ANR town hall meeting on Adobe Connect on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 9 a.m. PDT. For those unable to attend online, a recording of the event will be posted.
Dooley will discuss the impact of the newly signed California state budget on UC and ANR. There will also be time set aside for questions and answers.
The town hall link will only be accessible through your ANR Portal https://ucanr.org/portal. Once in your portal you will find instructions to access the meeting at the top of the center column. Please test your ability to access the meeting before Oct. 28.
If you have trouble connecting to the town hall during the event, send a text to Mike Poe at (530) 902-2058 or e-mail mlpoe@ucdavis.edu.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.