UC Blog
Forest Service works with UC to ensure water quality
U.S. Forest Service regional forester Randy Moore said the agency and its collaborators take the quality of high Sierra water seriously, according to an op-ed article that ran in the Sacramento Bee over the weekend.
The op-ed came after a May 1 Sac Bee editorial encouraging the Forest Service to limit grazing to lower elevations.
Moore wrote that the Forest Service is working with the State Water Resources Control Board to develop a water quality management plan for California national forests. The plan will establish best-management practices for controlling non-point source pollution like that produced by grazing cattle.To develop the practices, Moore said the agencies are looking at a large body of peer-reviewed literature examining the relationship between livestock and water quality. The studies were conducted by respected environmental researchers, he wrote, specifically naming UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialists Ken Tate and Rob Atwill.
UC Davis researchers have offered to work with the Forest Service to design monitoring and research that is scientifically credible and provides information that will ensure the safety and quality of watersheds, the op-ed says.
A lake in the high Sierra. (Photo: Mike Poe.)
Pacific fisher orphans on Fresno TV
Five Pacific fisher orphans were featured on Fresno's KSEE Channel 24 news last Friday. The story includes great video of the five tiny, weasel-like animals now being cared for at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.The orphaned fishers were rescued by an Oakhurst-based UC Berkeley team that is studying the Pacific fisher population in the southern Sierra Nevada. The animals are the offspring of two fisher females that were part of the study. One was killed by a bobcat, the other hit by a car. Get all the rescue details in this UC news release.
Unfortunately, the Channel 24 story omitted the fact that researchers are looking for support from the community to care for the fishers so they can be returned to the wild. To make a contribution for milk replacement formula and supplies to build a temporary habitat, contact Anne Lombardo of UC Cooperative Extension at amlombardo@ucdavis.edu, (559) 676-0576.
The Pacific fisher story also appeared in the Sierra Sun Times and Yubanet.com.
UC research crew member uses tree climbing equipment to reach orphan fishers in an unstable snag.
Sugar = corn syrup? UC Davis to weigh in
Consumers are confused about their sweeteners. Media have reported that high fructose corn syrup is no different from cane sugar, and they have publicized studies that show the corn-based sweetener is more harmful to good health than sweetener extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets. Connecttristates.com tried to sort out the facts:
- Both sweeteners are made up of roughly equal amounts of glucose and fructose. (New York University nutrition professor quoted in the New York Times.)
- Chemically speaking, high fructose corn syrup is just sugar with an image problem. (From a CBS News report.)
- A 2004 paper suggested a link between soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup to the obesity epidemic. (No citation.)
- The authors of above-mentioned paper "didn't have one shred of evidence to back up their theory. They eventually recanted and they realized that HFCS and sugar are virtually the same thing. (Michael Jacobson, Center for Science in the Public Interest.)
- The addition of high fructose corn syrup into research subjects' diets increases the severity of liver disease...particularly the degree of liver scarring or fibrosis. (Manal Abdelmalek, Duke University Medical Center.)
- It's fructose that we're worried about. There's too much of it in our diet so we ought to be eating less of sugars generally. (Marian Nestle, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University.)
The column said scientists at UC Davis are conducting a long-term study to understand whether human bodies metabolize high fructose corn syrup differently than table sugar. Results are expected by the end of this summer
In the meantime, the writer says, overuse of either high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar is not a healthy practice.
Sweetened with corn syrup.
European grapevine moth in Fresno County
Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Carol Hafner held a news conference yesterday to outline efforts to combat European grapevine moth after three were detected last week in Fresno County. The ag commissioner's office has been monitoring thousands of traps in the county as part of a statewide program to detect the invasive pest.
On April 28, the officials confirmed that two European grapevine moths were found in separate traps about a half mile apart in vineyards southeast of the city of Fresno. On May 1, one moth was found in a trap in the Kingsburg area.
Grape production is the No. 1 ag industry in Fresno County, with an annual value of more than $700 million. The new threat to the industry posed by European grapevine moth was covered widely by local media, including:
Earlier this week, the Fresno Bee reported that USDA is providing California with an additional $1 million to help fight the spread of the European grapevine moth, now found in five California counties. The federal agency had already allocated $1.7 million to deal with the pest.
Fresno grape industry threated by exotic pest.
Message from VP Dooley
Dear Colleagues:
Last week marked the anniversary of the Statewide Conference and the release of the Strategic Vision. Earlier last week, I had a candid conversation with members of the Executive Working Group to take stock of what has been accomplished and the work that still needs to be done. As a benchmark, we referred to my closing presentation from the conference summarizing what we heard and the recommendations that came out of the working sessions. If you want to review the presentation, it is on the Web at the bottom of this page - http://ucanr.org/swcpresentations.
At the close of the conference, the recommendations and concerns we collected fell into five broad categories: Organization, Partnerships, Marketing/Branding, Internal Reward System, and Teams and Collaborations.
Organization
The changes we have made have been extensive. The Regional Offices and a number of Statewide Programs have been or will shortly be closed, with administrative tasks shifting to the Program Support Unit and the Business Operation Centers. While adjustments are still being made, these actions have generated administrative savings that have helped us meet budget targets and preserve more of our academic core. Programmatically, four Strategic Initiatives are operating and their leaders have been appointed to Program Council so that program and resource allocation decisions are aligned with our objectives. We also consulted with a number of key external stakeholders and experts to incorporate fresh perspectives on our organization and operations.
We have acted to broaden the utility of the Research and Extension Centers and their potential to serve as focal points for integrated research and extension activities. Joint appointment positions have been developed for new directors. At Kearney, the process to initiate a search is under way for a Kearney director who will have responsibilities for the REC as well as the academic group known as Kearney Agricultural Center. These important steps will lead to improved linkages and collaboration across the organization.
Partnerships
We are at a key moment regarding our partnerships with county government. Looking ahead, we face critical decisions to build efficient administrative structures while strengthening the local program delivery that is the core of UC Cooperative Extension. To start, we must initiate a contemporary model for our partnership with the counties. Don Klingborg and I will meet with county directors on June 8 to discuss this effort and expect to move quickly to plan implementation in time for the FY 2011-12 budget cycle.
Marketing/branding
We’ve taken a significant step forward by designing an identity system that is based on the Strategic Vision and emphasizes the UC brand. The Strategic Vision Toolkit contains a growing suite of tools and templates to build our brand, communicate more effectively, and to demonstrate our impact.
We have also made progress in developing a strategic advocacy capacity. ANR’s advocacy is a long-term effort aimed at creating and nurturing relationships at the local level with current and emerging policymakers. We have included a number of key division supporters in the high level group of advocates upon whom President Yudof relies. We have also taken steps to improve our internal communication tools and timeliness.
Internal reward system
Aligning our internal reward system with our Strategic Vision is a major challenge. The Academic Personnel unit has been charged to lead our efforts to develop a consistent merit and promotion system, appropriate and transparent criteria, and a more efficient and streamlined process that reduces reporting burdens while improving the value of the collected data. We will complete this effort with no interruption in the merit and promotion process.
Teams and collaborations
The Strategic Initiatives are working to build new connections and collaborations across the continuum, while also aligning leadership, resources and operations with our Strategic Vision. As the four Strategic Initiatives gain momentum and identify innovative research and extension projects, the Strategic Initiative leaders and their panels share an explicit commitment to fostering and supporting teams and collaborations that cross boundaries and build new relationships both within UC and with our external partners. We have also been working at all levels to break down barriers and encourage multidisciplinary collaboration. This will include reworking our internal reward system.
Next steps and summary
The above are just a few examples of the significant progress we have made on a wide range of recommendations from the Statewide Conference. The Strategic Vision has guided these changes and I'm pleased by our progress, but much remains to be done.
To show ANR’s direct and indirect impact, we are planning to build an expanded suite of tools and resources. We will be developing materials that can be tailored to demonstrate local impact to help build and maintain support.
Moving ahead on our internal reward system, Academic Personnel will be working with all of you to develop a proposed plan of action in this critical area.
On the administrative side, we will evaluate our actions to ensure that critical services are in place, staffed, and efficiently organized.
ANR has accomplished a great deal over the past 12 months. Many of the steps we’ve taken, and the recommendations on which they were based, have been discussed and debated for years. The resulting changes have not been easy, but they have laid a solid foundation for a more agile, sustainable, effective organization that can deliver policy-relevant science and effective solutions to Californians.
In the coming weeks, I will be in touch to discuss more specific steps we will be taking and about the goals and objectives we have set for the coming year.
Warm regards,
Dan
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.