June 8, 2021
Edition Topics
- Message from Dr. Silvertooth
- Project Harvest: Summary and Major Findings Concerning Harvested Rainwater Quality Webinar
- Arizona Conservation Districts Summer Conference 2021
- EcoRestore June Newsletter
- New Extension Publications
- Arizona 4-H Presents
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Message from the Associate Dean and Extension Director
I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve the University of Arizona (UA) and the Arizona Cooperative Extension System (CES) as the Associate Dean and Director of Cooperative Extension over the last 10 years.
We have continually faced significant challenges from every aspect of the CES organization in the past 10 years and we have dealt with every challenge that has been presented. Working together, we have realized many successes and some progress. The challenges will continue to confront the CES, and I am confident in the organization’s capacity to respond, adapt, and move forward in a positive and productive manner.
The faculty and staff of the CES represent an important asset to the UA with strong programs and connections to communities across the entire state. I have tremendous respect for the people of the CES and I wish you all the very best in the future. I thank you all for your hard work, partnership, and commitment to the Cooperative Extension mission.
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Project Harvest: Summary and Major Findings Concerning Harvested Rainwater Quality WebinarUniversity of Arizona Cooperative Extension Gila County presents: Garden and Country Extension Webinar Series. A Zoom webinar (60-minutes or less) featuring a variety of horticultural and natural resource topics relevant to the environmental conditions and residential concerns of Gila County, Arizona.
Event Date: June 10, 2021 11:00am to 12:00pm, AZ (PT)
Featured Topic: Project Harvest: Summary and Major Findings Concerning Harvested Rainwater Quality, A Co-created Citizen Science Program, 2017-2020 Webinar
Featured Speakers: Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta and Miriam Jones. Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta is a community-engaged environmental health scientist and assistant professor of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. Ramírez-Andreotta’s laboratory uses an environmental justice framework to investigate the fate and transport of pollutants in environmental systems, exposure pathways, cultural models of communication, and methods to improve environmental health literacy. As such, she is often found listening to and training communities and hosting community gatherings and data sharing events. Miriam Jones is a community health worker and is trained as an English-Spanish interpreter. She engaged with organizations, families, and individuals interested in becoming Citizen Scientists through the Project Harvest in the Globe-Miami area.
Webinar Overview: By incorporating a co-created citizen science model, Dr Ramirez-Andreotta and her team of researchers and promotoras (community health workers) conducted a three-year research project to learn about and practice rainwater harvesting to irrigate home and community gardens in Arizona, called Project Harvest. While the benefits of harvesting rainwater are recognized, there is a lack of information regarding the quality of harvested water and there are no monitoring programs. Citizen scientists collected environmental samples from residential, school, and/or community gardens irrigated by harvested rainwater to monitor the quality of harvested rainwater, soil, and plants between 2017-2020. Together, Dr Ramirez, the promotoras and citizen scientists co-generated a dataset to inform guidelines and recommendations for safe, harvested rainwater use on gardens and support communities to safely and sustainably produce their own foods using harvested rainwater. Come learn about the summary and major findings of this important research project!
Webinar Facilitator: Chris Jones, Extension Agent, University of Arizona Gila County Cooperative Extension
Cost: Free
Registration: Not required
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| Arizona Conservation Districts Summer Conference 2021
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| EcoRestore June Newsletter
This Month's Selected Events and Cool New Stuff,
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New Extension Publications
Benjamin Downer, Juan Arias, Ashley Dixon, and Katherine E. Speirs
Podcasts can be a great alternative to watching TV or playing video games. Podcasts are like radio shows, but you listen by streaming or downloading episodes to a phone, tablet or computer. Most podcasts are free. You can listen to them with your children and talk about what you hear.
Katherine E. Speirs, Hope Wilson, Jennifer Argyros, Debbie Curley, Rhegan Derfus, Ashley Dixon, and Cathy Martinez
The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential is a nationally-recognized credential that promotes improved performance and recognition of early childhood care and education professionals. You can earn a CDA in the following areas: infant/toddler, preschool, family child care, or home visitor. The Council for Professional Recognition administers the CDA. The CDA is different than a college certificate, an associate degree, or a bachelor’s degree which are issued by community colleges or four-year colleges or universities.
Kai Umeda, David Kopec, and Shakunthala Nair
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) is a cosmopolitan weed in most turfgrasses. In Arizona, the vast majority of the annual bluegrass is a true winter annual weed (Poa annua var. annua L. Timm.) that germinates in the fall, grows throughout the winter season, flowers profusely in the spring, and then dies as the summer temperatures rise. The weed seed remains in the soil all summer and then germinates during the next fall. The annual form var. annua is more upright in growth habit and prolifically produces stemmy seedheads that often grow in a circular pattern around the leaves, especially when the turf is mowed regularly
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Arizona 4-H Presents
June 9 | 1:00 PM
Arizona 4-H now welcomes Earyn McGee as the keynote speaker for Arizona 4-H Presents. Ever since she was a child, all Earyn McGee wanted to do was learn about cool animals, travel the world, and eat good food. Throughout her academic career, she has followed her first passion, learning about cool animals. Earyn received her B.S. from Howard University, her MSc from the University of Arizona, and is completing a PhD in natural resources with an emphasis in wildlife conservation and management at the University of Arizona. She is an expert in herpetology, specifically lizards of the southwestern US. Check out her popular social media game #FindThatLizard. Every week since June 2018 Earyn has challenged her followers to search for a lizard camouflaged in an image she posts. She makes sure to include fun facts about the lizards. She also uses this as an opportunity to advocate for social justice in environmental fields. Earyn has been recognized for her work as a Forbes 30 under 30 lister, as a Grist 50 lister, AAAS If/Then Ambassador, on Emmy nominated CBS’s Mission Unstoppable, GoldieBlox’s Fast Forward Girls Youtube Series, and on the front page of local and national newspaper outlets. As she approaches the end of her doctorate program, Earyn is confronted with the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” After trying to answer that question, Earyn realized her experiences have primed her to pursue a career as a natural history tv show host and producer. Follow her on social media @Afro_Herper on all platforms.
Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation invites you to join us virtually at the conclusion of Arizona 4-H Summit for the celebratory showcase known as Arizona 4-H Presents. All 4-H members who participate in this year’s AZ 4-H Summit will partake in a problem-solving challenge to make their communities better. During the AZ 4-H Summit, small groups of participants will work collectively to identify an issue affecting their local community. They will then create a sustainable action plan to address the subject. On the last day of the Summit, selected participants will share their action plans to a broader audience via livestream.
This event will be open to those attending Arizona 4-H Summit and will be livestreamed online for those who wish to join virtually from the comfort of their homes.
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