Transitions at UC Cooperative Extension | |
A BIG Thank You to Outgoing County Director, Dr. Igor Lacan
UCCE is changing to an “area director” model, where a single non-faculty administrator position oversees UCCE offices across multiple counties. We have a new, incoming Area Director, Andrew Miller – please, welcome Andrew Miller! He will be administering both our SM/SF office and the Santa Clara UCCE office. Andrew comes to us from Alameda & Contra Costa UCCE offices, and is familiar with regional issues
We also want to thank Igor and are truly grateful for his many years of leadership and guidance as Interim CD! Igor will continue to serve as Interim Director of the Elkus Ranch Research and Extension Center as well as continuing in his CE Advisor position as Urban Forestry Advisor.
|
And... Introducing New Area Director, Andrew Miller
Andrew Miller recently transitioned from his role as Area Director for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, where he provided leadership for applied research, community engagement, and educational programs serving the East Bay’s diverse communities. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service, agriculture, sustainability, and international development.
Prior to joining UC ANR, Andrew co-founded a group of companies in Guatemala focused on tropical landscape restoration and sustainable forestry. His work emphasized agroforestry systems integrating fine-flavor cacao and native hardwoods, while supporting community forest producers in the Selva Maya—the largest contiguous tropical forest in the Americas after the Amazon.
Earlier in his career, Andrew worked in institutional timberland and renewable energy investment management across Latin America. He also served as a Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow, supporting the monitoring and evaluation of USAID-funded food security initiatives administered by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). His work spanned nutrition, maternal and child health, agriculture, and natural resource management in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Kenya.
Andrew previously worked at MIG, where he contributed to strategic planning projects for public and nonprofit clients in the Bay Area. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the highlands of Guatemala, where he learned Spanish and gained basic proficiency in Maya Kaqchikel.
He holds master’s degrees in Business Administration, Public Affairs, and Urban and Regional Planning. A Berkeley native and alumnus of Berkeley High School, Andrew enjoys gardening and exploring the Bay Area’s regional parks.
Feel free to reach out to Andrew at: ammil@ucanr.edu
| | Spring into Action: A Busy Season for San Mateo County at 4-H | | |
Wow! What an exciting spring for San Mateo County 4-H! We had many memorable events in March and April.
Presentation Day kicked things off, with several youth practicing their public speaking skills by giving presentations on a variety of topics. We were proud to have multiple gold and blue award recipients advance to the Regional and State Presentation Days!
Next, we hosted a booth at Bug Day at the Randall Museum in San Francisco, where two youth members and one adult volunteer joined 4-H Program Coordinator, T'Nay Pham, in teaching Bay Area families about worm composting. Approximately 2,100 people visited our booth, and the two teen volunteers helped more than 180 children create their very own “worm compost bin in a cup” to take home and begin their composting adventures.
Finally, we held Life Skills Day, where 4-H’ers competed in multiple categories by entering arts and crafts they had created throughout the year, sewn items for the Fashion Revue competition, and healthy snacks for the Snack Attack! Challenge. Returning for the first time in several years was the cookie baking competition, which was by far the most popular event of the day!
Upcoming Events:
San Mateo County Fair: June 5-14 @ the San Mateo County Events Center
4-H Camp Ice Age: June 28 - July 3 @ La Honda YMCA Camp
| | | |
This spring, San Mateo County’s 4-H program has continued to expand programming at the Phoenix Garden, a six-acre garden in San Mateo. In April, we launched a new partnership with the Canyon Oaks Youth Center, a residential treatment facility in the county. Youth have been coming out weekly to explore and work in the garden. They have planted nopales in the Native and Indigenous Peoples Initiative garden and refreshed the lavender labyrinth with new lavender plants. We also hosted two youth from the San Mateo County sustainability department’s Youth Climate Ambassadors program. The youth came out regularly to build and install five owl boxes and two hawk perches at the garden. And lastly, in May, we partnered with the City of San Mateo for Compost Awareness Day, welcoming more than 80 community members to learn about composting, waste reduction, mushroom cultivation, and more.
This school year, San Mateo County 4-H completed the first full pilot of the new Resilient Roots program. We partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and Coastside to offer the program as an afterschool enrichment option. Resilient Roots focuses on climate education for middle school youth. We offered the program at three sites—in Half Moon Bay, Daly City and East Palo Alto. Youth in the program built environmental knowledge and leadership skills as they explored climate change through interactive lessons.
| | | Summer Fun Begins at Elkus Ranch! | | Photo of the Elkus education summer crew Janelle, Nichole, Lexi, Beth, Amy & Doug and Lexi's first day on the job. | |
Another successful school field trip season has wrapped up, and we are looking forward to a fun-filled summer at Elkus Ranch! We are thrilled to welcome two new educators to our team: Lexi, who joined our year-round staff in May, and Stella, (not pictured) who will join us this summer before heading to college in the fall.
Join us this summer to explore the ranch, have fun with the animals, enjoy the gardens, make friends and learn something new.
Registration is now open for:
Camps are filling quickly, so visit our Programs Page for flyers and registration links.
We will also be looking to hire part-time educators for the upcoming fall field trip season. For more information about working at this magical place with amazing people (and animals), contact Amy at abono@ucanr.edu.
| | | Growing Gorgeous Gardens at General Perishing Preschool | | |
Over the past few months, our CalFresh Healthy Living educator, Tonya, led multiple garden workshops at General Pershing Preschool in Daly City for four classes of preschoolers, reaching 60 youth. Preschool-aged participants learned how plants grow, how to care for them both in the classroom and in the school garden, and how to identify critters commonly found in the garden.
Youth also engaged in hands-on garden activities, including planting, preparing soil and weeding. In addition, Tonya and our site partners completed a garden renovation that included adding new soil to the garden beds and planting more than 20 new seedlings, including various herbs, tomatoes, beans, squashes, cucumbers, and more to come.
We look forward to seeing how this garden continues to grow throughout the summer!
| | |
The UC Master Food Preservers of San Mateo and San Francisco Counties welcomed spring with multiple community events. Volunteers shared recipes and ideas for preserving the harvest at the Master Gardener’s Spring Garden Market. MFPs celebrated Earth Day at Alemany Farm in San Francisco with a “make-and-take” citrus salt activity. Earth Day celebrants also sampled rosemary-flavored lemonade and learned another way to enjoy lemons. Lemon was also highlighted in the Cheesemaking Basics class through the lovely fresh lemon ricotta that participants were able to make and take home.
The Master Food Preservers will host their next workshops in August. Join us for:
Fun with Fermentation and Let’s Get Spicy: Salsa Making Workshop
Discover how fermentation transforms vegetables into probiotic-rich foods, or learn to craft your own signature salsa. We look forward to seeing you at one of our workshops!
| | | Explore California Gardening at the San Mateo County Fair | | |
Come visit us at the San Mateo County Fair!
1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo
June 5 – 14: Our exhibits are available throughout the fair:
- CA Native Plants
- Succulents
- UC Master Gardener Information
- Balcony Garden Display by Linda Dvorak and Patty Hontalas
Presentations in Expo Hall:
- June 10 at 1:00 PM – Jancie Moody will give a presentation on Succulents
- June 13 at 1:00 PM – Cindi Morris will speak about CA Native Herbs
- June 14 at 1:00 PM – Rebecca Flato will give a talk on Growing Tomatoes
For more information, visit the UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo–San Francisco Events website.
| | | The doctor is IN! Dr. Cluck's Backyard Chickens is finally here! | | |
UC ANR Publications is thrilled to announce the release of Dr. Cluck's Backyard Chickens: Your Ultimate Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy Chickens—and we think you're going to love it!
Written by veterinarians Dr. Evan Adler (University College Dublin) and Dr. Maurice Pitesky (UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) and brought to life with the delightful illustrations of Will Suckow, this is the backyard chicken book that brings together peer-reviewed science and pure, unabashed fun.
As Dr. Cluck herself pledges in the opening pages: "I, Dr. Cluck, do hereby pledge allegiance to not use any fancy words in this book without explaining them—with liberty and chicken wings for all."
Order your copy now! Available in paperback ($29) and hardbound ($70) through our brand-new UC ANR Publications website—your one-stop shop for our full catalog of peer-reviewed publications. Use promo code EGGVIP at checkout for 25% OFF your order!
Happy clucking!
The UC ANR Publications Team
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
anrpublications.org
| | |
Upcoming Events
click each link for more info
| | |
UC Cooperative Extension Offices
San Mateo / San Francisco Counties
| | |
ANR NONDISCRIMINATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY STATEMENT FOR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
It is the policy of the University of California (UC) and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement.pdf)
Inquiries regarding ANR’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to UCANR, Affirmative Action Compliance & Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618,(530) 750-1397.
| | | | |
