UC ANR Leadership Visits UCCE & Stakeholders | |
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On August 23, UC ANR leaders visited UC Elkus Ranch and UCCE San Mateo/San Francisco offices to meet with our County partners and local stakeholders, and learn about the research, education, extension, and outreach programs offered to residents of the two counties. Dr. Brent Hales, Associate Vice President of UC ANR, led the visit alongside vice-provost Dr. Daniel Obrist, Director of Cooperative Extension Dr. Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, and Director of Workplace Inclusion and Belonging Elizabeth Moon. The visit started at the UCCE CalFresh offices in South San Francisco where...READ MORE
Pictured above: at the MG Gardening Education Center (GEC) are from left to right: MG's Maggie Mah & Carol O'Donnell, Elizabeth Moon, Brent Hales, Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, Daniel Obrist, and MG Noreen Cepernich.
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A Word from New Elkus Ranch Coordinator, Amy Bono | |
Hello my friends! I have recently returned to UC Elkus Ranch as the Ranch Coordinator after 10 years away. I am happy to say that Elkus is still a heavenly place to work and over half of the staff are still here from my first decade at the Ranch when I worked as an educator. READ MORE...
Pictured above: our Ranch Staff from front left to right, Zoe Clark, Terri Pachedo, 2nd row: Monique Jones, Doug Meyer, Amy Bono, and in the back (hamming it up!) Beth Loof.
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Elkus Ranch had a fabulous summer filled with 6 weeks of summer camp with more than 120 children in attendance. Each day of camp started off with animal care and garden chores, then we moved on to craft and learning activities, lots of animal free time, a bit of cooking in the kitchen, and fun games in the garden.
Elkus also hosted the ANR Range Camp in June for high school age youth from around the state to learn about Rangeland Management from UC Advisors.
MORE PHOTOS..
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Compost Bunker Aeration Improvement Project | |
In August Michael Cohen, Organic Materials and AgroFood Systems Advisor from Santa Clara, came out to help Elkus Ranch’s Maintenance and Grounds crew, Augie Aguilar and Bruno Acosta install passive aeration chimneys in our compost bunker. The intention of this project has been realized as we are seeing increased temperatures in our composting bay.
We have gone from roughly 70-90° Fahrenheit before the project to 120-150° ranges since the chimneys were installed. This should result in fewer weed seeds making it through the compost process, quicker and with better breakdown of organic material, and more valuable compost for our community!
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4-H Campers Thrive at YMCA Camp La Honda | |
This summer, more than sixty enthusiastic 4-H campers enjoyed a week-long overnight camp at YMCA Camp in La Honda, a picturesque oasis nestled in the rolling hills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. From sunlit mornings to starlit evenings, the camp offered an enriching blend of outdoor adventure and personal growth that left a lasting impression on both campers, counselors, and chaperones alike.
Each day presented a new opportunity for adventure, with... READ MORE
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San Bruno 4-H'er receives Diamond Clover Award | Former San Bruno 4-H Club member and club president, Isabelle Cialone is the recipient of the California State 4-H Diamond Clover Award. She was presented with the award at the California State 4-H Leadership Conference at UC Davis, where she was a program assistant. The California 4-H Diamond Clover is the highest achievement for which a 4-H youth member can be recognized and is awarded to a few 4-H members each year. | |
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Summer is harvesting season and the UC Master Food Preservers have been busy with online workshops and in-person events featuring lots of fun ways to preserve the harvest. We shared the joys of dehydration at library workshops in June and August, and with the children at Elkus Ranch summer camp in July. We are thrilled to announce we acquired a new freeze dryer for our program and look forward to offering a class on home freeze drying very soon! Dehydration and freeze drying are great ways to preserve food that is shelf-stable, portable, tasty, and ready to eat, making it perfect for camping, school lunches or disaster preparedness.
Master Food Preservers are a great local resource in helping communities prepare for emergencies and answer food safety related questions. On August 3, our MFP volunteers participated in the San Mateo County Disaster Preparedness Day, providing information on how to know if your food and water supplies are safe, and what types and amounts of foods to have available in case of emergency, natural disaster, or extended power outage. MFP volunteers are available to speak to groups interested in learning more about disaster preparedness, please contact mymaia@ucanr.edu to learn more.
Pictured above: MFPs Karen Kirby and Helen Hodgson at the San Mateo County Disaster Preparedness Day, Aug. 3, 2024
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ANR leadership wowed by Elkus Ranch Research and Demo Garden | |
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Marcia Cohen, Peggy Lynch and Cynthia Nations led several members of the UC ANR Leadership Team on a tour of the Elkus MG Research and Demonstration Garden on August 23, 2024. The group was quite impressed by the demo gardens, with its native pollinator plants, drought tolerant plants, and espaliered apple trees. These beds have signs with descriptions of plants that do well in our climate zone and have been enjoyed by parents of children who visit Elkus, as well as the public on presentation days.
The ANR leadership team were also very interested in the research beds at Elkus, especially since they demonstrate different uses and benefits of Biocontrol...READ MORE
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Teens CAN Curriculum Pilot | |
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On August 21st and 22nd, CalFresh Healthy Living educators, staff from Scherr Nutrition Sciences, UCCE nutrition advisors, and San Francisco State student interns gathered for a training to prepare for a pilot of the Teens CAN Curriculum Training. Teens CAN (Comprehensive Food Literacy in Cooking, Agriculture, and Nutrition), an inquiry based curriculum, which aims to teach high school students about food literacy. ...READ MORE | |
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CalFresh Healthy Living UCCE San Mateo/San Francisco had an exciting summer full of nutrition, physical activity, and gardening education across the counties. CFHL UCCE spent time teaching youth at Early Childhood Education centers how to Go, Glow, and Grow with the foods they eat. The team also taught parents and other adults resource management and other cooking-related skills using our Plan, Shop, Save, and Cook curriculum.
Educators played important roles at summer schools and camps, of important note is the work at Connect Community Charter. At Connect (pictured here), educators leveraged the Teams With Inter-Generational Support (TWIGS) and Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH). ...READ MORE
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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 can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/215244.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.
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