| Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals |
Quarterly Member Newsletter Spring 2023 |
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The President's Corner Greetings fellow ANREP members!
For those of you who missed our annual business meeting last week, the video is posted on the ANREP YouTube channel and on our website. |
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Highlights of the meeting included an engaging presentation on native plants and ecological restoration by Dr. Lars Brudvig of Michigan State U., a report on the state of ANREP, the Treasurer’s report, and a report on our membership and web site enhancements by our Executive Secretary. Also included was a presentation on NREEF, by John Kushla; and an update on preparations for the ANREP 2024 Conference in Pennsylvania, by Jennifer Fetter. Finally, Tera Freeman, Chair of the ANREP Awards Committee, presented the 2023 Awards Ceremony. We had a total of 33 ANREP Award winners this year! Congratulations to all our award winners! Also, a big “thank you!” to Terra and all the judges who volunteered to screen nominations this year. One of the things I highlighted at the meeting was the work of our ANREP Committees. Our committees do the work of ANREP and are critical for implementing our Strategic Plan. We have two new committees this year, the DEI Committee and the Communications Committee. Another long-standing committee, Professional and Leadership Development has recently been rejuvenated with an increase to 12 members. Thank you to all our ANREP members who serve on Committees or volunteer to serve ANREP as representatives and liaisons! If you would like to contribute your ideas and influence the future of ANREP, as well as serve your professional society, please consider signing up for one of our committees. You can sign up on the ANREP web site. Wishing everyone a fabulous summer! Thank you! Bill Warren ANREP President 2023 williamw@uidaho.edu |
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The Issues with Heirs' Property
According to a recent study, the United States will lose between 1.1 and 1.6 million acres of agricultural and forested land (American Farmland Trust 2022). While there are many reasons for land loss, it should be noted that in many regions of the country entire industries are reliant on these lands to provide them with raw materials to produce products, provide us with clean air and clean water, and help define the character of many communities (Butler, Leatherberry 2004).
One of the greatest threats to successful small family land ownership and succession to the next generation is a problem known as heirs property ownership. Heirs’ property ownership represents the most insecure form of ownership of common property in the United States. These owners are not able to secure loans or participate in government programs designed to help them, which in many cases prevents them from building, maintaining, and preserving wealth through their property. Heirs’ properties often go unmanaged and are largely unavailable for forestry and to return a profit to the landowners.
Heirs’ property is family-owned land, jointly owned by the descendants of a deceased person. The descendants, or heirs, have the right to use the property, but they do not have a clear or marketable title to the property since the estate issues remain unresolved. How does this happen? Land is passed down without either a will to direct or a deed to prove ownership. This can be the result of an untimely or premature death, or a complete lack of forethought about what happens to a property when the owner dies, or perhaps a lack of financial resources to plan for succession of ownership with an attorney. The problem within underserved and minority communities can be particularly acute and exacerbated by a lack of trust developed through generations of interacting with a legal system that did not afford them equitable access or protections (Mitchell 2001). Whatever the cause, each successive generation likely results in more heirs being added to the lands inheritance and no clear title existing.
Heirs’ property can be divided by the courts by a request by an heir, or someone who has bought out the right from one of the heirs. If the number of heirs is too great, often the courts will simply order a sale, with the proceeds to be divided equally. This phenomenon has resulted in significant land loss in an already fragmenting system of farm and forests across the United States. The best anecdote to creating vulnerable heirs’ property is for Extension professionals to encourage working lands owners to talk with family members and to plan with an experienced attorney. Kurt Smith Extension Professor and Extension Specialist NC State University Email: kwsmith@ncsu.edu |
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Amid Emergency Measures, WSU Extension and Washington Sea Grant Train Volunteers to Find Invasive European Green Crab (written by Joe Roberts, WSU CAHNRS Communications)
A new program will enable anyone who walks the shorelines of Puget Sound to identify one of Washington state’s most concerning invasive species: European green crab.
In response to this shore crab’s booming population, Washington State University Extension and Washington Sea Grant outreach specialists are rolling out the Molt Search program in May. WSU Extension and Sea Grant are recruiting volunteers for training to support early detection efforts along Washington’s inland shorelines by searching for European green crab shells and reporting evidence of their presence to managers.
The state of Washington deployed emergency measures in 2022 to slow the crab’s spread and protect shorelines from harmful impacts. Green crab eat or compete with a wide range of native species, including juvenile Dungeness crab and littleneck clams. They also destroy seagrass habitats important to salmon.
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Close-up of European green crab, with identifying features indicated. Credit: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife |
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Molt Search will train participants to systematically search beaches for molts, the exoskeletons the crabs shed, which can wash up on shorelines before European green crabs can be detected with traps.
“Green crabs tuck under logs, rocks and vegetation, making them difficult to spot,” said Bob Simmons, Olympic region water resources specialist with WSU Extension. “They can hide in the shallows of mudflats or in protected estuaries and pocket marshes, areas very difficult to safely access. Finding molts is easier since they wash to the upper beach with high tides.”
Once European green crabs are found in an area, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Native American tribes, shellfish growers, and other partners deploy hundreds of traps. Read more...
Bob Simmons Associate Professor - Water Resources WSU Extension Email: simmons@wsu.edu |
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Teaching and Learning Through Videography
Many of us began exploring the use of video production as a new work method in the early days of the COVID-19 epidemic. At that time, I had only recently switched from a flip phone to a “smarter” one and had never shot or edited a digital video (ever). In the first six months of my learning phase, I was determined to learn how to create a video worth watching and not give up. The result was over 30 short amateur videos (all solo efforts) that were posted on Facebook or used in webinars. My level of editing expertise then was to shorten a file down at the beginning or the end file, and if needed, put a title on it! It was 100% more than I had ever done, so I was happy.
Then I started increasing my knowledge through Extension trainings on video production using smartphones offered by Michele Walfred, Communications Specialist, with Delaware Cooperative Extension, by watching YouTube instructional videos, and connecting with my college’s Digital Education Unit. In addition to learning about equipment and technique this way, I started experimenting with what I call “mini-interviews.” Now I only occasionally produce solo videos in the woods, and I have a newfound passion for producing natural resources education videos with a wide range of colleagues. I especially enjoy the creative aspects of video editing. I think of it as making a timed, moving image collage. Below are a few links to some of my most recent videos (the topics are in the URLs). I welcome your critique, positive or negative (sent to sss5@psu.edu), even if you can only watch one of the videos. The way I see it, all critique is valuable, and it helps me improve my craft.
https://extension.psu.edu/eastern-hemlock-health-update https://extension.psu.edu/fire-in-the-woods
https://extension.psu.edu/a-heart-for-his-forestland-profile-of-a-forest-steward https://extension.psu.edu/pennsylvanias-spectacular-golden-eagle-migration https://extension.psu.edu/woodland-amphibians-frogs-and-salamanders https://extension.psu.edu/asian-jumping-worms-another-forest-foe https://extension.psu.edu/raptor-birding Sandy Smith Teaching Professor in Forest Resources and Natural Resources & Youth Extension Specialist Penn State University Email: sss5@psu.edu |
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Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Expansion into Miami-Date County, FL
In 2022, the Florida Sea Grant Extension Program in Miami-Dade County launched Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch (FHCW), a citizen science program designed to capture data about local horseshoe crab populations. Prior to the expansion of this project, little data existed about the status of horseshoe crab populations in Florida. Horseshoe crabs have substantial ecological and economic importance in our state. These prehistoric arthropods highly resemble their original ancestors and are sighted on low-energy beaches around Florida. Miami-Dade became the 20th county to join the FHCW program.
In partnership with Berlynna Heres, the FHCW statewide coordinator at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, we hosted training events and submitted the permits to survey and tag horseshoe crabs in Miami-Dade County. Permits from regulatory agencies are required not just for the collection of scientific information, but when handling live animals. To maintain our various permits and ensure the highest level of quality in data collection, all interested participants must complete a training course.
The FHCW training course consists of horseshoe crab biology and their ecological importance, fisheries management and survey protocol techniques. The surveys consist of a beach nesting survey as well as the mark-recapture data or noting if any previously tagged crabs are observed. In addition to in-person training events, volunteers may take the free online training course, developed by my colleague, Dr. Savana Barry.
Data become part of a statewide mark-recapture study, which is one of the most effective approaches to determine local population dynamics. The extra cool thing about the FHCW program is that once a volunteer is trained, they can assist with surveys in other counties that host the program. Several volunteers survey in other parts of the state, in addition to their home of Miami-Dade County. In addition to the surveys, volunteers are charged with educating beachgoers about horseshoe crabs.
After three training events and three seasons of surveys, I am proud to share what we have accomplished in Miami-Dade County: - 64 volunteers trained
- 52 surveys completed
- 189 volunteer hours donated
- 28 educational contacts (6 in 2023, 22 in 2022)
- the first ever tagged horseshoe crabs in Miami-Dade County!
- 5 crabs tagged in 2022 (Frank, Bob, Virginia, Frida & Diego)
- 4 crabs in 2023 (Heracles & Hebe, Rachel & Jacques)
Survey site selection was a challenge, as the great majority of Miami-Dade County’s shoreline is now hardened, or developed, and the majority that remains is protected mangrove shoreline, not a suitable nesting area for horseshoe crabs. Berlynna and I scouted survey site locations based upon public reports of horseshoe crab sightings documented by FWC. We also had to determine if the sight was easily accessible, if there was close parking, if we could get park entry fees waived, and other logistical considerations.
The success of this program would not be possible without the enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers. What’s particularly exciting is that Berlynna, Savanna, and other scientists analyzed the data captured by the volunteers in the FHCW program and found it to be of equal quality to data collected by professional scientists (Heres et al. 2021). References: Heres, B., Crowley, C., Barry, S., Brockmann, J. 20221. Using citizen science to track population trends in the American Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) in Florida. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 6(1) p. 1-12. |
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Miami-Dade County FHCW volunteers pose with Frida, a female horseshoe crab found on survey at Crandon Marina, September 2022. Frida and her mate, Diego were both tagged and released. Photo: Aurora Alcaide |
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Miami-Dade FHCW volunteer Jeanne tagged and released Jacques (male, left), and Rachel (female, right). These crabs were found on survey at Virginia Key North Point Park in Miami. The volunteer who finds the crabs receives the honor of naming them. Photo: Jeanne Rothchild |
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If you are interested in learning more about FHCW, please contact me at: azangroniz@ufl.edu. Ana Zangroniz Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County
Email: azangroniz@ufl.edu |
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New Online Forest Landowner Academy Now Open for Enrollment
The Forest Landowner Academy is the first of its kind offered by the UF School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (SFFGS) on the UF/IFAS Extension Online Learning catalog. Forest Landowners, and others in need of forest management education, are encouraged to enroll to connect with SFFGS forest management experts and receive quality core educational content on forestry and multiple-use stewardship concepts! The seven course modules cover a variety of topics including: - Understanding your forest resources
- Developing your management plan
- Timber management
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Marketing forest products
- Other forest enterprises such as pine straw and hunting leases
- Wildlife management
- Planning for the future
Each module includes an assessment questionnaire where you can apply what you’ve learned to your land or situation and begin or continue planning and making contacts. In addition being better prepared and equipped to be good stewards of their forest resources, those completing the course will earn a University of Florida Certificate of Completion.
This course is relevant for Florida forest landowners and land managers, as well as those in the neighboring coastal plain regions of GA and AL. Participants will build on this course as they receive information and attend educational events offered by the Florida Land Steward Program and other partners in Florida and neighboring states.
Enroll in the Forest Landowner Academy on the Extension Online Learning Canvas Catalog: https://ifas-sfrc-for.catalog.instructure.com/courses/for-fla |
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For more information, contact:
Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu, 352.846.2375 or
Dr. Michael Andreu, mandreu@ufl.edu School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences UF/IFAS |
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Resources from NAAEE to Support ANREP Members
In 2021, ANREP entered into a multi-year agreement with the North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) through the ee360+ initiative. NAAEE leads ee360+ through a cooperative agreement with U.S. EPA and partner organizations, like ANREP, to increase environmental literacy for everyone, everywhere.
This financial support and partnership supported four ANREP members to attend the 2022 NAAEE Conference in Tucson, Arizona, and four to attend the conference virtually. Twenty ANREP members joined together at the beginning of 2023 to take part in the multi-week course Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Outreach and Environmental Education online course.
NAAEE has many additional resources to assist outreach and environmental educators in natural resource fields. The eePRO platform is a global online community that provides opportunities to connect with other professionals, participate in discussions in sixteen different learning communities, take part in learning opportunities, or find and share resources. NAAEE also hosts an expansive job board which helps job seekers connect with employers and internship opportunities.
This fall, the NAAEE Conference will be a virtual offering, supporting member requests to provide continue some virtual conference opportunities to help reduce CO2 emissions and allow for wider participation from members, educators, partners across North America, and the wider global audience. The theme for 2023 is “Together We Thrive”, focusing on the importance of collaboration, creativity, and crossing boundaries to address environmental and social issues.
The conference will be October 9-20, with the two weeks providing opportunities for virtual workshops, meetings, and research symposium, and general conference session presentations and keynotes. Registration will be opening later this summer, and more information can be found at conference.naaee.org.
If you have any questions about the NAAEE ee360+ partnership, please reach out to the project manager, Renee Strnad, NC State University Extension Forestry, renee_strnad@ncsu.edu. Renee Strnad NC State University - Extension Forestry |
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Fall Course Offering from the ANREP DEI Committee
This fall, the ANREP DEI Committee will be supporting another opportunity for ANREP members to take part in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Outreach and Environmental Education. This course was developed through a partnership among the Center for Diversity and the Environment, EcoInclusive, Environmental Educators of North Carolina, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, Kentucky Association for Environmental Education, and Justice Outside. This asynchronous course serves as an introduction to spark interest in further learning around justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; and is designed to provide a strong foundation in the language, concepts, and principles of equity work in our professional and personal lives.
Facilitated virtual discussions via ZOOM, led by Paul James with Lighthouse Strategy Consulting, encourages participants to stretch the learning and share how the coursework ties into Extension. This course will have an assigned moderator from Environmental Educators of North Carolina to assist course participants not familiar with the online learning platform (Moodle & ZOOM), answer course questions, and keep track of assignment submissions and completion. The full cost of this course is more than $150, but up to 20 ANREP members will be able to register at a reduced fee of $40, thanks to the financial support of the ee360+ initiative and ANREP. The registration announcement will be sent to ANREP members this summer, and the course will begin in October.
Congratulations to those ANREP members that completed the Winter 2023 ANREP sponsored Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Outreach and Environmental Education course work! Jennifer Fetter Paige Filice Kevin Harris Gregory Ira Erika Lyon Jane Maginot Peter Mattejat Danielle Rhea
Kara Salazar Renee Strnad Nick Taylor Jessica Warren Sarah Zack
Reach out to James Henderson (jeh149@msstate.edu), ANREP DEI Committee Chair, for more information.
James Henderson Mississippi State University Renee Strnad
NC State University Email: renee_strnad@ncsu.edu |
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UCCE Launches a Post-fir Forest Resilience Education Program
In 2022, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) was funded by the USFS State and Private Forestry program to develop a Post-fire Forest Resilience Education Initiative. This initiative is funded for four years, with a goal of improving post-fire forest restoration assistance to non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners affected by wildfires in the years 2019-2022. Funded activities include a reforestation needs assessment for NIPF lands in California, monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of publicly funded post-fire assistance programs for NIPF landowners, and development of a statewide post-fire education program for NIPF landowners.
The cornerstone of UCCE’s statewide post-fire education program is a Post-Fire Forest Resilience Workshop series, designed to connect forest landowners to post-fire concepts, professionals, and resources to help them manage their own lands after wildfire. The workshop consists of seven weekly online meetings and a field trip to observe wildfire effects and restoration activities. Workshop topics include: increasing disturbances in California forests and the associated ecological and management implications, post-fire issues including hazard trees, erosion and fuels, dead tree and biomass removal, reforestation, control of competing vegetation and invasive plants, post-fire grazing, and landowner assistance programs specific to the fires of focus and the geographical region. In development of each workshop session, UCCE partners with local collaborators such as Resource Conservation Districts, Natural Resource Conservation Service field offices and others to identify local topics of particular importance, local expert speakers, and field trip sites.
The first two workshop series were well-received, with participants reporting significant learning and increased likelihood that they will engage in the post-fire management strategies presented in the workshop. Specifically, participants showed the most learning gains about site preparation, planting and reforestation, and post-fire assistance programs for landowners. The largest gain in post fire strategies to be used by participants was in controlling vegetation competing with planted trees.
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UCCE will repeat the Post-Fire Forest Resilience workshop series across the state, where recent wildfires have affected NIPF lands. To date, staff have completed two workshop series. The first, completed in Fall 2022, focused on the 2021 Caldor, Dixie and Tamarack Fires in El Dorado, Plumas, and Alpine Counties. The second, completed in March 2023, focused on the 2022 Oak Fire and the 2020 Creek Fires that affected Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno Counties. The third workshop series, focused on the 2020 LNU Complex and 2020 Glass Fires, will be completed in early June 2023. Additional series in 2023 will focus on fires in Siskiyou, Trinity, and Santa Cruz counties.
Daylin Wade Staff Research Associate UC Cooperative Extension
Email: dawade@ucanr.edu |
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Rewilding Your Backyard Woods: An effort in Minnesota to offer native, climate resilient, charismatic microfauna friendly and plant recommendations by ecoregion
Roughly weekly throughout the year, the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension Forestry team gets asked for tree or plant recommendations. Sometimes it’s for a new forestry project or tree replacement, but ever more frequently it’s for climate resilience, forest restoration, or pollinators. The UMN Extension Forestry team started working seriously on this issue last year and has begun releasing native, climate resilient, charismatic microfauna friendly tree and plant lists. Our hope is these lists will help answer this common question with thoughtful, resilient plants that positively impact the ecosystem and, because they’re native, also serve to prevent some invasive plant introductions.
For these first lists, we’re targeting backyard woods owners (less than 20 acres). We’re focusing on these smaller areas for a few reasons: 1) We suspect this audience generates most of the questions and many of the 250,000+ annual web visits to the current UMN recommended tree lists and 2) We believe there is a bit more flexibility in planting recommendations for these more tended, smaller parcels.
Developing the methodology to create these lists was a big undertaking. First we decided to use the spotlighted native plant communities for each of the 10 regions in the MN DNR’s Woodlands of Minnesota Landowner Handbooks. Each handbook highlights between 3-5 native plant communities. We pulled all the trees and plants for each highlighted native plant community (the MN DNR has great data) and then cross referenced those species with MN DNR and NIACS climate change data. Once we had a list of native climate resilient species, we dug into the data to understand which plants are documented as useful to Minnesota’s small ecosystem ambassadors including pollinators, fireflies, bats, and birds. This felt like getting to know our non-human members better. Angie learned a lot about the bats of Minnesota in one deep dive, which resulted in a Bats on the Brink article. As forestry staff we don’t always think deeply about the herbaceous layer, so finding and learning more about the needs of those individual plants and which ones are helpful for the little critters was a fun endeavor, if at times putzy.
We are releasing these plant lists as they are completed and have prioritized those for which there is an immediate need. We intend to eventually have searchable lists and maybe a database; for now, the lists and the complicated context that surrounds them, are being released in a series of blogs on the My Minnesota Woods website. Our first two blogs were homages to Earth Day and Arbor Day and included a plant list and a tree list, respectively, for the region that includes Minneapolis and St. Paul. Next was a blog about using iNaturalist Projects in backyard woods, so landowners can learn about all the species currently on their property. Soon, the tree and plant list for north central Minnesota will be posted in conjunction with a blog about climate resistance, resilience, and transition; as we dive into issues like assisted migration. To date, each tree list includes a handful or more of trees that are not native to that ecoregion; maybe not native to Minnesota today, but native to the larger eastern hardwood forest, which includes parts of Minnesota. Further blogs will have species highlights, the importance of soils, what are microfauna and why do they matter, and so much more!
If you’re interested in following this project as it unfolds, sign-up for the My Minnesota Woods newsletter for monthly updates. Angela Gupta and Anna Stockstad UMN Extension Foresters University of Minnesota
Email: agupta@umn.edu or stock523@umn.edu |
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Saving Water in the Home Landscape: How much water is used for a single irrigation event?
New research by H2OSAV aims to help Floridians understand the magnitude of water used for a single irrigation event and encourages them to evaluate their outdoor water use. By calculating the water used for an average irrigation event and comparing this water use to common indoor activities, we show that those with high water use should first look at how they use water for their landscape.
Our research used property appraiser data representing 22% of the single-family, detached homes in Florida to establish that the average yard size is 6,359 square feet. Following IFAS recommendations of ½” irrigation depth, the average home would use at least 991 gallons of water each time they watered their yard. This is an extremely conservative estimate, as it assumes 100% efficiency. A typical system could use double this amount of water. One irrigation cycle, using 991 gallons of water, is equal to any one of the following: - Running the bathroom sink for 495 minutes (8.25 hours)
- Flushing your old (pre-1994) toilet 198 times
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Flushing your new EPA WaterSense toilet 774 times
- Taking a 396-minute shower with a standard showerhead (6.6 hours)
- Taking a 495-minute shower with a WaterSense showerhead (8.25 hours)
- Doing 18 loads of laundry in a traditional washing machine
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Doing 37 loads of laundry in a high efficiency washing machine
- Running the dishwasher 50 times
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While we don’t want to discourage any indoor water-saving behaviors, we hope these comparisons have highlighted why those with high water usage should first evaluate if they can save water in their landscape. UF/IFAS recommendations to start saving water include: -
Only water your lawn when it needs it. Homeowners can look for signs, such as folded leaf blades and footprints that linger in the grass, to know if their lawn is stressed.
- Get a device that shuts off the irrigation during times of rain (it’s the law!). This can include a rain sensor device or a more advanced smart irrigation device. Some utilities and water management districts offer rebates and irrigation audits.
- Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office for information about Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles and support with creating and maintaining a drought-tolerant landscape.
To read the full publication, including more recommendations for saving water, visit edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AE585. Nick Taylor State Specialized Extension Agent Center for Land Use Efficiency - University of Florida/IFAS
Email: nwtaylor@ufl.edu |
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Editor's Comments
A heartfelt thanks to each of you who submitted an article. This issue covers a good portion of the U.S. I always enjoy reading what you are busy doing...and recognizing familiar names. I am stepping away as your editor - retired life keeps calling to me. Who knew I would be so busy! Sarah Havens (chair of the Communications Committee) has graciously offered to take on the role of newsletter editor. Details on submission methods and email address will be provided at a future time.
Don't forget: any member may submit an article. Please submit articles that are 600 words or less, in .doc or .docx format. For your articles, photos are greatly appreciated. Do not imbed them in the article. Rather, have a place holder (eg: fig.1), then attach the photo separately. Please include a caption and proper credit. The editor retains the right to edit the article. This is usually very minor, such as typos or word omissions. The submission deadlines are usually: May 1, Aug. 1, Nov. 1, Feb. 1, and May 1. Sincerely, Diana Rashash NC Cooperative Extension, retired drashash@gmail.com |
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