Natural Resources and the Environment Core Competency Area

1
Natural Resources and the Environment Core
Competency Area

• Outcomes and Indicators

2
Water Team

• Three to five strong outcomes
• CSU Extension staff will have improved knowledge,
  training, and resources to educate constituents
  on the following small acreage water issues well
  water systems, septic systems, irrigation
  systems/management, water conservation, home
  water quality, irrigation water quality for
  landscapes and crop plants, water treatment,
  rainwater harvesting, and greywater reuse.
• Irrigated agricultural producers, municipalities
  and State Water Agencies will learn about limited
  irrigation practices and principles. Discussion
  of potential impacts and utilization among
  different stakeholders will improve knowledge and
  resources for the program.
• CSU Extension staff will conduct initial
  investigations regarding strategies to restore
  previously irrigated farmland and engage other
  CSU faculty and outside partners for resources,
  ideas and collaboration.

3
Water Team

• Three to five strong indicators
• Gain in knowledge of issues relating to small
  acreage water issues.
• Implementation of restoration practices for
  previously irrigated farmland.
• Adoption of restoration practices by government
  agencies converting irrigated land to dryland for
  water transfers.
• Gain in knowledge of limited irrigation practices
  and impacts on water management and availability.

4
Water Team

• How your group plans to prioritize efforts and
  programming to meet these outcomes and
  indicators?
• Prioritization of efforts will be based on
  stakeholder responses to surveys on critical
  water issues and needs for education.
• Currently, water team members are focused on
  areas/issues that have grant funding.

5
Water Team

• What are the barriers to meeting these outcomes?
• Funding Much of the teams extension activities
  require funding for extensive travel and field
  demonstrations.  Many extension activities are
  highly dependent on external competitive grants.
• Manpower Most of the water team members are
  specialists and have limited time for direct
  contact with producers/stakeholders.  We need
  more participation from agents.

6
Pest Management Team

• Three to five strong outcomes
• More accurate pest diagnosis
• Improved pest literacy
• Enhanced pest management strategies

7
Pest Management Team

• Three to five strong indicators
• Knowledge gained from this program about pests
  has helped stakeholders know how to correctly
  identify the pest or know where to send samples
  for correct identification
• Knowledge gained from this program has helped
  stakeholders understand the life cycle and
  biology of the pest
• Knowledge gained from this program has helped
  stakeholders design and select appropriate,
  timely and economical pest management strategies

8
Pest Management Team

• How your group plans to prioritize efforts and
  programming to meet these outcomes and
  indicators?
• Incorporate input and discussion from the 2009
  Salida Retreat fewer objectives in accordance
  with declining resources and personnel
• Incorporate suggestions from the 2009 Work Team
  Contribution Report fewer objectives in
  accordance with declining resources and personnel
• Focus objectives and priorities in the 2010 POW
  that will be submitted by July 1

9
Pest Management Team

• What are the barriers to meeting these outcomes?
• Continued loss and non-replacement of extension
  and research operating resources on and off
  campus
• Continued loss and non-replacement of pest
  management personnel (agents, specialists, staff)
  on and off campus
• Lack of support from administration (county,
  regional, state, campus) for our prioritized
  reduction in Work Team (and individual extension
  program) objectives and responses to stakeholder
  demands

10
Small Acreage Management Team

• Three to five strong outcomes
• Weed-free pastures (significantly reduced weeds,
  especially noxious and listed weeds)
• Efficient irrigation water use that does not
  pollute
• Optimal or improved grazing management for all
  species
• Increase in wildlife habitat
• Knowledge of BMPs for natural resources
  balanced use and long-term benefit

11
Small Acreage Management Team

• Three to five strong indicators
• Weed ID, acres treated, renovated, properly
  fertilized and irrigated, and properly fertilized
  
• Acres managed for optimal soil water content or
  changed to improved application systems
• Decrease in bare ground and increase in forage
  production
• Amount of native or other wildlife preferred
  species
• Balance of resource inputs and outputs
  (recreation, animal units, clean water, optimal
  ground cover)

12
Small Acreage Management Team

• How your group plans to prioritize efforts and
  programming to meet these outcomes and
  indicators?
• Review contact and question history for land
  owners
• Survey formal and informal advisers and
  landowners
• Include new indicators in planning documents

13
Small Acreage Management Team

• What are the barriers to meeting these outcomes?
• Trainers doing one shot programs that fail to
  collect data needed to show higher level impacts
• Cost of management and improvement in dollars and
  time
• Unrealistic expectations of production and
  limited resilience of the land
• Lack of understanding or the resources and their
  interrelationship
• Lack or keeping records

14
Environmental Horticulture Team

• Three to five strong outcomes
• Increased or expanded use of native and adapted
  non-native plants in CO landscapes
• Increased adoption of sustainable landscape
  management principles, including appropriate
  design and sensible use of plant nutrients and
  pesticides
• Use of appropriate landscape irrigation methods,
  reflecting attention to design, maintenance and
  management of irrigation systems
• Expand understanding and establishment of edible
  landscapes (vegetable gardens, fruit trees),
  home-scale food production and local food
  awareness (CSAs, Farmers Markets, community
  gardens, school gardens)

15
Environmental Horticulture Team

• Three to five strong indicators
• Increased use of Plant Select cultivars and other
  recommended/adapted plants in CO landscapes
• Reduced use of potentially invasive species for
  ornamental use in landscapes
• Stakeholders report increased understanding of
  appropriate use of water, nutrients and
  pesticides on lawns and other parts of the
  landscape (less water, irrigation system repair,
  use of lower impact pesticides, more appropriate
  timing of pesticide use, and use of cultural
  practices to reduce reliance on pesticides to
  cure plant problems)
• Increased numbers of community and school
  gardens, CSAs, Farmers Market participation and
  attendance

16
Environmental Horticulture Team

• How your group plans to prioritize efforts and
  programming to meet these outcomes and
  indicators?
• Use suggestions from the 2009 Work Team
  Contribution Report and Team meetings to sharpen
  the focus of objectives and priorities in the
  2010 POW
• Continue surveys of stakeholder participants in
  the Lawncheck program, which has demonstrated
  success in changing lawn management behaviors
• Use the newly developed LISA (Lawn Irrigation
  Self Audit) program to assist homeowners in
  evaluating their home irrigation systems (a
  Venture Capital-funded project)
• Currently developing an agenda for spring meeting
  to improve WT member understanding of community
  gardens, schools gardens, hydroponic horticulture
  and other small-scale food production systems
• Continue to work regionally, which we in
  Environmental Horticulture were doing before
  regionalization was ever proposed
• Develop and share more effective ways of
  evaluating program effectiveness

17
Environmental Horticulture Team

• What are the barriers to meeting these outcomes?
• Loss of extension operating resources (dollars
  and personnel), both on and off campus
• Forced regionalization (where it may not make
  sense) doesnt necessarily reduce workloads for
  agents (the opposite may actually occur)
• County-level expectations (of agent duties, what
  regionalization means) not always in agreement
  with Extensions expectations and understanding
  of the same
• Expectations of doing more with the same (or
  less) resources individual burnout and morale
  issues are a reality (it can happen, even when we
  really love our work - and we DO!)