Community Horticulture

Check out these two articles for details:

Asian Longhorned Beetle Infested Trees Found On Uninhabited New York Island Off Staten Island

Funding Needed To Combat Threat

Oxford American Dictionary’s 2006 word of the year is “carbon neutral.” The term reflects growing public concern over climate change, which Americans now rank as the country’s most pressing environmental problem.

Find the complete article in the…Food Citizen column

Written for the Albany Times Union by Jennifer Wilkins a Food and Society Policy Fellow at Cornell University. http://timesunion.com/opinion/localcolumns/jwilkins.asp

Article in Orion Magazine by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
http://www.orionmagazine.org/pages/om/07-2om/Louv.html

If you were unable to view the live web cast or attend the 2007 State of Extension address last week, it is currently available for viewing at Cooperative Extension State Address.

http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/program/CCE_eXtension_pos_paper_02-07.pdf

This position paper actually is the second we have written. It was developed because, as stewards of the funding provided to support extension programming in New York more than 85% of which comes state and local sources, we are obligated to explore the implications of any externally initiated commitments. We have a particular obligation to ensure that “transformation” of the extension system is in the best interest or our constituents and to understand the full implications for our system. Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) annual investment in eXtension already totals several times our formal eXtension assessment and clearly will grow significantly in coming years. The paper was shared with states in our region and selected others when we were challenged as to why we would have any issue with our assessment given the size of our system.

Readers may find several things of note in our full report. There is a section of our report that articulates benefits of eXtension to CCE that received only passing mention in the eXtension response. It’s worth a read. There also are a series of recommendations at the end that we believe demonstrate our intent to find ways for eXtension to be an asset for our New York State constituencies and for CCE to contribute appropriately to eXtension nationally.

Michael W. Duttweiler, Assistant Director

Cornell eXtension Institutional Team Chair

eCALSconnect Newsletter for March 2007
This is the electronic publication and forum for the active and open exchange of ideas and information among Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty, staff, and administration.

You might find this news of particular interest:

Cornell Plantations: Invaded by invasives

Creative ‘Living Sculpture’ Project Engages Cornell Undergraduates in Campus-Community Partnership
A two-semester community-based Living Sculpture project has been growing through the Fall 06 - Spring 07 year. It’s an opportunity for 8 dedicated students to learn an introduction to social science research methods, while working with a NYS community to plan, design and build a living sculpture project. Marcia Eames-Sheavly, Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Horticulture, is the instructor for the project, and describes it as an exciting chance for students to engage in “real” community work.

The students and their site participants are learning about decorative and functional living sculpture projects, from sod furniture to living willow structures and more. Students are facilitating the sessions in which they assist youth and adults in creating their own vision of art and horticulture.

The students come from a number of majors, including plant science, landscape architecture, and natural resources, which adds richness to the teamwork. Sites include the New York School for the Blind, a Rackers Center, and the TRUCE program in Harlem.
Mark Miller, Ph.D., a program evaluation specialist at Ohio State, has been advising students in survey development, participant observations, and other aspects of evaluating the program.

This project will ultimately inform an on-line living sculpture project curriculum. For more information, contact Marcia Eames-Sheavly, me14@cornell.edu .

Greene County CCE educator Bob Beyfuss come up with this fact sheet of options for landowners facing Forest Tent Caterpillar (FTC) issues.

Thoughts on Forest Tent Caterpillars

He has also developed a powerpoint presentation for town meetings he has conducted.

This presentation will soon be added to our Community Horticulture lending library exclusively for CCE staff. Contact Max Welcome mw45@cornell.edu to borrow material.

Holdings of the library are listed at: http://staff.cce.cornell.edu/topics/hort/commhort/index.htm

CCE News offers updates and information from our cooperative extension system can be found on the CCE staff pages at: http://www.staff.cce.cornell.edu/administration/ccenews/index.htm

Or if you wish to receive an email copy as soon as it comes out, join the e-list:

cce-ccenews-l@cornell.edu

To join an e-list (also called subscribing), send an e-mail message to

lyris@cornell.edu

The body of the message should be

join listname “your name”

where listname is the name of the list you are joining and your name (include the quotation marks) is the name you want to be available to the list’s administrators.

Trying to reach new audiences in your community?

Cheryl Hearty from Dutchess County CCE shares this national Gardening Association site brought was brought to her attention by a Master Gardener Volunteer.

She says it is easy to post events and it can’t hurt to help spread the word about your CCE educational opportunities. Check out the events calendar section at:

http://nationalgardenmonth.org/index.php