ANREP 2022

Concurrent Breakout Session 2

Track 1 - Program Delivery & Design

Edible Florida-Friendly Landscaping™: conserving water & improving food security

Amanda Marek - UF/IFAS Extension Marion County

In 2020, agents from the UF/IFAS Marion County Extension Service began a new Edible Ornamental Landscaping program with emphasis on the nine Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles to meet the growing demand from residents to have low-maintenance landscapes that also produce food. The objectives of the program are to educate homeowners and landowners in Marion and surrounding counties on:

1. The principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ to have a low-maintenance, attractive, and productive edible ornamental landscape that conserves water
2. How to plan, design, plant and maintain an edible ornamental landscape that provides fresh produce for their household or others to consume.

Five online classes with 926 participants have been conducted. To supplement these classes, an 11,000 square foot edible ornamental demonstration landscape was installed and completed in Ocala, FL in 2021. 27 people participated in three in-person programs at the demonstration garden that are sequential to the online classes. The majority of participants reported knowledge gain of the FFL principles and edible landscaping, have made changes to their landscape, and have improved their landscape management. Since attending a program, participants have added Florida-friendly edible plants to their landscapes and have eaten or intend to eat the fresh food they harvest. Program participants have also decreased the amount of water used for irrigation, resulting in an approximate savings of 855,000 gallons of water per year.

The Marion County Edible Ornamental Landscaping program has expanded the reach of the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles to new audiences, reducing water use and improving food security for Floridians.

How to start a native plant propagation and education program with volunteers during a world-wide pandemic

Michele Bakacs, Angela Monaghan, William T. Hlubik - Rutgers Cooperative Extension

In 2019, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County volunteers and staff started a native plant propagation nursery and education program. The purpose is to (1) increase the biodiversity of built landscapes in Central New Jersey, (2) donate plants to community projects and improve their maintenance, (3) install native garden demonstrations for suburban/urban yards.

In 2020, per university mandate, no in-person volunteer activities were allowed due to Covid-19. We had to quickly adapt to sustain this volunteer project. Extension staff focused on installing nursery beds, fencing, and irrigation and established a protocol for at home volunteer activities. Over 30 volunteers were trained virtually on native plant ecology, seed sowing, transplanting, and maintenance. Fact sheets and supplies were provided. Native plants can easily be cared for outside making at home care easy for volunteers.

Despite the quarantine, the project has been a success. In 2021, 9,500 native plants (46 species) were grown from seed collected by volunteers. A protocol was established for conducting socially distant online sales allowing consumers to pick up pre-packaged garden packs at a drive-by pickup day- https://go.rutgers.edu/nativefallsale. 2,400 plants were sold. Three public webinars (480 participants) were conducted on propagating native seeds, starting native gardens, and sustainable land care for watershed protection.  400 plants were donated to four community projects including a rain garden, pollinator garden, and a meadow restoration.

This project demonstrates the ability of Extension to quickly adapt to changing circumstances while filling an important niche in providing public education and local access to native plants.

Wild harvesting plants for food, medicine, and craft

Holly Campbell - University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Do you have an interest in teaching your community about useful wild plants, but lack knowledge and confidence in wild harvesting? If so, then this presentation is for you. During the presentation, participants will learn best practices for identifying, harvesting, utilizing, and storing a variety of wild plants found in the eastern U.S for food, medicine, and craft. Participants will also be introduced to several popular wild harvested plants, including oak, persimmon, American elder, and black walnut. The presenter will share lessons learned from their successful 2021 six-part webinar series on wild harvesting, a new undergraduate course on the subject, and several wild harvesting hands-on workshops planned for 2022. The goal of wild harvesting educational programs is to build knowledge of and appreciation for the use and conservation of non-timber forest species, as well as increasing ecosystem health by encouraging and even increasing native plant diversity in natural environments.

Track 2 - Use of Technology

Citizen Science Opportunities using Personal Weather Stations

Steve Marquie - ClimaTEQ, LLC

Having access to current weather information has never been easier. There are over 2,000 weather information “apps” available for my Android phone! But, the data the “app” uses is only applicable if there is a weather station or observer at the location you need data for! Volunteer monitoring efforts provide essential data for NWS and NOAA, and also other outlets such as The Weather Channel, Weather Bug and Weather Underground. But, the value is much broader as this data is used to monitor the potential for pests and diseases in crops, water quality and water use, and the effects of the changing climate. For this presentation, I will cover the various ways your audience can participate in weather data collection. From simple manual precipitation gauges to more sophisticated instrumented weather stations, they can join the network of 1000’s of other enthusiastic citizen science participants and contribute to data collection. Participants may become a member of the volunteer monitoring efforts of CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, founded by the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. I’ll also describe the Citizens Weather Observation Program (CWOP), and the technology needed to contribute to this project. Finally, I’ll wrap up with a summary of the different equipment available for those who want to have their own personal weather station to learn about meteorological science.

Economic impacts of using working lands and prairie preserves for habitat protection, Thurston County, Washington

Stephen Bramwell - Washington State University Extension

Prairie ecosystems of south Puget Sound are a home for rare species and a productive grazing resource for livestock farms. However, balancing the needs of agriculture and rare species conservation is a challenge. In 2014, Thurston County began developing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) in response to Federal Endangered Species Act listing of six threatened or endangered prairie species. The intention of this study was to quantify the potential economic impacts of using different land management types to achieve species protection. The total economic impacts of five different combinations of ungrazed “new reserves” and grazed “working lands” acres were analyzed. Data for the impact assessment were derived from enterprise budgets developed for this project. An input-output analysis was completed using IMPLAN software to model the total new dollars introduced to the County and total economic impact of the five land management combinations. Total economic impacts increased when more working lands were recruited into the program ($0 with no working lands to $2.09 million with 400 ac working lands, and $7.83 million with 1,500 ac of working lands). Generally, total economic impacts uniformly increased, and costs decreased, in scenarios where greater proportions of working lands were engaged. These results are used by Thurston County to optimize the use of working lands and new reserves in rare species protection. Optimization depends on balancing the economic impacts of using working lands and new reserve acres with the habitat value of these management types.

Video production is for natural resources extension professionals

Sanford "Sandy" Smith - Penn State Extension

The popularity of concise, on-demand educational videos continues to grow exponentially every year. Internet videos are effective teaching tools that are timesaving, compelling, and assessable almost anywhere. Unfortunately, while many state universities have digital education units responsible for producing professional Extension videos, they are unable to meet the high demand from Educators and Specialists for video production assistance. But with some basic training, low-cost equipment, and dedication, anyone can produce their own high quality educational videos that are Internet ready, unique, and meet basic standards. And natural resources videos have the added benefits of scenic outdoor settings and endless natural topics of wide interest. Regardless of your status as a digital native or migrant, you will be encouraged by this brief presentation to get started using this creative and fun technology that has never been more available and easier to use.

Topic(s): Climate Change & Energy, Community Development & the Environment, Ecosystem Health, Fire, Forestry, Horticulture/Agriculture & the Environment, Invasive Species, Rangeland Ecology & Management, Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture, Water Resources, Wildlife.

Track 3 - Wildlife (Topic Focus Session)

Preparing for wildfires with frescaping: A training for southeastern U.S. master gardeners

Holly Campbell - University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Every year thousands of wildfires occur across the country, including in the southeastern U.S. The destructive 2016 Appalachian fires (and other recent fires) revealed that many southern communities and homeowners are unprepared for wildfires. To help decrease southeastern homeowner risk to wildfires, an Extension team developed a USDA-NIFA Smith-Lever Special Needs funded project to develop a fire-resistant (firescaping) landscape training for Southeastern Master Gardeners. Firescaping is a type of landscape design and maintenance that can decrease the likeliness of home ignition from wildfire. The project goal is for Master Gardeners to become a conduit of firescaping knowledge for their community, supporting individual homeowner and neighborhood adoption of firescaping. The project, Preparing for Wildifres with Firescaping, includes a 6-week online, asynchronous training, as well as materials to support a day-long, in-person training for Master Gardeners. An online training is also available for Extension Agents to increase their knowledge of firescaping prior to offering the training in their area. Currently offered in Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee, the training will also be available in 2022 in Georgia and Mississippi. Completed in 2020 and 2021 (with delayed implementation due to COVID-19), the training has been completed by over 80 Master Gardeners and 20 Master Naturalists. Training participant outcomes reported include establishing  firescaping demonstration gardens, providing firescaping presentations to HOAs, writing articles about firescaping in local media, and firescaping their own yards. This training is also applicable to Master Naturalists, Firewise USA Sites, and other community groups and volunteers.

Identifying barriers to forest management for small private forest landowners in California

Susie Kocher - University of California Cooperative Extension

Approximately 9 million acres of forestland in California are family-owned parcels 500 acres or less in size with 87,000 landowners owning >/10 acres. As a group, these landowners face many barriers when trying to manage their forests. The California Forest Practices Act requires expensive analysis and environmental review of any commercial project. Practices for fuels reduction (usually non-commercial) can be expensive and contractors who can complete forest management projects are in high demand or limited in numbers in parts of the state. Additionally, private landowners may not have the capacity to harvest trees because their property is too small or there is a lack of local forestry infrastructure. Because of recent intense wildfire seasons, the state of California is increasing funding to assist private forest landowners with managing their forestlands for health and fire resiliency. However, the most effective ways to spend these state funds to best help private forest landowners are not well understood. The Forest Stewardship Education Initiative, hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension, funded by Cal Fire, and with cooperation of local RCDs, is a workshop series providing education and skills needed by landowners to start developing a California Cooperative Forest Management Plan and prepare them to work with a Registered Professional Forester who can help implement forest management activities. We conducted a participant interview project to identify the most common barriers faced by these motivated landowners when trying to manage their forestlands and the strategies they are using, or not, to overcome them.

Track 4 Partnerships & Collaborations

Reconciliation ecology in expanding residential landscapes: a case study from nontraditional urban extension

Basil Iannone - University of Florida

Residential and low-density housing areas, one of the fastest growing land use types, now covers approximately 25% of the US. Environmental impacts of residential development include habitat and biodiversity loss, and those impacts associated with the irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides used for landscaping. Given these impacts, there is a need to design, construct, and manage residential landscapes to support native biodiversity and ecological functioning, i.e., to practice “reconciliation ecology.” Pursuing this goal requires collaboration among nontraditional Extension stakeholders involved in land development. My talk will discuss one such collaboration among UF/IFAS, land developers, landscape architects, plant producers, green industry professionals, the University of Central Florida, and the Nature Conservancy. In looking for strategies to conserve water and protect nearby lakes from fertilizer runoff, we have installed a large field experiment at the entryway of a planned 29,000-home development. The experiment aims to identify irrigation and soil remediation strategies to establish drought tolerant native plants. It also doubles as an attractive landscaped feature, providing opportunity for outreach/education about the environmental benefits of native landscaping. Many important impacts have emerged from this collaboration, including buy-in on the importance of science for meeting sustainability goals, as evidenced by the land developer funding a graduate student. The collaboration also resulted in the design of native, drought-tolerant landscaping for 12 model homes. Once installed, theses model homes will demonstrate the attractiveness, feasibility, and environmental benefits of drought-tolerant native landscaping, inform landscaping designs in this and future development projects, and provide long-term outreach and research opportunities.

Sargassum management master plans: University of Florida IFAS Extension agents create partnerships to turn mountains of trash into cash

Shelly Krueger, Ashley Smyth, Michelle Leonard-Mularz, Armando Ubeda - University of Florida IFAS Extension

Since 2011, huge influxes of sargassum, a brown macroalgae, have been inundating Florida beaches.  Sargassum provides numerous ecological benefits; however, these unprecedented accumulations are negatively affecting nearshore environments and tourism.  Many coastal counties are developing sargassum management plans as these summer influxes are likely the “new normal.”   The cost of sargassum removal is high and landfill fees can exceed $500 per truckload.  In Monroe County alone, the Tourist Development Council estimates the economic impact from a severe sargassum year could be $20 million and 300 lost jobs. As a result, there is a need to find economical methods for sargassum removal and reuse.  A bi-coastal team of 6 University of Florida IFAS Extension faculty developed a pilot study in cooperation with 3 city governments, 4 county governments, parks and recreation departments, a nuclear power plant, and a botanical garden to evaluate the viability of composting sargassum for use as a landscape soil amendment.   More than 30 master gardeners, students, and citizens volunteered >135 hours to assist with the 5-month replicated study in Sarasota, Monroe, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, Florida.  Our results were compared to commercially available compost using metrics of soil health and fertility at 3 locations in coastal Florida to compare site-specific differences.  The partnerships created, and knowledge gained, have contributed to sargassum management master plans within those counties.  The ability to utilize sargassum for landscaping valorizes a product that is currently sent to landfills, and could save local governments hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

Designing discussions to encourage community action

Holly Abeels, Martha Monroe - University of Florida IFAS Extension

CIVIC (Community Voices, Informed Choices), a program of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service led by both Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and University of Florida (UF) develops and conducts deliberative discussions in local communities throughout Florida. Our relationship with municipal governments enables Extension agents to be a bridge between the public and the staff, collecting and synthesizing public opinion, and even targeting critical voices that may not often be heard. This enables us to report that actions were taken to help solve the problem if community government was already primed to work on the problem. Due to COVID-19, most in-person gatherings were cancelled in 2020 and 2021; our deliberative discussions and focus groups were conducted via Zoom, which caused people to be less likely to participate or for the groups to be smaller in size and more homogeneous. CIVIC was still able to help move participants toward community action by developing and following specific guidelines to engage communities in the discussion. These guidelines include understanding that moving toward community action (1) begins before the deliberative discussion, (2) requires specific strategies during the deliberative discussion, and (3) is a function of the partners, issues, and the opportunities. This presentation will describe in more detail these guidelines and what CIVIC has learned from the discussions over the past 2 years. The presentation will also explore next steps for CIVIC, challenges we still see, and skills we’d like to continue to build.

Track 5 - Special Session/Workshop

How a “French cart” was used to co-create an outreach plan with stakeholders, not for them!

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