NOV. 17: time to celebrate Geographic Information Systems!

GIS Day

More information can be found at: http://www.gisday.com If you register your GIS day events in advance they will send you some materials! 

A special note to Extension folks, if you are working with youth and are doing a GIS awareness building event that is not on the National GIS day you can still register an event.  Let them know you are working with kids and they will generally send you things for your event (Pencils, buttons, etc).  They really are helpful in providing for youth awareness events!

Everyday helpful materials can be found in the resources section of their website (http://www.gisday.com/support/index.html).  There are ideas, materials and event based materials (handouts, poster templates, ppt’s, and more)

If you are working with any youth, educators or youth groups such as 4-H) make sure they are aware of the GIS resources found at: http://edcommunity.esri.com/.  This includes:

·         Data & lessons at (http://edcommunity.esri.com/arclessons/arclessons.cfm)

·         4-H http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/4-H/index.html

·         Make sure the 4-H folks you know are aware of the Esri Grant programs (on the right side of the 4-H page) as the deadline is nearing (December 1)

·         Also to tie Geography Awareness Week theme & GIS day together there are resource for this and past years at: http://edcommunity.esri.com/gaw/  (click on the year at the top to get to the resources).

GIS Related Videos:

·         The Geospatial Revolution video trailer and episodes that have been released are a great awareness building piece: http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/

·         GIS day has a YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/gisdaytv

·         The GIS day website has videos linked on their “During your event” resource page: http://www.gisday.com/support/materials3.html

·         Remembering that the roots of  GIS had a start with the Canadian Land Inventory this video shows the beginnings of GIS and reminds us of  the humble ,yet important, roots of GIS and mapping technologies (Roger Tomlinson is at the end of part 1).

o   Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAFG6aQTwPk (6:53)

o   Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kFYsOHgDSo (7:15)

o   Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryWcq7Dv4jE (8:00)

·         Each GIS day my friend  and colleague Lyn Malone in Rhode Island sends out a GIS day video that her daughter creates (who lives and works with GIS in Austin, TX).  This year’s video is based on the song “Empire State of Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCDUf08YLg 

Other years versions include:

o   An REM based song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cLMibncs0I

o   A take off on a Beatles song concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDVNBDIVUZo

o   And the song Be Our Guest (I know it from the Beauty & the Beast movie) this was the first I think and one of my favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKHc9iub5Fw

Geography Awareness Week and the Theme of Fresh Water
The National Geographic GAW website: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/gaw.html  is your best bet for a full array of wonderful information including films, books, activities, etc. As there is a WEALTH of information hosted on this site, a few highlights for this week:

Freshwater Booklist: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/pdf/Freshwater_Booklist.pdf provides a comprehensive list of books (of all types), broken-down by grade clusters.  The list includes short descriptions for each book—this list is a GREAT starting point for thinking about how you can incorporate geography into other subject areas.

The National Environmental Education Week: http://www.eeweek.org/resources/water_curricula.htm this is a HUGE list of curriculum materials related to water, broken down by grade cluster.  As you look through the list, you’ll see several resources produced by WET: http://www.projectwet.org/, this is a great site as well, it includes a TON of resources addressing a variety of water-related issues, many of these resources are specific to teachers. Additionally, if you’re looking for resources to engage your students in water-related activities and issues outside of Missouri, this is a good place to look.

The water footprint calculator: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-footprint-calculator/ (it’s available under the “Protect Freshwater” section of the site); for those of you who have done a carbon footprint calculator, this is similar.  It shows you how your freshwater consumption compares to the average American and provides an opportunity for you to pledge to cut-down on your intake.  Certainly numerous ways this can be incorporated into your classrooms.

Freshwater Films: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/pdf/GAWeek_FilmList_2010.pdf This is a fantastic list of films broken down by grade level that can introduce your students to issues surrounding diminishing freshwater resources.  There are a few classics on the list, I’ve had a chance to watch a couple in the last couple of weeks that I hadn’t seen before: “Blue Gold: Water Wars” and “FLOW: How did a handful of corporations steal our water?” Both are excellent films that address the implications of privatization of freshwater resources.

National Geographic Magazine April issue on Water: http://www.zinio.com/delivery/login.jsp?of=500357149&_requestid=67268&_requestid=67268 this is an amazing resource and it’s available for free download during the month of November.  The entire issue has been digitized there are several really neat interactive features!  Once you download the issue, it’s yours forever.  Also, the education foundation has worked with the magazine to offer digital subscriptions to teachers at an educator’s rate of $12.

MISSION EXPLORE FRESHWATER: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/pdf/MissionExplore_Freshwater_PDF.pdf This is SUPER fun, especially for younger kids. The booklet contains 10 different water-related missions kids can complete in groups or on their own.  Missions range from creating a river story to pretending to swim like different animals to creating water dances. 

RIVER OF WORDS: http://www.riverofwords.org/  this site is a REALLY neat site is about “connecting kids to their watersheds and imaginations through poetry and art.”  The “for educators” tab on the right contains some great resources, including a link to the “signals of spring” website that has lots of great activities designed to increase students’ awareness and ease with earth image data (http://www.signalsofspring.net/).

NAT & GEO’s ADVENTURES: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/actiongames/waterlogged, for all of you who are parents, this is kind of fun for your kids!  There are two game options, one that allows you to kayak down the red river and the other allows you to explore a shipwreck.

ESRI: http://edcommunity.esri.com/gaw/ once you click on “2010” on the top of the page, there are some GREAT resources!  Three very interesting lessons: examining storm water using GIS; analyzing water in the USA using GIS; and assessing environmental impact on Montana’s watersheds.  In addition to these lessons, there’s some great articles discussing how to implement GIS-based activities (related to water) into your classrooms, and finally there are links to a bunch of neat water-related clips on youtube.

Special thanks to Dr. Meri Marsh,  Missouri  Geographic Alliance Geography Awareness Week Coordinator for compiling the GAW resources that I have included.

Successful orchard planting on a beautiful November day...

Over 100 trees of all varieties were planted were planted by volunteers at Pyramid Lake on Saturday Nov. 6th. including pomegranate, persimmons, apples, nectarines, almonds, cherries, pears and others. Some of the trees even had multiple grafts on them, allowing them to produce more than one variety of fruit from the same root mass. It was explained that the trees are mature enough to produce fruit by next year, but that it would not be advisable to allow the fruit to set until two to three years pass. This technique will create less stress on the young branches and enable the tree to become strong for the future.

COME PLANT A TREE!

Notice To:

TRIBAL COMMUNITY

And Friends

Your volunteer help is needed for

TRIBAL ORCHARD PLANTING

Saturday – November 6, 2010

201 South Hollywood Road

Nixon, NV

100+ fruit trees coming, learn how to prepare ground and how to plant trees

Planted by Dreyer’s Fruit Bars in partnership with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation.

Set up at 8:00 AM

Volunteers to arrive at 10:30 AM

 Overview/Introduction 11:00 AM

Tree Planting/Workshop 11:20 – 2:00

*Bring own gloves & shovel & your “Sack Lunch”

Free 30 T-Shirts/35 Bags for volunteers/Free Fruit Bars

Breaking Ground at the Pyramid Lake Orchard

Earlier this year, Dela Johns, a Natural Resources Coordinator at Pyramid Lake, applied for a grant through Dryer's Fruit Bars which would secure a full scale orchard if the community could gain enough support through public votes cast online. Towns from across the country competed for the prize, but at the end of August it was clear that Pyramid Lake had enough support in order to make the proposal a reality. A patch of land that was once an old baseball field (just outside the doors of the Natural Resources office) was designated as the best location for the trees. UNCE helped test the soils, which proved to be ideal for agricultural production. 

Last Friday, myself and Randy Emm (also of UNCE), were on site to oversee the groundbreaking. Although we were here to investigate new agricultural efforts in rural development, I must digress. I was surprised to notice something else going on in the periphery of our focus, solar panels. All of the schools, the museum and even some of the administrative buildings along our route to Nixon had solar panel grids. "This is the first solar highway in the country", said Johns. "The folks at Burning Man have donated and even taught our guys how to maintain the grids."

But back to the old baseball diamond where the fruit trees will be planted. The field is no doubt a fertile place for growth as new grasses have recently emerged after an unexpected fall rain shower. An irrigation system will reduce the amount of hands on maintenance required to produce a successful crop. To allow the orchard maximum exposure to sunlight, and to ensure loose soils for roots to develop in, a backhoe was used to trench out rows in an east-west grid, with rows spaced 20 feet apart. The trees will be placed 15 feet apart form each other within the rows. On November 6th, over 100 fruit trees of all varieties will arrive to be planted and nurtured for years to come.

"The idea of a community orchard fits the Paiute value of being self-sufficient and sharing. The orchard will be the table where the community will be brought together through education and action The orchard will be a sustainable source of nutrition and provide environmental benefits such as making oxygen, using up carbon dioxide, stabilizing eroding soils, putting nutrients back into the soil, and provide habitat for the small wildlife."

Nixon, NV
red = orchard
yellow = solar panel grids

Bring your kids to learn about geography, maps, and finding stuff with satellites!

Using GPS receivers we'll be creating and locating nearby geocaches. We'll also be using computers to create and view custom maps. Ages 9-19, FREE.

Learning to Grow at Mountain View Montessori School Gardens

Earlier this week, I was invited by Kerry Seymour, a Nutrition Specialist at UNCE, on a tour of an exemplary classroom garden in south Reno. The Mountain View Montessori School is governed by the philosophy that recognizes the child as his or her own leader in their educational journey. Dr. Maria Montessori, for whom the school is named after felt that, "The first duty of an education is to stir up life, but leave it free to develop."

The main garden area with raised beds and hoop house frame. Carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes, squash, corn and beans are all grown in the garden. The "three sisters" technique is used as a method for exploring North American history.

When you enter the school you will find no grade books or numbers on the doors distinguishing age. There are no fancy projectors or high tech computer equipment. But there are simple things such as compost bins, silverware and china to dine with, laundry tubs, shovels, trowels, writing utensils, paper, tools, a worm bin, pet fish, parakeets and plants. Hands on learning is essential to the school's model for teaching students about "practical life" activities.

 

After being thoroughly impressed with the inner workings of the school, we moved outside to see how the external world has direct impact on the learning environment. Cooking, gardening, building and other hand arts have been integrated into this approach, and a certain division of labor has evolved. Younger children are responsible for planting and harvesting vegetables and herbs in the gardens. Elementary students prepare lunches with the foods harvested. Adolescents learn how to maintain and analyze the use of hydroponic gardening and aquaculture for a full circle approach to sustainable living.

The hydroponics room offers a controlled environment for growing lettuces and other leafy greens.
Although the pineapple trees on the right will not survive winter in the high desert, they will be exported to benefit the students micro economy.

Sitting on nearly 3 acres, the school's landscape has evolved over the years to include: a main garden space, several herb gardens, trellis' of meandering grapes, berry patches, fruit trees and beautiful flowers to attract pollinators. There are also several sheep on the property, and the principal's dog Ruby wanders around freely. In the future there are plans to restore the native vegetation along a nearby riparian area, which will expand the boundaries of a more natural environment and continue to encourage stewardship of the land. 

A valuable reminder.

For more information about Mountain View Montessori School:  http://www.mountainviewmontessori.com/home.html

Nevada Indian Country Extension

I just finished this publication. I have uploaded the file to the free online platform for viewing PDF's at http://issuu.com/. You see, web 2.0 is all about links, now I will attempt to embed the uploaded file to this blog space.

Open publication - Free publishing - More university

The sound of corn growing: Behind UNCE

So this morning as I was coming into work I noticed a bunch of noise in the field of corn behind the building. Sure enough, workers were in the field hacking away at the stalks of corn, packing them in boxes and loading them into the bed of a pickup truck.

Santos, one of the farmers, asked if I had a bag...soon I returned with my eco friendly canvas sack and they started stuffing the thing with corn. They must have given me about 25 ears of corn. Probably some of the freshest corn I will ever eat. So if anyone in the office sees the corn hanging on the doorknob of my office, feel free to grab a few ears...

Great Basin Food Co-op: Local Food Committee

Great Basin Community Food Cooperative 

Last week I had the chance to sit in on a meeting with volunteers from the Great Basin Community Food Cooperative. The Local Food Committe's goal is to support local farmers. We discussed a variety of new ways that we can do this, one of which I am interested in will be to update and maintain geospatial data on foods growing in Nevada.

The project serves two primary purposes. First, it provides a tool in order to better communicate to consumers the relationships they have with the products they buy, and exposing them to the products available. Secondly, it provides producers with a sort of currency for visibility that will heighten awareness and consideration when consumers make their choices.

I did a little research and came up with a file from the USDA that has a current list of Producers in Nevada, click on the map to find out more info:


View Food Producers in Nevada in a larger map

Potentially, this map will also include all types of data related to local foods including: photos of the farms, gleaning opportunities, school projects, local urban farmers and gardens, restaurants that buy local, and anything else that we can think of related to eating and sustainability.

For more info: http://www.greatbasinfood.coop/

Nutrition of the Season: de España

(Photo: Krystal Perez)

I know it's not gumbo, but since Spain was victorious in the World Cup last weekend it would only be right to celebrate with a refreshing summer treat that originated there, GAZPACHO! Recipes can vary greatly in terms of composition (depending on specific geographic origin), but in general, gazpacho can be thought of as a cold tomato soup...

Here's the recipe my friend Krystal in Florida came up with:

What you'll need: 

1 hothouse cucumber, halved & seeded, but not peeled

2 red bell peppers, cored & seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
1 avocado
1 lime
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.) Roughly chop cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, & red onions into 1-in. cubes.
2.) Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade, & pulse until roughly chopped. Do NOT over-process!
3.) After processing each vegetable, combine them all in a large bowl. Then add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
4.) Mix well & top it off with the avocado and lime.
5.) Chill thoroughly before serving. 
Makes 6-8 servings.

Thanks for sharing Krystal!

Extra Curricular Gardening at the River School on West 4th Street

I met Josie Luciano and Lynnae Fischbach of "Urban Roots Garden Classrooms" at the Nevada Indian Agriculture Summit (sponsored by UNCE) at the end of May. They are  involved with teaching children about the science and fun behind growing food. What really struck me was their commitment and passion for local living. So I decided it would be safe to sign up as a volunteer. Last night was the first time they called upon me, and after a day in the office, getting my hands dirty was going to feel pretty darn good...

5:00 p.m. River School:

We begin by walking the area to determine which space would be best for the kids to plant and pick from. Next we added compost and turned the soil where it was needed. We then selected radishes, carrots, and lettuces to be sown into the soil so that the kids have something to pick on their first day of class. There were two ideas on how this should be done...the first was "sow the seeds in a row so we know what is growing where", and the second was "broadcast the seeds randomly so that the kids can determine what is growing and begin to identify types of vegetables and weeds"...Personally I preferred the second idea because it allows for hands on learning to occur. We ended up with two spaces...one with spiral rows around flowers and stepping stones, and another randomly dispersed area...After that we moved some paving stones into place around an area where the kids will be growing once they get to class. We also added some "humus" which as I understand is a type of compost, improving soil structure and moisture retention...

All in all, I had a good time, and got to meet some new people with similar interests while simultaneously doing something good for the community, I feel accomplished... : )





for more info...
River School: http://www.riverschool.info/River_School/Home.html
Urban Roots Garden Classrooms: http://www.urgc.org/

2010 National CoP Workshop for eXtension.org in Austin, TX

As the only representative from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, I wanted to pass along some of the new things I learned at the 2010 eXtension CoP workshop in Austin. All of the sessions at the conference were recorded, allowing you to see which presentation styles work and which don't, but furthermore you may just learn something about new media that you can use on the local level...

This is a link that will connect you to all of the new technologies explored during this years conference:

http://about.extension.org/2010/06/17/2010-extension-cop-workshop-recordings/

I highly suggest checking out the links to the two keynote speakers, as they address some of the challenges that educators face in today's digital age...