Not much, if anything, is more important for survival than water. In the south-western region of the United States water issues carry far reaching social, environmental and political implications. Water availability is a challenge for many reasons, most importantly because at this time the state of California produces half of our nation’s domestic fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Researchers within the University of California system have been working find solutions to our water problems and to implement change.  The recent addition of the UC Newsroom newsletter features a collection of articles that can be found at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/21800 and include information related to growing more with less water, UC water research centers, climate change stresses water supply, ecosystems and more.

The RESTOR Project - Research for Students and Teachers about the Ormond Beach Wetland Restoration Project - will begin this year in October (exact date to be announced shortly).  We are looking for a few more interested 6-8th grade science teachers to participate. Teachers serving primarily multicultural populations have first priority. The project is fully funded by the National Marine Sanctuary BWET Program and will include:

*Teacher workshops with classroom and field instruction by a variety of local experts about the Ormond Beach Wetland Restoration, watersheds and water quality

*Standards-based curricula from the California Coastal Commission and National Marine Sanctuary

*A classroom visit and water quality instruction by a Channelkeeper scientist

*A fully funded field trip to Ormond Beach with water quality monitoring and wetland restoration activities

*A fully funded field trip to Anacapa Island

This project is in partnership with Cathy Reznicek at the Ventura County Office of Education, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Nature Conservancy and the Ormond Point Native Plant Nursery.

Interested teachers, please contact Valerie Borel, RESTOR Project Program Representative, as soon as possible: email: vtborel@ucdavis.edu,  phone: 323-260-3851.

The University of California Communication Services Division has created a new website. The website is designed to help people easily and quickly find hundreds of free, online publications written by UC ANR (Agricultural and Natural Resources) authors.

The site has much to offer for everyone. The most popular publications are located in the center of the homepage. On the left hand side, the site is easily browsed using the following subjects:

• Agricultural Production
• Agronomy and Range
• Animal Science
• Biotechnology
• En español
• Food Safety
• Home Gardening/Landscape
• Natural Resources
• Nutrition and Health
• Organic Production
• Pest Advice
• Soil, Water and Irrigation
• Vegetable Crop Production
• Youth, Family/Community

This growing collection of free information can be found at  https://ucanr.org/freepubs/.

Ever wanted or needed to know more about a pest? This is a common request at the Ventura County UCCE office.

The University of California has a wonderful website devoted to IPM (integrated pest management). The site is quite diverse. It has information about:

• the home, which includes pests of structures, people and pets.
• gardens and landscapes, where viewers can search by plant or by common pests, including plant diseases and weeds.  Common management methods are also a part of this section.
• whether pesticide use is appropriate, how pesticide use relates to water quality, and other pesticide guidelines and suggestions.
• identification of pests and natural enemies with the aid of photo galleries.
• quick tips, available in PDF format, in English and Spanish.

These subjects and much more can be found here. 

Monique Myers, Ventura County UCCE’s Costal Community Development Advisor has some great information to help us conserve water and reduce the flow of pollutants all at the same time!

Myers writes this on our website, “Water is a valuable resource in Southern California.  It is important that we capture rainwater and allow it to soak into the ground where it can water plants and replenish groundwater supplies.  Rain that falls on hard surfaces, such as buildings and asphalt, picks up pollutants as it flows.  This 'stormwater' is then directed to storm drains and ultimately ends up polluting our streams and oceans."

Individuals can help conserve water and prevent polluted stormwater runoff through wise gardening and land-use practices.  Our website provides some useful tips for Southern California residents.

Some of the suggestions are for large projects, and while you might not be in a position to tackle those changes now, the information may be useful to you in the future or may be of benefit for a friend or neighbor. Many of the other ideas, such as composting and natural planting, can be incorporated easily as time and resources allow.

Please follow this link http://www-csgc.ucsd.edu/BOOKSTORE/greensheets.html to see them.