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The University of California prohibits discrimina on or harassment of any person on the basis of race, color, na onal origin, religion, sex,  gender  iden ty, pregnancy  (including  childbirth,  and medical  condi ons  related  to pregnancy or  childbirth), physical or mental disability, medical condi on (cancer‐related or gene c characteris cs), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orienta on, ci zenship, or service in the uniformed services (as defined by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994: service in the uniformed services includes membership, applica on for membership, performance of service, applica on for service, or obliga on for service in the uniformed services) in any of its programs or ac vi es. 

University policy also prohibits reprisal or retalia on against any person  in any of  its programs or ac vi es for making a complaint of discrimina on or sexual harassment or for using or par cipa ng in the inves ga on or resolu on process of any such complaint. 

University policy is intended to be consistent with the provisions of applicable State and Federal laws. 

Inquiries  regarding  the University’s nondiscrimina on policies may be directed  to  the Affirma ve Ac on/Equal Opportunity Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (510) 987‐0096. 

 

The University of California working in cooperation with Shasta County and the USDA.

UCCE Shasta County 1851 Hartnell Avenue Redding, CA  96002 

530‐224‐4900—telephone 530‐224‐4904—fax 

Internet website h p://ceshasta.ucanr.edu 

Email:  ceshasta@ucanr.edu 

UCCE Shasta/Lassen Coun es PO Box 9 

McArthur, CA  96056‐0009 530‐336‐5784—telephone 

530‐336‐5785—fax Email:  cemcarthur@ucanr.edu 

Shasta & Intermountain 4‐H Ques ons Contact Audra Lane at amlane@ucanr.edu 

 

Forestry Program h p://ucanr.org/sites/forestry 

Nutrition, Family, and Consumer Sciences (NFCS)

Concepcion Mendoza is the Nutrition Family and Consumer Science Advisor for Shasta and Trinity counties. She is trained in Biology, Food Science and Technology and Nutrition. Her primary interest is obesity prevention and food insecurity, food safety and preservation and local food systems. Obesity is the second leading cause of death in the United States associated to heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. Food insecurity and obesity are the most pressing nutrition and health issues facing Shasta and Trinity families today, where three of five adults and one of the three children are overweight or obese. The goal of the program is to improve consumers’ and families’ lives and decision making abilities in food, nutrition and health using the integral focus of obesity prevention. The program develops, implements, and evaluates applied research and comprehensive education and training programs based on clientele needs, provides subject matter expertise to local agencies and organizations, and manages the University of California Cal Fresh Nutrition Education Program (UC-CalFresh). During the last year, the Farm to School program was developed linking local farmers with local consumers and supporting food safety training to local farmers for the incorporation of healthy local products into the local food systems. The local Farmers Markets Kids Club was created and the Far North Collaborative was established to facilitate the communication and interchange of experience among School and Community garden teachers, volunteers and organizations. Food dehydration, canning, and food safety workshops were offered to the local community to increase knowledge and skills in food preservation and safety management of foods from the market to the table. Responding to the needs of the local communities, the fundamentals for organizing a Food Preservation Master Program for Shasta and surrounding counties were initiated. During the last school year, the UC Cal Fresh nutrition education program delivered education to 378 local

teachers from 54 low income schools, who instructed 10,714 students on food, nutrition and physical activity while meeting the California Academic Standards. Over 1,892 low-income adults received nutrition, food resource management and food safety education. Low-income children receiving the UC CalFresh nutrition education had 44% average net-increase in acceptability of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Eighty-six percent of the teachers agreed that compared with the beginning of the school year, children that received the UC CalFresh nutrition education had improved food behavior and food safety

practices. Adults, who received the nutrition education, had an average improvement of 70% on food management, nutrition, and food safety practices. Our program also addresses nutrition and health problems by taking a leadership role in coalitions and partnerships with other community organizations such as Growing Local Coalition, Healthy Shasta Movement, Shasta and Trinity CAN (Coalition for Activity and Nutrition), Shasta Food Group and the Northern Hispanic Latino Coalition (NHLC). The program also works along with other community agencies, institutions and organizations to promote and educate the community in the importance of healthy lifestyle choices and creating healthy communities that support healthy eating and physical activity.

Message from the County Director The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) is the public service and applied research division of the University of California. UCCE is coopera-tively supported by the state (University of California), county and the federal gov-ernments. This year is a big year for California Cooperative Extension—May 8, 2013 marked the 100 anniversary of the passage of the Smith-Lever Act. This con-gressional action is the beginning of Cooperative Extension nationally. On No-vember 10, 2017 we will celebrate the 100 year anniversary of our cooperative rela-tionship with Shasta County. Generally, the University of California provides the

program staff and Shasta County provides the support for the program (vehicles, office, support staff, utilities, etc.). This relationship has been largely unchanged for the past 96 years. We apply for grants for applied re-search on issues pertinent to Shasta County agriculture, natural and human resource issues. This partnership allows access to the intellectual resources of the University of California to address critical issues such as range-land and forest production, water quality, food safety, childhood obesity, wildfire, oak woodland management, integrated pest management and developing new agricultural industries. The statewide network of agriculture, natural resources, 4-H, and nutrition, family and consumer science advi-sors are conducting research and extending the results to farmers, ranchers, forest land owners, students, teach-ers and interested citizens. For more on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Division, visit http://ucanr.org/index.cfm. Significant changes in our office this year include the addition of Nathaniel Caeton as the 4-H Program Repre-sentative. He brings with him a new level of energy and a cooperative attitude. Our new Forestry Advisor, Ryan DeSantis has been working on developing his program over the past twelve months. This year he worked on Forest Institute for Teachers, is beginning a research project looking at oak thinning, and is getting acquaint-ed with the issues and concerns of local private and public forest lands.

2013 Shasta County UCCE Staff

Cynthia Barnett—Advisor 4-H, Youth Development Nate Caeton—Program Representative, 4H Youth Development Maribel Castaneda—Nutrition Educator, UC CalFresh Program Lori Coker—Nutrition Educator, UC CalFresh Program Ryan DeSantis—Advisor, Forestry/Natural Resources Larry Forero—Advisor, Livestock/Natural Resources/ County Director Vicki Lawrence—Administrative Assistant, UC CalFresh Program Sara Letton—Nutrition Educator, UC CalFresh Program Dan Marcum—Emeritus, Advisor, Natural Resources eastern Shasta County, McArthur Conception Mendoza—Advisor, Nutrition, Family, and Consumer Sciences Josie Rucklos—Supervisor, UC CalFresh Program Stacy Schneider—Administrative Secretary I, Shasta County Linda Vazquez– Executive Assistant-Confidential, Shasta County Elizabeth Wilson—Typist Clerk III, Shasta County

4-H Youth Development Program Cynthia Fields is the 4-H Youth Development Advisor for Shasta, Trinity, Siskiyou, and Modoc Counties 4-H programs. She is trained in the areas of agricultural extension education, program planning, logic modeling, and evaluation. She has a background in animal science and has a deep passion for Dutch oven cooking! Her interests include implementing the 4-H healthy living initiative, providing 4-H science hands-on learning opportunities to youth within the science, engineering, and technology (SET) initiative in after school settings, and assisting local agencies with community capacity development.

Cyndi is working on identifying the needs in the area surrounded around young people as well as determining what other gaps the University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H Program can help bridge. Nate Caeton is the Program Representative for the 4-H Youth Development Program in Shasta and Trinity Counties. Responsible for the day to day operations of three 4-H Councils, and 21 Community Clubs, he strives for the accessible, efficient, and relevant delivery of positive youth development. Having been involved in 4-H, FFA, and Scouting as a youth, he can personally attest to the positive impact of meaningful and well delivered youth development programs. As a Social Science major, Nate is fascinated by the intricacies of society and the communities in which we live, work, and play. He considers youth to be an integral part the societal fabric and feels that each and every one of us has a vested interest helping them to grow into hard-working, productive and well-adjusted individuals, who are engaged in their communities. This important University of California program serves youth in kindergarten through twelfth grades. We enroll approximately 500 youth and 200 adult volunteers each year in 21 clubs, from Cottonwood to McArthur. The 4-H year for Valley youth runs from September through June. The Intermountain program runs October through September. A summer camp is held in June or July. The 4-H Program focuses on the development of citizenship, leadership, and life skills for each of its members while also promoting a sense of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. We provide a wide range of projects and activities to engage youth in reaching their fullest potential in partnership with a caring adult. Recruitment for adult volunteers is an on-going process and we welcome you if you have a desire to give to the youth of our county. Community service is an important focus of all 4-H clubs in Shasta County. They collect canned goods & coats for the homeless and visit senior citizen facilities. 4-H is especially busy during the holidays. You’ll find 4-H youth ringing bells for the Salvation Army, distributing cards and singing in the local hospitals, and adopting less fortunate families. This versatile, dynamic program continues to adapt to the needs of youth in Shasta County. If you would like to share some time with the youth of Shasta County through 4-H or are interested in joining, please contact the 4-H Office at the number in this brochure.

Forestry Program

In late 2012, Ryan DeSantis joined University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) as a Forestry and Natural Resources Advisor responsible for Shasta, Trinity, and Siskiyou Counties.

Ryan came to the position with a wealth of experience ranging from a forestry background in New Hampshire to a Peace Corps assignment in Bulgaria to graduate degree work with fire in pine ecosystems in Northern Michigan and oak ecosystems in Oklahoma to forest entomology in Minnesota. He has experience with fire and fuels in New England and the Northern Rockies as well.

Ryan has enjoyed getting to know Shasta, Trinity, and Siskiyou Counties, meeting local forest landowners and foresters, and learning more about the complex issues behind forestry in Northern California. He is responsible for conducting an extension, education and research program that resolves needs and problems in the fields of forest management and ecology. Over the past year, he has identified key clientele, completed a formal needs assessment, and started developing a forestry program for his three counties. His program will be focused on forest ecology, conservation, and health management, as well as silviculture, fire, and fuels.

Ryan has participated in or led workshops on keeping your property fire safe, basic forest stewardship, and prescribed fire. He is involved with oak woodland growth and regeneration research in Weaverville and giant sequoia growth research near Shingletown. He helped organize and run the Shasta Forestry Institute for Teachers (SFIT) during the summer of 2013, and looks forward to organizing and co-directing 2014 SFIT. The goal of SFIT is to provide California's K-12 teachers with knowledge, skills and tools to more effectively teach forest ecology and forest resource management practices. Ryan is planning a forest management for small landowners workshop in Weaverville and a forest regulations workshop in Redding this winter, a forest and ranch land succession planning workshop in Siskiyou County this spring, and more fire safe home workshops throughout Shasta, Trinity, and Siskiyou Counties this summer. He continues collaborating with colleagues throughout the University of California system, working on journal publications with former colleagues, and serving as an associate editor of the scientific journal Forest Science.

Ryan is excited to have the opportunity to work with oak and conifer ecosystems and fire again, to be surrounded by mountains and forests, and to explore the trails of rural Trinity, Siskiyou and Shasta Counties. He continues to learn more about forestry in California and enjoys meeting local forest landowners and foresters.

Forestry Ins tute for Teachers—Shasta—July 2013 

UCCE Shasta/Lassen This year marked a significant change in the Shasta-Lassen Cooperative Extension Office. Dan Marcum retired after serving 35 years. An overview of some of his programmatic efforts locally include:

Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management: His early work demonstrated efficiencies in nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus and potassium in local crops. His work defined critical nutrient levels and corrections for field and forage crops in the area. Work with Dr. Roland Meyer and cogeneration ash resulted in a key ANR publication defining use in California. Irrigation Management: Not long after arriving in Fall River Valley, Dan worked with cooperating farmers, other farm advisors, and specialists to collect reference evapotranspiration and publish it locally for growers. He was instrumental in bringing a CIMIS station to McArthur in 1983. Water Quality: Dan conducted pioneering work on the effect of over irrigation and over nitrogen fertilization on ground water. Work with Dr. Roland Meyer demonstrated that under agronomic rates and reasonable irrigation scheduling, local regime agriculture locally did not cause nitrate levels in the ground water to change. Invasive Weeds, Vertebrate Pests and Insect Pests: Dan has defined management practices for invasive scotch thistle, identified herbicide options for weed control in peppermint, developed management options for blackbirds in wild rice as well as looked at management on the Fall River. Biodiversity and Wildlife: He conducted research that noted haying at the local Ash Creek Wildlife area benefitted Sandhill Crane populations by creating a mosaic landscape. Strawberry Research: Major effort in this area was research with Dr. Lynn Epstein documenting the importance of using drip irrigation for nursery strawberries to control anthracnose. Improvement of Yields of Existing Crops and Developing New Crops: As production costs increased and commodity prices stagnated, Dan worked with growers to look at alternative crops to produce. Sugar beet, wild rice, peppermint, and horseradish are notable examples of crops he was instrumental in bringing to Fall River and Big Valley. Leadership: Dan was in Class 16 of the California Ag Leadership program and is a member of the Rotary Club of Burney. He has been a board member of Mayers Memorial Hospital in Fall River Mills and is a current board member of Pine Grove Mosquito Abatement in McArthur. Future of McArthur Cooperative Extension Office: Dan has agreed to work on several key projects over the next year or so. The Extension office is located at the Intermountain Fairgrounds in McArthur. Stacy Schneider, the office manager, works weekday mornings from 7 to 11 a.m. The telephone number for the office is (530) 336-5784. David Lile and Larry Forero are working on several projects locally. Beginning January 2014 they will be drafting a position request to submit to the University of California administration to refill the position which Dan vacated. They will be in touch with many of the local residents to help craft this request and provide updates throughout the process.

Livestock & Natural Resources Larry Forero is the Livestock/Natural Resources Advisor for Shasta County. He is trained as an animal and range scientist. His primary interest is the eco-nomic and environmental rangeland forage and meat production. The University of California Livestock/Natural Resource Program in Shasta County has been developed to address major issues impacting local producers. Projects generally fall into one of two major areas: Natural Resources and Livestock Production.

Natural Resource Range monitoring demonstration Impact of livestock and deer browsing on brush encroachment Analysis of non-production costs associated with operating on public lands Irrigation pasture water efficiency project in both the mountains and the valley Range grass variety trial Livestock Production Evaluation of cogeneration ash as a phosphorus for irrigated pasture Mineral supplementation strategies for beef cattle-this year this project included a mineral consumption component Assessment of non-market values for California Ranches-this work was published as part of a chapter of a book. Update of both the cow-calf and yearling cost studies Completion of the Niche Beef Production Manual

These projects address important issues that the extensive livestock industry will contend with locally and across the state. The results of this work are extended through the free newsletter, Northern California Ranch Update, as well as periodic workshops, seminars and field days. You can subscribe to this newsletter electroni-cally at our internet website http://ceshasta.ucanr.edu.

Over the past twelve months Larry has worked with a host of commodity organizations (Shasta County Cattle-men’s Associations, Fall River Big Valley Cattlemen’s Association, Shasta-Tehama Watershed Education Coa-lition, Shasta County Farm Bureau, Northeastern CA Water Association) and local ranches on workshops and education field days that included: Winter Ag Meeting Winter Livestock Meeting Diversion Reporting Irrigated Pasture Ranch Succession and Estate Planning Society for Range Management Field Tour He continues to be involved in the youth steer carcass educational efforts at Shasta District and Intermountain Fairs.