IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED MAY 27, 2005:

1. BOYCE THOMPSON ARBORETUM SUMMER SCHEDULE
2. HERRING HALL FINALIST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD
3. WATER CONSERVING GARDEN FOR 'AQABA
4. SUMMER AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE
5. COTTON IPM: NINE YEARS OF REDUCED INSECTICIDE USE
6. TRI-UNIVERSITY WATER CONFERENCE
7. TOP AWARDS FOR CALS FACULTY
8. ARIZONA 4-H'ERS AT NATIONAL 4-H CONFERENCE
9. YUMA WATER FESTIVAL

1 BOYCE THOMPSON ARBORETUM SUMMER SCHEDULE

Boyce Thompson Arboretum, operated by the University of Arizona and the State Parks Department, welcomes visitors to tour its 320 acres during revised summer hours. Located in Superior, Arizona, the botanical garden features two miles of walking paths that will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. through August 31. Guided walking tours for the summer feature the biology and ecology of the Arboretum's dragonfly, butterfly and lizard populations, and other topics.

One of the scheduled talks will focus on how wildfires in the early 1990s scorched Gonzalez Pass about 50 miles east of Phoenix, blackening skies over Pinal and Maricopa counties and closing U.S. 60 to Globe for several days. The once-beautiful desert hillsides were denuded, with skeletal saguaros in a grey moonscape of rock and ash. Which plants recovered to re-establish themselves? Which species are unlikely to be seen again in our lifetime? Visit Boyce Thompson to find out.

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/bta

2 HERRING HALL FINALIST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD

Built in 1903, Herring Hall is the second-oldest building (Old Main was the first) on the University of Arizona campus and has served as a campus-wide resource over the past 100 years. The hall is included in the University of Arizona's West Campus Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Originally built as the Men's Gymnasium, Herring Hall has since housed a multitude of diverse University programs including the Women's Physical Education program, the Drama Department, the School of Journalism and the Radio/TV Bureau, and the Landscape Architecture program.

The building underwent a yearlong rehabilitation, completed in September 2004, that has maintained its historic appearance while updating the interior for yet another use: it now houses the University of Arizona Arboretum office and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Herbarium.

In recognition of the Herring Hall restoration effort,the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office has selected it for the 2005 Governors Heritage Preservation Honor Award, to be presented in June.

Randy Ryan, Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/herringhall

3 WATER CONSERVING GARDEN FOR 'AQABA

Desert dwellers value gardens for the lushness, shade and beauty they bring to a dry landscape. Often, though, native species are shunned in favor of water-guzzling exotics that experts say are poor choices where water is naturally scarce. Ecologically appropriate designs that include native or other low water-use plants, drip irrigation and reclaimed water can benefit both the environment and the human community.

That is the goal of a water-conserving demonstration garden for 'Aqaba, Jordan. The project brings together professors, students and engineers from two deserts half a world apart: the Sonoran Desert and the Sudanian Desert.

Faculty and students from the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the UA School of Landscape Architecture are working with the 'Aqaba Special Economics Zone Authority (ASEZA), a municipality in southern Jordan, to transform a decades-old neighborhood park into a model for community garden design.

Robert Freitas, Office of Arid Lands Studies

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/16.6.html

4 SUMMER AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE

The Summer Agricultural Institute (SAI) is a five-day program designed to teach educators about food and fiber production and to help them incorporate that knowledge in the classroom. The institute combines hands-on learning about agriculture with practical curriculum development.

Participants visit a variety of agricultural operations, spend an entire day at the University of Arizona's research farm, visit schools with active agriculture education programs, and spend one night on a working farm.

Accommodations, meals and travel during the Institute are paid for by the Arizona Foundation for Agricultural Literacy. Participants pay an $85.00 tuition fee and provide their own transportation to and from Phoenix. The University of Arizona offers up to three graduate level credits on completion.

Monica Pastor, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/agliteracy/summer-institute.html

5 COTTON IPM: NINE YEARS OF REDUCED INSECTICIDE USE

A comprehensive integrated pest management program implemented in Arizona cotton for the past nine years has resulted in a combined 58 percent reduction overall in pesticide sprays for whiteflies, pink bollworm and Lygus bug, and a corresponding cumulative savings of more than $130 million in reduced pesticide costs; two of the past six years represented the lowest annual insecticide usage in Arizona cotton in 25 years.

Insecticide applications in cotton typically account for about half of all insecticide use in the United States. New materials on the market are now enabling cotton growers to reduce their spray applications while maintaining competitive yields. These technologies also help growers implement more ecologically-based IPM programs and become less dependent on broadly toxic insecticides.

Peter Ellsworth, Maricopa Agricultural Center

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/impacts/1_5.html

6 TRI-UNIVERSITY WATER CONFERENCE

The implications of water management in the arid Southwest and urban water sustainability are just two of the topics to be addressed at the Arizona Water Conference, to be held August 3-5 at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Tours of nearby water-related sites and facilities are scheduled for the first day, including Fossil and Oak Creeks, Flagstaff Water Recycling and Hopi Springs.

The Summit brings together tribal representatives, university researchers, water managers and government officials to discuss water resources, water management and water conservation in Arizona and the Southwest.

Session topics will cover climate change and water resource management; creating a culture of conservation; water and electricity; and urban water sustainability. A special track throughout the conference features tribal representatives discussing indigenous perspectives on water and preparing a statement for the 2006 World Water Forum in Mexico City.

The Arizona Water Summit is part of a five-day series of events on the NAU campus focusing on sustainability. Other events include the Department of Commerce Tribal Energy Workshop on August 5 and the 2005 Southwest Sustainability Expo August 4-6.

To learn more:
http://environment.nau.edu/events/2005/2005-Arizona-Water-Summit.htm

7 TOP AWARDS FOR CALS FACULTY

University Distinguished Outreach Faculty Award: Tim Dennehy, professor, Department of Entomology. The award recognizes outstanding faculty whose scholarship-based outreach to the state, nation, and the world has demonstrated sustained excellence in the University's outreach mission. He will be honored at the December 2005 UA Commencement.

2005 Distinguished Service Award: Steve Husman, area agent, Pima County Cooperative Extension. The National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA)gives this award annually to an Extension professional from each state who has completed 10 or more years of service.

NACAA Achievement Award: Dean Fish, director, Santa Cruz Cooperative Extension. The Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have shown meritorious success in their program efforts during the first ten years of their career.

These two awards will be presented at the 2005 NACAA Conference July 17-21, 2005 in Buffalo, New York.

8 ARIZONA 4-H'ERS AT NATIONAL 4-H CONFERENCE

For 75 years the National 4-H Conference has been one of the premier national youth programs in the country. This year, more than 325 youth and adult delegates gathered at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in April to share ideas and form recommendations in guiding future 4-H efforts in their communities.

The delegates traveled to Capitol Hill, where they met with representatives of Congress and their staff to discuss state 4-H programs. Arizona's young leaders, including Clayton Freed from Pinal County; Samantha Morriss of Santa Cruz County; and Dean Ames and Tanner Herbert from Cochise County were enthusiastic in sharing their love for 4-H with their government officials. Between meetings, the delegates toured the Capitol. The Conference ended at the banks of the Potomac River, where delegates boarded the Spirit of Washington for the Clover Cruise.

Arizona 4-H's participation in this year's national conference was made possible with a gift from the Yuma Area Ag Council and other donors through the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation.

Joe Leisz, Arizona 4-H Foundation

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/4-h_foundation/

9 YUMA WATER FESTIVAL

Residents of Yuma celebrated Earth Day with their first Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) water festival at the historic Yuma Crossing State Park. More than 200 fourth-grade students from three schools in Yuma School District One rotated through three interactive water education activities based on the Project WET curriculum.

One activity called The Long Haul features a bucket relay, demonstrating how community residents might have obtained their daily water needs in earlier times. Another activity, The Incredible Journey, explained the hydrologic cycled by putting the student in the role of a water molecule moving through earth systems.

Yuma's first water festival was conducted in partnership with U.S. Bureau of Reclamations Yuma Area Office and the Yuma Crossing State Park. Local sponsorship included the Yuma Area Ag Council and the Lower Colorado River Resource Conservation and Development Council.

Project WET is a program delivered through the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center. Project WET water festivals are estimated to affect some 4,300 Arizona students statewide this coming year.

Will Payne, Yuma Agricultural Center

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/AZWATER/wet/index.html

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