June 2009 Media Advisory

The Great Valley Center's June 2009 media advisory is now available. This monthly resource for members of the media and others in the community features information on what's happening with the Great Valley and throughout the Central Valley during the month.

June's advisory includes briefs on:

• Significant reports available in June
  
• An upcoming Land Conservation Easement Celebration
• IDEAL class of 2009 graduation information
• Much more happening around the region
  

Materials & Resources

→Download the June 2009 Media Advisory

Vasché: In search of the overarching issue

Modesto Bee Column
May 31, 2009

"Water Wealth Contentment Health."

When Modesto adopted those four words as its motto in the early 1900s and fastened them to the arch that for so many decades has welcomed visitors to the community, they represented the hopes and dreams -- and promise -- of a bright future.

Today, a century later, they represent critical issues facing a valley suffering not only from the current recession but from decades of chronically high unemployment, dismally low education levels and ever-increasing poverty.

I got to thinking about the arch -- and our challenges in each of those four areas -- the other night at a dinner at the Great Valley Center, the Modesto-based organization dedicated to improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of California's Central Valley.

I'd been invited to join about about two dozen people representing diverse backgrounds -- ranging from agriculture to health care, finance to education, development to energy, public service to the news media -- for an update on the center's work, and to discuss key issues facing the valley.

As David Hosley, the center's president, reminded us, regardless of the difficulties we're experiencing today, the future is going to happen -- and we best be ready.

As one of the participants would note, we tend to make plans and decisions based on short-term needs and goals, all too often ignoring more critical long-term considerations.

To that end, Hosley asked each of us: What is the one issue we must address in the next 10 years?

The delightful dinner, comprised entirely of items grown in our valley, gave us time to ponder the question. Later, as we went around the room, our answers were as varied as our backgrounds:

Fixing the state's fiscal mess, aligning and prioritizing revenues and spending; ensuring adequate water for farms and cities; improving education and skill levels; developing the work force; creating an environment that will keep businesses here and attract new ones; improving transportation, including mass transit.

And, there was more:

Preserving prime farmland by encouraging urbanization rather than sprawling suburbanization; improving air quality and other areas of the environment; bettering our health by considering it in everything we do as individuals, businesses and government; creating energy sources that are efficient, economical and green; and achieving greater cooperation among cities and counties up and down the valley.

I was one of several who listed education as the critical issue -- from increasing the graduation rate to addressing illiteracy to improving vocational training to creating a college-going culture.

As I reflected on the evening's discussion later, several things struck me:

— The issues facing our communities and our valley are wide-ranging.

— The issues, in one way or another, are interrelated.

— There are no simple solutions. They will take time, effort, commitment, and, in some cases, courage.

— The solutions need to be valley-wide. Not community- or county-wide, but envisioned and implemented cooperatively by all the cities and counties of the 400-mile-long Central Valley.

— The stakes are high, enormously high.

If we do it right, some day those four words -- "Water Wealth Contentment Health" -- could represent the reality of a vibrant, healthy, prosperous valley.

If we fail, however, they'll represent a laundry list of broken dreams, unattained goals and unclaimed promises.

What do you think? If you had to narrow it down to a single thing, what is the most important issue to be addressed over the next 10 years?

Let me know at mvasche@modbee.com, and I'll pass along your thoughts. Or, visit the center's site at www.greatvalley.org.

Vasché, The Bee's editor and senior vice president, can be reached at mvasche@modbee.com or at 578-2356.

→ Read the column online

Energy Primer: Publication Will Inform Valley Leaders of Energy-Related Issues

Press Release
MODESTO, CA (May 2009) - Anaerobic digesters. GreenPoint ratings. Solar photovoltaic cells. Senate and Assembly bills. The energy world is vast, complex, and often very technical. One barely knows where to start when trying to understand the issues associated with renewable and clean energy sources, energy conservations, or current legislation surrounding greenhouse gas emissions and regional development standards.

The Energy Primer—produced by the Great Valley Center Energy Program—is a new resource for Central Valley residents and policy makers alike. Organized in an accessible and easily-referenced format, the Primer defines and breaks down the topic of the built environment, renewable energy, transportation, climate action, and energy legislation.

"Our elected officials are being asked to respond to a very quickly changing economic and legislative environment," said Time Fisher, program manager of the Center's Energy Program. "Our hope is that this Primer will be a tool for them as they make choices in how they respond."

→ Read more: full press release
→ Download the publication: Energy Primer

June 9, 2009: Celebrate the Closings of Two Agricultural Easements in the Valley

On June 9, 2009 the Central Valley Farmland Trust will be celebrating the placement of agricultural easements on Jorgensen Ranch and Silveira Farm. These easements ensure that the land will support agriculture and the communities where they are located for future generations.

The celebration will take place at:

Jorgensen Ranch
Tuesday, June 9, 2009,
10:00 a.m.
30416 W. Jorgensen Road,
Gustine, California

What does GVC have to say about agricultural easements:

“We are seeing more and more farmers in the Central Valley choosing to make agricultural easements a part of their business, financial and estate plans,” said Theresa Kiehn, Agricultural Programs Associate with the Great Valley Center. “They’re a proven way to guarantee that farmland remains in private hands, agricultural business continues and the land’s natural resources are forever protected.”

Materials & Resources

→ Read the California Department of Conservation's full press release: Two Central Valley Farms Protected from Development

→ Download the final report on the Great Valley Center’s Agricultural Transactions Program (ATP): Solid Ground: Land Conservation Models From California's Agricultural Heartland

GVC Report: Greatest Road Block to Connecting Kids with Outdoors is Transportation

Press Release
Modesto, CA (May 12, 2009) - The detriments of a generation of young people disconnected from nature include a rise in obesity, attention deficit, and depression as noted by author Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods. A sedentary lifestyle, characterized by staying indoors, is the norm for many youth in an increasingly high-tech society. There is also connection between a lack of interest in environmental stewardship and a lack of contact with the outdoors. Schools and youth-serving organizations long to provide young people with meaningful outdoor experiences that would foster a more active lifestyle and concern for the natural world that surrounds them, but are frequently stymied by one important factor: transportation.

Transportation Challenges & Opportunities: Connecting young people to the great outdoors, a new report available now at www.greatvalley.org, commissioned by the Great Valley Center, the Stewardship Council, and PG&E—reveals these findings. This practical report assesses the most common problems of cost, availability, and administrative procedures, such as insurance and finding appropriate drivers, that schools and youth-serving organizations face when arranging transportation—for even a day trip—and that often become limiting factors in the successful implementation of an outdoor venture.

Materials & Resources

→ Read the Press Release

→ Download the report: Transportation Challenges & Opportunities: Connecting young people to the great outdoors

May 2009

Press Release
STEWART RESNICK TO RECEIVE RECOGNITION FROM THE REGION

Central Valley Philanthropic Champion to Receive Giant of the Valley Award

Modesto, CA (May 4, 2009) The 2009 Sequoia - Giant of the Valley Award will go to prominent businessman and dedicated philanthropist Stewart Resnick. Chairman of Roll International Corporation, the holding company for businesses such as Paramount Farms and POM Wonderful, Resnick will be honored Thursday, May 7 in Sacramento at the Great Valley Center’s annual conference, 20/20 Foresight: A View of the Valley in a Decade.

→Read the full article

May 2009 Media Advisory

Our monthly media advisories are chock-full of information about what's coming up for GVC this month as well as other interesting happenings and trends in the region.

Highlights in our May advisory include briefs on:

• SB 375 Regional Targets Advisory Committee Meeting: May 5
• Great Valley Center’s 12th Annual Conference: May 6 and 7
• First Lady Michelle Obama at UC Merced: May 16
• New Publication: Energy Primer
• New Publication: Transportation Challenges and Opportunities for Connecting Young People to the Great Outdoors

Materials & Resources

→Read the full Great Valley Center May 2009 Media Advisory