Great Valley Center and UC Merced release new environmental indicators report

Report reveals some progress in the Central Valley, though many environmental challenges remain

The Central Valley environment is getting healthier, but not fast enough. Its air quality is still among the worst in the nation, according to a report released today.

The Great Valley Center and the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at the University of California, Merced, jointly produced "The State ofthe Great CentralValley: Assessing the Region Via Indicators – The Environment2006-2011.” The report tracks a variety of environmental indicators within the Central Valley and shows mixed results.

The good news is there has been a reduction in the level of a number of key air quality indicators, a recharge of watersheds to near normal levels, a slowing in the loss of prime agricultural land to urbanization and an increased restoration of wetland habitats.

The Central Valley's depressed economy has dramatically slowed the use of prime land for new homes and commercial space. It has also given local and regional governments time to prepare and begin using blueprints to improve urban housing density and transportation choices.

However, the Central Valley has many red flags when it comes to the environment.

The number of days ozone levels were above state and federal air quality standards has increased overall since 2005, and almost all counties in the region are not meeting the one-hour and eight-hour air quality standards for many days each year. The percentage of the Valley’s population at risk for respiratory problems because of poor air quality outpaces other California regions.

The level of nitrates in drinking water has increased because farmers are using nitrogen-based fertilizers and planting nitrogen-fixing cover crops. Poor soil drainage has caused damage to fragile ecosystems. A great deal of energy is being used to move waste materials to landfills, presenting an opportunity for more recycling. Many counties have not reduced their waste production or energy consumption. In some cases, the numbers have increased beyond the proportional rise in population.

Gathering the data for this year’s report was challenging because of state and local budget cuts that limited the collection of information and the monitoring of air, water, species diversity, habitat conservation and resource management. Among the five recommendations for future action: Increase data gathering and improve sharing information, and support renewable energy sources for sustainable growth.

The report tracks environmental indicators as they relate to carbon monoxide, ozone and particulate matter; water quality and levels in our watersheds; pesticide use, soil drainage and land use; species of concern, fish, birds and wetland habitats; and waste production and energy consumption. The data sets, which underlie and correlate with many of the other assessments of regional well-being, are grouped in sections describing air, water, land use, species and habitat, and resources and energy.

Included in the report are profiles of half a dozen successful efforts to conserve and build capacity for the future.

“We included stories of environmental best practices to show that there are organizations and individuals working hard to make a positive impact in our Valley,” Great Valley Center Executive Director Dejeuné Shelton said. “Some of these successful programs could serve as models for similar environmental initiatives in other areas of our Valley.”

A highlight of the report is a public policy essay by UC Merced engineering Professor Roger Bales, director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, on the need for a sustainable water supply to meet the growing needs of the expanding Central Valley population with the additional stresses of climate change.

"The State of the Great Central Valley: The Environment (Third Edition)" is part of an ongoing regional initiative of the Great Valley Center (GVC) to track conditions in one of California’s fastest growing regions: the 19-county Great Central Valley. The data presented in the report were gathered by the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, and present a snapshot of information providing tools for measuring the community well-being of the Valley. This third edition revisits indicators introduced by the GVC in 2001 and revised in 2005, and includes several new ones. Past reports can be viewed on the GVC'sIndicators Report Series website.

“No More Silence” child abuse prevention video debuts in Merced

If your child suffers sexual abuse, it is more likely than not that someone your family knows has committed the abuse. A new DVD “No More Silence,” produced by the Great Valley Center in partnership with Merced County Office of Education/Early Care and Education Department, addresses important facts that parents and guardians should know to help protect children from abuse.

The English version of the video is posted to the Great Valley Center website and the Spanish version will be uploaded in the coming weeks.

Local child care providers were the first to view the video on June 5 during a session of the Early Care and Education Training Institute in Merced. GVC secured funding to produce the video as part of a year-long child abuse prevention program funded by the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. GVC also hopes to provide training in some migrant education classrooms in Merced County this summer as part of the program.

“People want to believe that if they keep their kids away from ‘strangers’ that they will not suffer sexual abuse but the sobering fact is that is not true,” said Jami Westervelt, Senior Director of Programs and Operations at Great Valley Center. “It is important that parents know that and that there are resources for help.”

In addition to facts and abuse resources, the video also features vignettes showing parents what actual conversations with children might look like around the sensitive subject. Parents of older children have the option to replay the vignettes and view them with their children as they feel appropriate.

Great Valley Center produced Spanish and English versions of the video, using both female and male actors to portray parents and children. The actors in the example conversations also represent a variety of ethnic backgrounds to enable families to relate to those portrayed in the video.

In planning the collaborative project, GVC met with local agencies including MCOE, Merced County Human Services Agency and Valley Crisis Center to develop program content and all provided video development assistance. The partnership with MCOE was vital to the video, with the staff contributing heavily to the production, including MCOE Caring Kids Program Manager/Behavior Support Specialist Monica Adrian who led script development and narrated the video. The MCOE Merced Educational Television program (METV) produced the video.

Green Communities intern hired as a program coordinator

Caldean “Dean” Biscocho is proof that an internship can help you land a job.  Selected as an intern for the Green Communities program in November, he has been gathering and analyzing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) data for the City of Tracy over the past five months.  In June, Dean was hired by Great Valley Center as a full time program coordinator within the Green Communities program. 

He now assists interns and local governments in collecting and analyzing GHG data, preparing final reports for agencies.  These reports provide a carbon emission baseline for local governments, helping in their efforts to reduce emissions and improving energy efficiency.

Dean graduated from University of California, Davis in 2011 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Construction Management.  He worked as an undergraduate research assistant for the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, focusing on California environmental policy.  He was deeply involved in the campus civil engineering community, becoming club president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) UC Davis Branch. 

“As president of ASCE, I oversaw the administrative responsibilities of the club.  This helped me develop as a professional,” reports Dean.  “We were responsible for the project competitions for our civil engineering students, with the top two regional teams advancing to the national competition. It was an exceptional experience.” 

Dean also served as an intern for the Development and Engineering Services Department of the City of Tracy, where he learned about the Green Communities program sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. After he expressed an interest, PG&E connected him with the Great Valley Center, where he was eventually selected as an intern.

Dean intends to work further into the civil and environmental engineering arenas, hoping to obtain a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.

“The people who work in the environmental sciences and engineering community have a worldly mindset that I aspire to,” Dean explains. “I enjoy the learning involved with reanalyzing how we live as Californians and Americans.  The Great Valley Center radiates the mentality of giving back to the community in a sustainable way.  This provides motivation for people like me, who grew up here, to stay here and contribute to the valley.”

Dean speaks Tagalog and visits family in the Philippines. He also has roots in the Central Valley, and currently resides with his family in Tracy.  Part of a musical family, Dean plays piano and dabbles in music composition.

When asked what advice he would give to college or graduate students considering an internship experience, Dean responds, “Go for it, but take it as seriously as possible.  It will only be as rewarding as you make it.”

The Great Valley Center welcomes Caldean “Dean” Biscocho to the staff team!

Park leaders learn to guide strategic change at National Parks Institute

The third National Parks Institute, a 12-day seminar organized collaboratively by University of California, Merced, National Parks Service (NPS) and Great Valley Center, came to a successful conclusion on April 28. The NPI seminar, which migrated from Fort Baker in Marin County to UC Merced and wound up in Yosemite National Park, brought together 27 leaders in park and protected area management, including 16 from around the U.S. and 11 from countries around the world.  

Under the theme of “Leading Strategic Change”, participants tackled topics ranging from the affects of climate change on national parks to exploring how to build value to the park visit experience in order to compete for scarce resources.  

  

Thomas Lovejoy, Professor of Biology at George Mason University and chief biodiversity advisor to the President of World Bank, spoke to the group during a public plenary lecture at UC Merced. Lovejoy pointed out, "We have twice as much biologically active nitrogen in the world today than is natural, and the consequences are many dead zones in our oceans."

The NPI class also heard presentations from Stanford University Professor of Management and author Charles O'Reilly; Keshav Varma, Program Director for World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative; UC Merced Professor of Technology Management Erik Rolland, and dozens of other experts from the NPS, universities, and community and partnership organizations.  They also heard from past seminar participants who were inspired by their NPI experience to instigate new park programs and initiatives. To view a video of some of this year's speakers click here.

Each class member brought an “individual challenge case” to discuss with their colleagues, and during the seminar they worked on action plans to address their challenges.  Watch brief videos of some of the participants as they discuss challenges they are currently facing in their parks and why they wanted to attend NPI: Tom Leatherman,  Sula Jacobs, Stan Austin, and Judy Forte.

NPI’s third class left with fresh strategic planning and leadership skills and examples of successful partnerships and programs from parks around the country and the other side of the globe. Class members also gained a broader understanding of some of the complex issues faced by their colleagues, and established a network of new contacts.

Steve Thede, Deputy Superintendent of Badlands National Park, said of his experience, "The NPI helps the NPS (and part of the international community) move forward in our thinking, understanding and capacity, with the promise of much more in the future. Without opportunities such as this, we won't take the time, nor have the benefit of the expertise of those who shared with us, to see how what we do fits into the bigger picture...and how we can take more strategic and  effective actions."

Read more about the 2012 National Parks Institute through UC Merced or NPS Digest.

CPUC increases size and scope of broadband deployment grant program

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently enhanced the size and scope of the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), increasing available grant and loan funds from $100 million to $225 million to build broadband infrastructure throughout the state. This implementation of Senate Bill 1040 adds $100 million to the CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account and $15 million to the CASF Broadband Infrastructure Revolving Loan Account. CPUC’s decision also increases the maximum size of a CASF grant award from 40 percent matching to 70 percent matching of project costs for unserved areas and 60 percent for underserved areas.

CASF is funded by a surcharge paid by end-users and collected by the telecommunications providers in California. The goal of CASF is to bring high-speed broadband Internet service to unserved and underserved communities in California to spur job creation, economic growth, and social benefits.

The CASF program aligns with the goals of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium (SJVRBC) by providing opportunities to ensure that all consumers in the state have access to the Internet. SJVRBC may be able to provide support and resources to providers applying in the San Joaquin Valley. For more information, contact Christine Nutting at cnutting@csufresno.edu.

The application deadlines for the CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program and the Revolving Loan Program are May 15, 2012, for unserved areas, and September 11, 2012, for underserved areas not previously funded by the CASF and hybrid projects that cover both unserved and underserved areas. The Revolving Loan Program will provide supplemental financing for provider projects also applying for CASF grant funding. Click here for an online copy of the CPUC decision.

California Connects program in Marysville featured in news article

Parents learning how to monitor their children’s school progress and homework assignments online; people finding access to websites with useful health and weight loss information – these are just some of the 47 community members who are benefitting from their recent completion of the California Connects basic Internet training in Marysville.

CA Connects trainer Alejandra Beltran and the Sutter County Library, a program partner providing computers and class space, offer training in Spanish and Punjabi. They recently held a graduation ceremony for some of the students completing the training, which was featured in a recent article in the Marysville Appeal Democrat. Click here to read the article and see photos!

California Connects continues to expand – adding trainers and partnerships

The Great Valley Center recently hired bilingual community trainers in Tulare, Merced, Stanislaus, Placer Mariposa.  A list of current trainers is available on the GVC website along with information on available trainer openings. Training will take place in 18 counties designated in the CA Connects grant through June 2013.

CA Connects, a digital literacy program targeted at increasing Internet use among low income and Spanish speaking adults, works through partnerships with local training sites. Four new partners recently signed on to assist. Hamilton Elementary School in San Joaquin County began hosting classes on February 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Prusso Child Development Center in Merced County starts classes March 5, 1:30 to 4:30 pm.

New Stanislaus County training locations include Hughson Family Resource Center and Ceres Unified School District - Project YES, with training schedules yet to be determined for both sites. GVC welcomes additional partnerships with community agencies, educational institutions and governmental organizations in all 18 counties served by the grant. For more information on CA Connects or community partnerships contact Program Manager Desiree Holden at desiree@greatvalley.org or (209) 522-5103 x136.

San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium receives funding approval

The San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium (SJVRBC) has received final approval for funding from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). After CPUC finished its initial review of the 15 regional consortia grant applications filed in August, seven consortia, including the SJVRBC, not only met the grant qualifications but earned the highest scores. The full commission voted to approve a formal funding resolution on December 1, 2011.

The SJVRBC is under the umbrella of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and is being administered by the Office of Community and Economic Development at Fresno State, with assistance from the Great Valley Center. The SJVRBC will be working diligently during the next three years to focus on accelerating the deployment, accessibility, and adoption of broadband within the eight counties of the San Joaquin Valley.

The SJVRBC requested California Advanced Services Fund consortia funding of $150,000 in Year 1 with an intention to renew for the same amount in Years 2 and 3.  The San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium represents Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare Counties.

SJVRBC's goals are:

• Expedite the provision of broadband access in all areas of the San Joaquin Valley;
• Promote accessibility and adoption of broadband in targeted underserved communities and populations (e.g., develop and implement a plan to ensure high school students graduate with basic computer literacy skills);
• Expand and replicate successful model programs to increase broadband access and bridge the digital divide;
• Accelerate deployment of broadband infrastructure through Telemedicine and Telehealth technology (e.g., develop and implement a plan to connect health clinics with medical centers); and
• Work with neighboring regional consortia to ensure the development of cohesive infrastructure.

The SJVRBC is represented by members of the public-private sectors including telecommunications providers and industry associations; government, economic development corporations, and business development centers; local educational agencies and institutions of higher education; health delivery organizations, community-based and nonprofit organizations; and accessibility advocates. The consortium membership brings years of experience in a variety of areas that will enhance the ability of the SJVRBC to meet its goals. Namely, that have successfully increased utilization by residents through digital literacy programs, pursued funding for deployment, built upon existing infrastructure for Telemedicine/Telehealth, and expanded digital literacy programming.

The Consortium will convene in December to discuss next steps, goals of the work groups, and develop a meeting schedule for the next year.

For additional information on the SJVRBC, contact Christine Nutting, Associate Director for the Office of Community and Economic Development, California State University, Fresno, at (559) 294-2230 or cnutting@csufresno.edu.