Amid Emergency Measures, WSU Extension and Washington Sea Grant Train Volunteers to Find Invasive European Green Crab (written by Joe Roberts, WSU CAHNRS Communications)
A new program will enable anyone who walks the shorelines of Puget Sound to identify one of Washington state’s most concerning invasive species: European green crab.
In response to this shore crab’s booming population, Washington State University Extension and Washington Sea Grant outreach specialists are rolling out the Molt Search program in May.
WSU Extension and Sea Grant are recruiting volunteers for training to support early detection efforts along Washington’s inland shorelines by searching for European green crab shells and reporting evidence of their presence to managers.
The state of Washington deployed emergency measures in 2022 to slow the crab’s spread and protect shorelines from harmful impacts. Green crab eat or compete with a wide range of native species, including juvenile Dungeness crab and littleneck clams. They also destroy seagrass habitats important to salmon.
Molt Search will train participants to systematically search beaches for molts, the exoskeletons the crabs shed, which can wash up on shorelines before European green crabs can be detected with traps.
“Green crabs tuck under logs, rocks and vegetation, making them difficult to spot,” said Bob Simmons, Olympic region water resources specialist with WSU Extension. “They can hide in the shallows of mudflats or in protected estuaries and pocket marshes, areas very difficult to safely access. Finding molts is easier since they wash to the upper beach with high tides.”
Once European green crabs are found in an area, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Native American tribes, shellfish growers, and other partners deploy hundreds of traps.
The Sustainable FloridiansSM Benchmarking and Monitoring Program (SF-BMP) is a UF/IFAS Extension program developed and delivered in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Florida Chapter. The goal of SF-BMP is to create a comprehensive, incentive-based, and dynamic sustainability performance framework for new land development projects in Florida. With Florida’s population continuing to grow by more than 900 people a day, it’s critical to reduce the impact of these new developments. SF-BMP works collaboratively to develop energy, water, ecosystem, landscape, and community engagement goals and objectives tailored to specific master-planned land development projects. The program does not endorse specific projects or products but does promote integrated and research-validated principles and practices. These are tested through innovative living laboratories, where ecological and sustainability performance metrics are specified, benchmarked, measured, verified, and monitored over the life of the project.
Our largest living Laboratory to date is the Sunbridge Stewardship District, a 24,000-acre master-planned community development in Central Florida. Sunbridge is being developed by Tavistock Group and is entitled for construction of almost 30,000 new homes, during its 30-year build-out horizon. To move the needle with more sustainable practices that measurably protect the area’s water quality, reduce water and energy use, and promote biodiversity and ecosystem services, the Sunbridge Stewardship District entered a master research agreement with SF-BMP, in early 2021. Since then, the main entry and visitor center for the community (Basecamp) and twelve model homes in the first neighborhood (Weslyn Park) have been constructed, and living lab teams have launched applied research studies, to measure performance outcomes and impacts.
Photo 1: Weslyn Park model homes showcase the testing of native-dominant, no-mow landscapes and rooftop solar as more sustainable development alternatives.
Credit: SF-BMP/M. Jennison Kipp
The Sunbridge project was recently highlighted at the OUTSIDE: Sustainable Landscape Collaborative in Lake Nona, Florida. The OUTSIDE Collaborative works to increase the adoption of sustainable landscaping practices. It is unique in its work to bring together all those involved in making this change: landscape design professionals, urban planners, landscape architects, developers, builders, researchers, Extension, and others. This year’s event was held October 13-14 and included tours of the Sunbridge Basecamp Boundary Planting Research Plots and the Weslyn Park model homes’ alternative landscapes.
Like many other states in the Midwest, Ohio is preparing for imminent infestations of Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). This invasive planthopper, first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, poses a threat to the fruit production and plant growth of valuable specialty crops, most notably grapevines. Though infestations have already been confirmed in several counties throughout Ohio, history tells us that additional infestations will continue to appear and grow. Many eastern states have already been contending with this nuisance for the past few years and possess valuable experience and knowledge.
Seven members of OSU Extension, including Extension educators from across the state and a viticulture outreach specialist, participated in this study tour in mid-October. The tour was funded by an internal grant targeted towards improving ANR team functioning and deliverables and organized by Lucas County ANR Extension Educator, Amy Stone. The tour objectives included visiting locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio that were experiencing a variety of infestation levels; increasing our knowledge, by speaking with experts who have firsthand SLF experience; and developing a timeline for outreach tools and materials for Ohio, as we learn from others who have experienced SLF infestations.
Our tour began in Pittsburgh, PA where we visited infestations near active railways. Here, we spotted an abundance of adult SLFs and freshly laid egg masses. For some of our Extension educators, this was their first time observing SLF, firsthand. Next, we visited Penn State Extension in Allegheny County. We spoke with Penn State Urban Forestry Extension Educator, Brian Wolyniak, who shared valuable insights on combating SLF in the urban setting and how he has adapted methods based on growing SLF populations. We also participated, as a group, in a webinar about reporting SLF, led by Matt Travis, SLF Policy Manager for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Afterwards, Rich Vrboncic and Jason Rihn, of Bartlett Tree Experts, led us on an exploration of several sites throughout the Pittsburgh area that have been confronted with varying levels of SLF infestation. They discussed the pros and cons of different control methods, along with the interactions and expectations of their customer base.
Photo 1: Egg masses dot the limb of a tree in a heavily infested site. Photo credit: Carrie Brown
Photo 2: Adult Spotted Lanternfly infest Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) located along a railway. Photo credit: Carrie Brown
‘You call it a woodlot. I call it a tax bill.’ Working with farmers over the years, I have heard this sentiment more than once. Farmers closely track annual returns from their land base, and if we are just talking dollars and cents, farm woods often end the year in red. However, with the help of a forester, the farmer-woodland owner (FWO) has many opportunities to find value in their woods.
Farmers are used to working with resource professionals. Many regularly consult with agronomists, agriculture extension agents, engineers, and agri-business folks. Unfortunately, in our traditional forestry outreach to unengaged woodland owners, we have not been consistent in building connections between foresters and FWOs. However, with the right value proposition, seeking professional forestry assistance could become the norm for FWOs looking to get more from their woods.
In 2020-2021, I conducted a statewide assessment to understand farmers’ needs around woodland management and access to existing forestry services and resources. The needs assessment had two components: focus groups with agricultural resource professionals (Ag Extension, County Conservationists, and NRCS) and one-on-one interviews with FWOs throughout Wisconsin. The assessment brought to light some recurring motivations, barriers, and needs of FWOs, illuminating a potential path forward.
Approximately 18 percent of California’s timberlands are owned by small, non-industrial private landowners (CAL FIRE 2017). Many of these landowners have ecological conservation, restoration, and resilience goals; which are driven by concerns about wildfire, climate change, drought, and tree mortality.
Forest landowners face huge challenges, considering the condition of California forests. Between 2020 and 2022, more than seven million acres have burned across the state, in 22,904 wildfire incidents. Forty-five people lost their lives in these wildfires, and 15,838 structures were either damaged or destroyed (CAL FIRE 2020-2022 Incident Archive).
Since January 2020, the UC ANR Forest Stewardship Education Program has engaged more than 350 participants in 17 workshops with the goals of educating forest landowners to better understand, manage, and protect their forests by developing a forest management plan, implementing vegetation management projects, engaging with natural resource professionals, and taking advantage of cost-share opportunities that can help them meet their management goals.
Photo 1: Forest Stewardship Workshop Participant Field Day. Photo by Kim Ingram
In 2021, we conducted interviews of Forest Stewardship participants to better understand their concerns and management goals. Along with data from a pre-workshop survey, we characterized landowners’ feelings about their forests, identified their concerns and barriers, and described what management activities they were doing.
The National Connections Team for Forest and Rangeland Resources, composed of Mark Thorne (Project Director), University of Hawaii-Manoa; Barbara Hutchinson (co-PD), University of Arizona; Kris Tiles (co-PD), University of Wisconsin; Retta Bruegger (co-PD) Colorado State University; Adam Downing (co-PD), Virginia Tech; Elise Gornish (co-PD), University of Arizona; Sheila Merrigan (co-PD), University of Arizona; Martha Monroe (co-PD), University of Florida; Leslie Roche (co-PD), University of California-Davis; and Dave Bogner (co-PD), University of Arizona, was the winner of the 2022 USDA-NIFA Partnership Award for Multistate Efforts. The award was presented to the team on October 6, 2022, in a virtual USDA-NIFA award ceremony.
This interdisciplinary, multistate team developed a highly successful web-based conference series, Strengthening RREA programing Through Enhanced Connections (USDA-Renewable Resources Extension Act Conference Grant Award 2018-46401-28801), to increase capacity of Extension educators to serve their stakeholders and strengthen the RREA program (Figure 3). The novel online, interactive content provided unique opportunities for Extension educators to share strategies, tools, and outreach methodologies across institutions, as well as proactively engaged a broad diversity of Extension, public agency, and conservation professionals at a time when the world had just entered the COVID-19 pandemic. The project aimed to strengthen RREA programming by building capacity among Extension and outreach professionals who provided scientific and technologically relevant programs to forest and range stakeholders. Our specific objectives were: 1) establish a project team composed of range and forestry experts from geographically distinct land-grant institutions, 2) create nine webinars addressing RREA critical issues, and 3) develop online forums that enable participants to share ideas and methodologies and develop collaborations around the RREA critical issues.
The live webinars were recorded and posted on the project website to increase accessibility, and each webinar was paired with an online forum to allow for continued engagement and connectivity among presenters and participants. The webinar series provided opportunities for Extension professionals to 1) strengthen and create new networks, 2) develop regional/national collaborations addressing RREA strategic issues, and 3) learn innovative approaches for stakeholder education. The nine webinars in the series featured 26 Extension and outreach professionals across 14 land-grant institutions.
I started scuba diving when I was 12 years old. Back then, I was exploring what it meant to be a marine biologist. After my first dive in the sea, my perception and life changed for good; thereafter, I just wanted to focus on exploring and learning about the mysteries of the ocean and its creatures. Scuba diving provided me with numerous skills and experiences that increased my knowledge about the ocean.
Funding from UF/IFAS Dean of Extension mini-grant and Dean’s awards enabled me to get certified, by Scuba Educators International (SEI), as a scuba diver instructor. My goal as an extension agent and scuba diving instructor is to offer youth and adults the opportunity to access and to explore the underwater world - beyond a lecture or power point slide - and educate them about aquatic systems and their resources through experiential learning.
During summer 2022, I offered the first 4-H Summer Dive Camp - a 40-hour certification-seeking training - to eight youth in Taylor County. The course not only presented the scuba principles of physics, physiology, and safety planning; I was able to go deeper in coastal and marine environmental issues and potential careers the youth could pursue in the future. They learned and developed important skills, such as self-confidence and teamwork, during an 8-hour pool session. Those skills were reinforced during five check-out dives.
From left to right:
Photo 1: A 16 year old student shares time with a school of Sunfish, during the safety stop in Blue Grotto. She wants to pursue a career in marine biology.
Photo 2: A post-lectures pool session introduced students to the basic skills of diving. Buoyancy control is one of the practiced skills.
Photo 3: Overcoming fears is essential to youth development. Performing a giant stride water entry was the first step to explore the underwater world.
Photo 4: A group of youth have their first check-out dives at Royal Springs, while they learned about the watershed, freshwater ecosystems, and fauna.
One Good Idea is an online clearinghouse of videos and podcasts that feature farmers sharing their experiences with implementing soil and water conservation practices. Created by a multi-state team of university Extension professionals and farmers, One Good Idea was designed to help farmers learn from each other about how to do practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, rotational grazing, and nutrient management to improve their soil, land, and profitability. All content on One Good Idea is crowdsourced, and we are always seeking contributions of videos and/or podcasts from Extension professionals who are working with farmers to implement conservation practices.
If you produce videos or podcasts that feature farmers – or have an interest in doing so – One Good Idea provides you an additional platform to amplify their stories and reach more farmers, particularly those beyond your state. We believe our content criteria also provides a framework for how to produce videos or podcasts in a way that can lead to practice adoption among farmers. To learn more about how to contribute, visit https://goodideafarm.org/share.
The Center for Private Forests at Penn State is deeply saddened to share the sudden and tragic loss of our co-founder and Council Chair Dr. Jim Finley, Ibberson Chair and Professor Emeritus of Private Forest Management and Human Dimensions and Natural Resources, on October 2, 2021. Jim's decades of work informed our understanding of forests, private forest landowners, and all the people who care for the woods, have served as the foundation for the Center’s work since its inception in 2011, and guide its vision for the future.