* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1998
For more information, CONTACT:
Heidi Carter, Education Coordinator
SARE PDP North Central Sustainable Agriculture Training Program
402-472-0917 or csas007@unlvm.unl.edu
EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP LINKS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
WITH WATERSHED PLANNING
Lincoln, NE — Educators interested in cooperatively exploring agriculture's
role in watersheds are invited to attend workshops sponsored by the USDA's
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional
Development Program (PDP) in the North Central Region. "Facing a Watershed:
Managing Profitable and Sustainable Landscapes in the 21st Century," is the
theme of three summer workshops in Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.
Workshops will provide participants with an overview of structure and
function of watersheds, sessions on innovative watershed project design, and
a specialty focus relevant to each workshop site. Participants will gain
skills, methods and materials for teaching watershed planning, including a
practical resource notebook. Networking and emphasizing linkages among
universities, agencies and producers is a major objective of the workshops.
"We intend to provide Extension personnel, NRCS specialists, and other
agricultural educators with tools they need to help farmers maintain sturdy
economics, a healthy environment and strong communities," said Chuck
Francis, University of Nebraska scientist and workshop co-planner, along
with Heidi Carter and Richard Olson. "These workshops will also bridge
relations between urban and rural communities and assist educators in
tackling tough land-use issues."
Workshops will be held in:
St. Charles, Illinois June 10-12
Traverse City, Michigan June 24-26
Ames, Iowa July 13-15
The Illinois workshop will have an urban flavor, with concurrent sessions
on managing conflict, building local partnerships, leading and
communicating, and watershed analysis. A tour of Blackberry Creek watershed
will include discussion on construction site erosion and a tour of the
Garfield Farm Museum.
Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay watershed project is one of the most
well-known in the U.S. Famous for its cherry orchards, northwestern Michigan
supports heavy tourist traffic year-round, becoming a prime example of
rural/urban relations. This workshop will include an introduction to the
partnership agreement process, Project Green Fields, an overview of the
Michigan Watershed Management short course, farm visits, a report on the
Michigan Land Use Forum, a session using decision cases, and a farm tour.
Participants traveling to Bear Creek watershed in Iowa will experience a
tour of the area, a comparative learning exercise, a discussion of
biological monitoring for water quality, a hands-on activity at a
reconstructed wetlands or a buffer initiative demonstration site, discussion
on food systems, and a session using decision cases. A post workshop tour is
scheduled at Dick Thompson's farm near Boone, Iowa.
"The North Central Region PDP workshops that I've attended have been highly
interactive and informative," said a past workshop participant. "Workshop
organizers bring diverse individuals together to discuss important issues
and learn practical skills that I can use at my job."
For more information, or to register to attend a workshop, contact Heidi
Carter, Education Coordinator, University of Nebraska, Center for
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, 402-472-0917 or csas007@unlvm.unl.edu.
SARE is a federal program supporting sustainable agriculture through
competitive grants and other educational endeavors. The PDP was created in
1994 to educate agricultural educators in sustainable systems and concepts.
This will be the fourth workshop series presented by SARE PDP's North
Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Training Program. The North Central
Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
###
***************************
Lisa Bauer
Communications Specialist
North Central Region SARE
13A Activities Bldg.
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583-0840
402-472-0265
402-472-0280 (fax)
sare003@unlvm.unl.edu
www.sare.org/ncrsare
***************************
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".