Colorado State University

Three scholars and policymakers from a leading Chinese university visited the Colorado State University campus, Extension locations in the Denver metropolitan area and in the Western slope, and Morgan County's Quail Ridge Dairy. They are learning about CSU Extension programs--their visit to the dairy was to learn how Extension works with the dairy industry to support and advance production there. “CSU is honored to be a partner in this initiative to advance a pragmatic and nationally scalable model for university-based Extension in China, which includes more effective and efficient transfer of agriculture and food system technologies,”  said Lou Swanson, CSU Vice President for Engagement and CSU Extension director. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is looking into starting its own Extension program in China, where university-based Extension programs are uncommon.The scholars and policymakers were touring the dairy as part of trip to Colorado that is intended to help them learn about the functioning and practices of the CSU Extension program in the state.  The representatives came to Colorado through a partnership between Chinese and American universities that includes CSU and is intended to promote such educational visits and other collaborations. The Fort Morgan Times covered the visit to the Eastern Plains. Read their feature story.

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The Colorado 4-H Foundation has announced the recipients of 51 college scholarships for the 2017 academic year.

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Note to Reporters: Experts at Colorado State University can talk about a wide variety of summer subjects, from weather and wildfire to plant care and water science. The resources listed below are for reporter use only and not intended for publication. Lawns, flowers, plants, organic agriculture Tony Koski, professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Extension Turfgrass Specialist Irrigation management for lawns, amending soils to promote water conservation, lawn fertilizers, weed control methods and turfgrass management techniques. Media contact: Joanne Littlefield joanne.littlefield@colostate.edu, 970-491-4640 Jim Klett, professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Extension Landscape Horticulturist Landscape plant material identification, culture and care, annuals, perennials and woody plants of the Rocky Mountain and High Plains areas. Klett is coordinator of CSU’s Flower Trial Gardens, the largest flower test garden in the state and one of the five largest in the United States. He also coordinates several state and regional programs including Plant Select and PlantTalk Colorado. Media contact: Joanne Littlefield joanne.littlefield@colostate.edu, 970-491-4640 Blake Osborn, Extension Water Resources Specialist The Lawn Irrigation Self Audit (LISA) program, home irrigation systems, water management of the Arkansas and Rio Grande Basins, groundwater hydrology, rainwater harvesting, water education and outreach. Media contact: Joanne Littlefield joanne.littlefield@colostate.edu, 970-491-4640 Mark Uchanski, assistant professor of Horticulture, Specialty Crops in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Sustainable and organic agriculture, small farms and local vegetable production, high tunnel production. Media contact: Jennifer Dimas jennifer.dimas@colostate.edu, 970-491-1543 PlantTalk Colorado PlantTalk Colorado is an online resource offering step-by-step gardening advice. Tips from the PlantTalk team are constantly being reviewed and updated; new information is added monthly. The experts on the team include horticulturalists from Colorado State University Extension, the Denver Botanic Gardens and GreenCo. The reliable and timely information (more than 600 topics) includes everything from lawn landscape care to insect and plant disease problems. Media contact: Joanne Littlefield joanne.littlefield@colostate.edu, 970-491-4640 Master Gardener program Many CSU Extension offices have volunteer Colorado Master Gardeners available throughout the summer to answer local gardening questions. Projects include public educational classes, telephone, email and walk-in assistance, field visits, youth and community garden education, blog-writing, television, radio and pod casts, farmer’s markets and educational booths. Visit extension.colostate.edu to find local Extension offices. Mary Small if the statewide master gardener coordinator and can be reached at Mary.Small@colostate.edu. Media contact: Joanne Littlefield joanne.littlefield@colostate.edu, 970-491-4640 Forest and tree health Mike Lester, state forester and director, Colorado State Forest Service Statewide forest management approaches, processes and strategy. Media contact: Ryan Lockwood ryan.lockwood@colostate.edu, (970) 491-8970 Diana Selby, state lands program manager, Colorado State Forest Service Forest health and general forest management. Media contact: Ryan Lockwood ryan.lockwood@colostate.edu, (970) 491-8970 Keith Wood, community forestry program manager, Colorado State Forest Service Planting and care of urban and suburban trees, emerald ash borer and other threats to urban and community forests. Media contact: Ryan Lockwood ryan.lockwood@colostate.edu, (970) 491-8970 West Nile, Zika, mosquito-borne viruses, and insects Greg Ebel, associate professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology and director, Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory How virus population biology for West Nile, Zika and other viruses influence the abilities of that virus to be transmitted by arthropod vectors, to cause disease and to emerge as significant health threats. Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Brian Foy, associate professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Vectors and vector-borne pathogens, current research focus in defining concepts that govern blood meal acquisition and digestion by vectors, and parasite and arbovirus transmission from vertebrates to vectors (and vice versa). Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Rebekah Kading, assistant professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Research on bats in Uganda (origin of Zika virus) with eye towards what might be the next Zika virus, expert knowledge in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus behavior, including feeding patterns, prevalence in various parts of the world and where these mosquitos live and breed. Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892  Whitney Cranshaw, professor of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management and Extension Entomology Specialist Miller moths, bees, yellowjackets, aphids, mites and variety of other insects. Media contact: Jennifer Dimas jennifer.dimas@colostate.edu, 970-491-1543 Boris Kondratieff, professor of Entomology, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management and director of the C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity Insect identification, aquatic insects, forensic entomology, and variety of other insects. Media contact: Jennifer Dimas jennifer.dimas@colostate.edu, 970-491-1543 Drought Reagan Waskom, director of the Colorado Water Institute and the CSU Water Center Drought impacts, water conservation, Colorado water uses and needs, agricultural water use, water quality, Colorado water law, administration and policy, irrigation water optimization in water-limited environments, conjunctive management of surface and ground water, evaluation of municipal water conservation programs, development of best management practices for crop production and evaluation of groundwater vulnerability and sensitivity to contamination. Media contact: Jennifer Dimas jennifer.dimas@colostate.edu, 970-491-1543 Becky Bolinger, Climatologist/Drought specialist, Colorado Climate Center U.S. Drought Monitor, drought conditions in upper Colorado River basin. Media contact: Anne Manning, anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Neil Grigg, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Colorado’s water history, drought management, risk assessment of water systems, water quality, government water resources planning, Western water management, water system infrastructure engineering, flood control, urban water systems management. Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Jorge Ramirez, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Global hydrology and climate change, soil moisture and vegetation, runoff, river basin geomorphology, optimal irrigation scheduling, water resource systems optimization. Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Jose Chavez, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Precision irrigation, crop/vegetation water consumptive use, drainage and wetlands engineering. Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Sustainable water resources management Sybil Sharvelle, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Urban water management, building-scale water recycling, graywater recycling, wastewater discharges and their impacts on reservoirs, estuaries and streams Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Mazdak Arabi, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sustainable water resources management, impact of anthropogenic activities on land use, agriculture and watersheds, watershed management Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 John Labadie, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Using mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence to solve complex water resources management issues Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Wildfire behavior, mitigation, restoration Chad Hoffman, assistant professor in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Fire behavior and modeling, fuels management and wildfire hazard and risk reduction, disturbance ecology, fire and bark beetle interactions, fire and forest pathogen interactions. Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Brett Wolk, assistant director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute Strategies and challenges associated with managing forests and forest fires in Colorado and across the Western U.S., how organizations and individuals address forest and wildfire threats, from national-level policy to local community wildfire mitigation and forest restoration efforts. Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Lisa Mason, outreach forester/fire mitigation education coordinator (acting), Colorado State Forest Service Wildfire mitigation, fire ecology, Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal, protecting homes and property from wildfires, assisting mountain/rural landowners with their forests and trees. Media contact: Ryan Lockwood ryan.lockwood@colostate.edu, (970) 491-8970 Mark Paschke, professor and associate dean in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Post-fire restoration ecology and re-growth. Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Steven Fassnacht, professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Snowmelt, run-off and stream flow, mountain snow characteristics across various portions of the Colorado River basin. Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Disaster planning and risk assessment John van de Lindt, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Community resilience, disaster planning, rapid recovery from hazards like flood or fire, reducing seismic risk in buildings, earthquake simulation and testing, tornado and hurricane damage. Media contact: Anne Manning anne.manning@colostate.edu, 970-491-7099 Protecting pets, horses and livestock, including emergency preparedness Ragan Adams, veterinarian in the Department of Clinical Sciences Animal disaster response planning in the context of general emergency preparedness on personal and community levels Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Luke Bass, veterinarian, equine services and Department of Clinical Sciences How temperatures in the summer can affect horses, West Nile virus effects on horses Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892 Rebecca Ruch-Gallie, veterinarian and assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences How temperatures in the summer can affect dogs, cats and other pets; the effects of wildfire smoke on pets Media contact: Mary Guiden mary.guiden@colostate.edu, 970-491-6892

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Some simple commonsense practices will keep these summer months filled with joyful memories and avoid an unpleasant hazard of poultry ownership.

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A new app helps quickly ascertain whether a tree may be a potential target for the emerald ash borer.

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Topics of interest to Front Range gardeners are the focus of the 2017 Twilight Garden Series, which will feature three informative presentations this month: “Celebrating Native Plants,” “Promoting Pollinators” and “Bringing the Trial Gardens Home.”

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Rain in the area, and proactive actions of local ranchers, have led to the slow beginning of recovery. Over 32,000 acres were impacted in the March wildfire in NE Colorado.

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Colorado State University Extension recently received the 2017 Priester Community Award Winner for their program, Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI).

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Colorado Native Plant Master program increase their knowledge with on-the-ground learning opportunities.

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Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner today announced that CSU has received $499,420 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct the first national evaluation of the Farm to School program.

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