Cornell Applied Research and Extension Program Councils and Work Teams

The active PWTs below requested additional “special needs” support of $1000 from CCE. Their submitted proposals (see summaries below) were reviewed and approved for funding.

4-H Youth/Science & Technology Teach of the following 4-H Districts: North Central; Western/Finger Lakes; South East and Capital will be provided with travel and mileage incentives for campus outreach staff to come to a District training meeting.

Integrated Nutrient Management To provide support for PWT sponsored meetings and workshops for out of town stakeholders and video conference expenses and reimbursements for international and out-of-state visitors/speakers.

Community Horticulture To help with supplies, materials, food, travel costs, and other expenses associated with bringing up to 75 county educators to Cornell campus for a one-day conference on program planning, evaluation and grant writing in garden-based learning. This type of professional development opportunity for CCE educators is likely not available elsewhere.

Ag Community Economic Development To cover speaker fees and accommodations for two, full-day agriculture economic development workshops targeted at extension educators, economic developers and planners, farmers, USDA rural development professionals, and others working within communities to simultaneously strengthen those communities and their food and agriculture system.

Ag Marketing & Business Management Support for the 2007 work plan to develop training and publication materials for extension educators at the Strategic Marketing In-Service training, update and enhance the PWT website and to support PWT member meeting and conference call expenses.

Youth Community Action To support the re-design and development of the Youth CAN Explorer website and create a “virtual classroom” for YCA by linking the Youth CAN Explorer to DREAMNOW.ca. This collaboration will result in an engaging, innovative and high tech vehicle for youth and adults to work through the seven-step YCA process.

Community and Economic Renewal For developing the pilot training modules, videoconferencing, creating a web-based training module, travel, and other costs associated with training individuals and communities in the use and interpretation of key socio-demographic data and indicators.

Soil Health The preparation of a colored and illustrated soil health-training manual has been completed. The manual will be posted on the soil health website. One hundred hard copies will be printed and distributed to extension educators, consultants and other selected agricultural service providers as well as to all soil health workshop participants.

Community Forestry To offset the travel expenses associated with supporting the Student Weekend Arborist Team ( SWAT) program in its increasingly regional efforts in New York State. The hope is to expand the program to the eastern part of the state while continuing efforts in central NY and far western parts of the state.

Greenhouse Horticulture Pay for monthly conference calls that serve as planning and informational meetings of the PWT and include faculty, county CCE educators, NYS IPM staff, and stakeholders who want to participate, and for specific conference calls that serve to disseminate and discuss 2006 research information among the PWT members. Also to defray some costs associated with the two annual meetings of the full PWT.

Community Based Biodiversity and Habitat Conservation Funds will be used to support two workshops on “Best Management Practices for Vernal Pools” for foresters and loggers in DEC Regions 6, 7 and 8. Foresters and loggers are an important target audience with great capacity to move vernal pool conservation forward in New York State.

Organic Production & Marketing Funds will support two ‘Organic at Cornell’ conferences, to highlight PWT research and extension activities. The ‘Organic at Cornell’ summary that shares information on current research, extension and teaching efforts in CALS/CHE will be updated.

Small Farms Funds will be used to support three PWT meetings: hosting a statewide Small Farms Conference to highlight PWT accomplishments and future plans for stakeholders; and to assist two farmer focus groups to further understand processing needs of small scale meat producers.

Landscape Horticulture Funds are used to defray the cost of travel to Ithaca for county extension educators in to facilitate attendance at the Turf and Ornamentals Field Day and the annual Landscape Horticulture PWT meeting.

Parenting Education To complete and analyze data from an evaluation tool designed to collect data across all CCE parenting programs in New York and to support efforts to pilot the Strengthening Families curriculum in nine counties, by funding either an additional day at the June 2007 PWT meeting or a videoconference.

Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation The funds will be used to purchase materials and postage to produce schematics of renewable energy and energy conservation systems and to provide materials such as posters and mailings for outreach.