Solution-oriented research and engagement address community issues.
Community-Based Environmental Projects
Developed through the Community Liaison Program, community-based environmental projects link UC Davis graduate student Liaisons with community members to address environmental issues and solve local environmental problems. Projects consist of collaborations among students, community members and groups, local city and agency partners, organizations and schools, and faculty and other university partners. The resulting collaborations develop leadership capacity and civic and environmental engagement skills for both students and community members.
Our community-based environmental projects link with university faculty research and research centers and facilitate graduate student PhD and Masters level research. Liaisons work on projects that address creek restoration, place-based identity, environmental justice, natural resource protection, regional growth and development, land use changes, community design, watershed health and conservation, air quality, and environmental and human health. Some techniques for engaging with community members include public education, community science, community mapping, and participatory research.
Our service area is primarily with communities located in California, and most are in Solano, Yolo, and Sacramento Counties, although some projects take us farther. We work with adults and/or youth in communities of all socio-economic status, with a special focus on those communities with disadvantaged youth and/or environmental justice issues. New projects are identified through personal and institutional networks, community partnerships, and through examining assets and needs of regional communities.
Projects are presented by broad category, geography, and the central theme which Liaisons and the particular communities address. Watch for changes over the year. Liaisons will be updating their project descriptions as events unfold, and new projects will be added too.
Watershed Health and Restoration
- Putah Creek -
Winters, Yolo County
Community participation in restoration activities - Laguna Creek
- Elk Grove, Sacramento County
Urban runoff practices affect watershed health - Ulatis Creek
- Vacaville, Solano County
The creek meanders through downtown - Truckee & Clavey
Rivers - Sierra Watersheds
Getting scientific data and analysis into local decision-making
Environmental Health - Environmental Justice
- Parlier, Rural San
Joaquin Valley
Agricultural practices affect air quality and health
Place-based Identity and Land Use Changes
- Knights Landing,
Yolo County
Youth create a mural about their place - Elk Grove, Sacramento
County
Survival of rural character in a fast growing city - Beatty, Nye County, Nevada
From a former mining town to a sustainable community?