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Public Service Research Program

Photo: What's New

What's New

 

Field Science Educator Internship – Available Now

Description: Under general direction of WaterWays Coordinator, provide leadership for implementation of WaterWays, an outdoor education program (located at Lake Solano Regional Park) for upper elementary school students designed to build understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of Putah Creek and its natural, physical, and cultural resources. The program is an initiative of the Putah Creek Discovery Corridor Cooperative, an interagency partnership including UC Davis, dedicated to public outreach and education about our regional environmental resources. As part of the WaterWays team, deliver educational activities at outdoor field sites, classrooms, after school sites, and occasional family programs. Lead field station activities. Develop hands-on field station activities, teacher kits, classroom activities. Supervise and assist in training and recruiting student interns and volunteers. Participate in team reflection and conduct program evaluation. Transcript notation available; Internship units may be possible.

Qualifications: Experience in informal or outdoor education, interpretation, teaching youth, leading school tours, or participation in UCD informal science or environmental education course, program or internship. Background/coursework in biology, ecology, nature and culture, or related environmental sciences. Interest in engaging youth in understanding and appreciating the natural environment. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Excellent leadership and communication skills. Supervisory experience with volunteers. Requires car or willingness to car pool to site (20 miles). Must be available mornings (8 am -1 pm) on Tuesdays and/or Fridays (5-10 hours/week). Requires background check. CPR/first aid and Spanish language a plus.

Information: This is a paid internship for a UC Davis student at the $10.00/hour rate. Field Science Educator will work 5-10 hours a week from September - December 2007. Continuation through winter and spring quarter is likely.

To Apply: Send megan.harns@gmail.com a brief resume with a cover letter confirming your availability 8am - 1pm Tuesdays and/or Fridays. Describe your experience working with school-aged youth and volunteers in outdoor education settings and state why you are interested in the internship.

Outdoor Education (Volunteer) Internship – Available Now

Description: WaterWays is an outdoor education program (located at Lake Solano Regional Park) for upper elementary school students designed to build understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of Putah Creek and its natural, physical, and cultural resources. Under direction of WaterWays Coordinator and education staff, Interns assist in leading field site activities, occasional classroom and after school visits, and family programs. Interns help with field trip set up and take down and participate in team reflection sessions. Interns learn about age-appropriate standards-based environmental education as well as non-formal and community education methods. Opportunity to help design, develop, and test hands-on fun field station activities, learning kits, classroom activities, or family-oriented activities. Interns are encouraged to take on more responsibility as year progresses. Transcript notation available; Internship units may be possible.

Qualifications: Experience in informal or outdoor education, interpretation, teaching youth, or leading school tours. Some coursework or background in biology, ecology, nature and culture, or related environmental sciences. Interest and enthusiasm in engaging youth in understanding and appreciating the natural environment. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Requires car or willingness to car pool to site (20 miles). Must be available mornings (8 am -1 pm) on Tuesdays and/or Fridays (5-10 hours/week). May require background check. CPR/first aid and Spanish language a plus. Involves physical activity and some lifting.

Information: This is an unpaid internship (volunteer position). Undergraduate and graduate students and all majors are welcome. Outdoor Education Interns will work 5-10 hours a week from September - December 2007. Continuation through winter and spring quarter is likely.

To Apply: Email erevans@ucdavis.edu a brief resume with a cover letter confirming your availability 8am - 1pm Tuesdays and/or Fridays. Describe your experience working with school-aged youth in outdoor education settings and state why you are interested in the internship

Summer/Fall 2007: Creek Speak – Community Talks on the Putah Creek Watershed

Second Thursday of Every Month, 7 - 8 pm, Winters Community Center, 201 Railroad Ave., Winters

CREEK SPEAK is a series of community talks on nature, art, science and culture in the Putah Creek watershed held on the second Thursday of each month, June through November 2007, at the Winters Community Center located at 201 Railroad Avenue, in downtown Winters. Each talk will run approximately one hour from 7:00 to 8:00 pm with time for questions afterwards. The purpose of the Creek Speak series is to share knowledge about the natural and cultural resources of the Putah Creek watershed and to inspire audiences to actively explore the watershed we live in. Talks will be interactive and engaging and include information about associated events.

The series will kick off Thursday, June 14th, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm with "Putah Creek Rocks!!" a presentation from Dave Osleger, UC Davis geologist. He will talk about the unique geology of the area and answer such questions as: How was Putah Creek formed? What's under our feet and how old are those rocks?

  • June 14 - Putah Creek Rocks!! - Dave Osleger, UC Davis Geologist
  • July 12 - Hydrology of Putah Creek - Eric Larsen, UC Davis Geomorphologist
  • August 9 - Farming in our Watershed - Craig McNamara, Local Walnut Grower
  • September 13 - Building Monticello Dam - Don Burbey, Solano Project Senior Supervisor, Solano Irrigation District
  • October 11 - Berryessa Valley: A History - Mike McGraw, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  • November 8 - Return of the Salmon - Peter Moyle, UC Davis Fish Biologist

Sponsored by the UC Davis John Muir Institute of the Environment, Putah Creek Council, Putah Creek Discovery Corridor Cooperative, and City of Winters.

Beyond the Peripheral Canal: Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

April 24, 2007, Noon – 1:00 p.m.
MU II, Memorial Union
University of California, Davis

Californians rely on the Delta for the conveyance of drinking water, irrigation water, goods, natural gas and electricity. A breakdown of one or more Delta levees during flooding or an earthquake would potentially threaten services to 23 million residents. It appeared as though the government agencies sharing the burden of managing Delta resources were unable to agree on solutions that were acceptable to all the stakeholders.

This was the situation before the ‘Delta Futures’ report. An afternoon seminar on April 24 will feature UC Davis professor Jay Lund and five co-authors discussing their role as outside experts who collaborated to identify solutions to difficult Delta problems. After publishing their 300-page report in February, funded by the Public Policy Research Institute of California (PPIC), author Richard Howitt stated “We hope that we'll take the political hits and this will allow the (state) agencies -- the people who direct the agencies -- to allow their professionals to look at some of these alternatives." Added Lund: "It's our job at the university to come up with new ideas and new ways to think about things that are hopefully helpful."

Lund and the other authors acknowledge that the use of their report by Delta stakeholders has exceeded their expectations. Author Jeff Mount described the report as “the most significant document for policymakers to come out of the [UC Davis] Watershed Sciences Center over the last eight years.” Since its release, the authors have consulted with state lawmakers on pending legislation. They continue to devote their time to explaining long-term Delta scenarios and the implications of these solutions to water supply, environmental effects and economic costs.

Come hear the authors on April 24, 2007 from noon to 1:00 p.m. in MUII, at the Memorial Union, University of California, Davis.

Aditional Information

Report: Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Media Contacts

Jay R. Lund, Civil and Environmental Engineering, (530) 752-5671,
Sylvia Wright, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-7704,

About the Authors

William E. Fleenor is a professional research engineer in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Davis. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. After a career in engineering sales and marketing, he earned a master’s degree in environmental engineering from UC Davis and a Ph.D. in water resources. He has been involved with various hydrodynamic and water quality research projects involving the Delta and is currently the project manager for two CALFED Bay-Deltafunded water quality modeling efforts.

Ellen Hanak is a research fellow and director of the Economy Program at the Public Policy Institute of California. Her career has focused on the economics of natural resource management and agricultural development. At PPIC, she has launched a research program on water policy and has published reports and articles on water marketing, water and land use planning, and water conservation. Before joining PPIC in 2001, she held positions at the Center for Cooperation in International Agricultural Development in France, on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and at the World Bank. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland.

Richard E. Howitt is professor and department chair of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in resource economics, economic theory, and operations research. His current research interests include constructing disaggregated economic modeling methods based on maximum entropy estimators, testing the allocation of water resources by market mechanisms, and developing empirical dynamic stochastic methods to analyze changes in investments and institutions. He serves on advisory boards for the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Academy of Sciences.

Jay R. Lund is a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Davis. He specializes in the management of water and environmental systems. His activities have included system optimization studies for California, the Columbia River, the Missouri River, and several other systems—as well as studies of climate change adaptation, water marketing, water conservation, water utility planning, and reservoir operations. He was on the Advisory Committee for the 1998 and 2005 California Water Plan Updates, is a former editor of the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, and has authored or co-authored over 200 publications.

Jeffrey F. Mount is a professor in the Geology Department at the University of California, Davis, where he has worked since 1980. His research and teaching interests include fluvial geomorphology, conservation and restoration of large river systems, flood plain management, and flood policy. He holds the Roy Shlemon Chair in Applied Geosciences at UC Davis, is the director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, and chairs the CALFED Independent Science Board. He is author of California Rivers and Streams: The Conflict between Fluvial Process and Land Use (UC Press, 1995).

Peter B. Moyle has been studying the ecology and conservation of freshwater and estuarine fish in California since 1969 and has focused on the San Francisco Estuary since 1976. He was head of the Delta Native Fishes Recovery Team and a member of the Science Board for the CALFED Ecosystem Restoration Program. He has authored or coauthored over 160 scientific papers and five books, including Inland Fishes of California (UC Press, 2002). He is a professor of fish biology in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at the University of California, Davis, and is associate director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.

2007: Searching for Environmental Solutions: Challenging Issues, Scientific Investigations, and Policy Implications; Monthly Presentation Series

Tuesdays from 12 - 1 pm, 3201 Hart Hall, UC Davis Campus

The search for solutions to environmental problems involves finding ways to successfully link science with policy. This presentation series examines environmental issues that are of critical importance primarily in California, but which also have implications and applications to other regions. Over the course of the year, speakers will take a problem-focused approach. They will discuss current scientific findings, various tools that help us to deal with environmental problems, and potential applications of research to decision-making, management, and policy implementation. Our goal is to foster ongoing analysis of critical environmental issues and relevance to policy, as well as to demonstrate that solution-oriented research can make a difference.

  • Oct 10 - California Water Problems: Solution-Oriented Approaches - Jay Lund, JMIE & Civil & Environmental Enginerring
  • Nov 7 - Agricultural Effects on Water Quality in California – Michael Johnson, Director, Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis Laboratory
  • Dec 5 - Can We Keep Lake Tahoe Blue? – Geoff Schladow, Director, Tahoe Environmental Research Center
  • Jan 9 -Impact of Climate Variation and Change on Mosquitoes and the Viruses They Transmit - William Reisen, Center for Vector-Borne Disease Research
  • Feb 6 - Can Environmental Law Learn to Swim? The Challenges of Protecting and Restoring Aquatic Environments in California - Holly Doremus, School of Law
  • March 6 - Global Sustainability: The Dilemma of Scale - Deb Niemeier, Director, JMIE & Civil & Environmental Engineering
  • April 10 - Towards Environmental Health in the San Joaquin Valley – Kent Pinkerton, Director, Center for Health & Environment
  • May 8 - Wildlife Connectivity and Landscape Division by Roads and Highways - Fraser Shilling, Researcher, Environmental Science & Policy, Center for Road Ecology
  • June 5 - Challenges in Conserving Plant Diversity: Endemism, Urbanism, and Global Warming - Mark Schwartz, Environmental Science & Policy

Spring Quarter 2007 Environmental Education & Interpretation Group Internship

For information, to sign up, and get CRN #, contact Kelly, , Auditors & Graduate Students Welcome.

About the Internship: Join us leading outdoor education field trips in the Putah Creek watershed at Lake Solano Regional Park for 4th-6th grade school children. These experiences build knowledge and encourage water conservation and environmental stewardship in upper elementary school kids. Learn effective ways to share knowledge and the excitement of learning. Team with other students to design interactive activities for the field trips. Other options include helping develop our activity kits for classes, fieldtrips, and/or the general public. Have some evaluation experience? Help us with that too. Benefits include units, transcript notation, teamwork, career skills, and on-site experience working with youth.

Logistics and Requirements: Class meets Fridays 2-4 pm. Field trips take place on Tuesdays and Fridays 9 am – 12 noon. Attendance is required for all class sessions and any 4 field trips. Car pooling and reimbursement for mileage is arranged. A short reflective paper is also required. Receive 2 units of EDU 192 or EDU 92. Transcript notation is available. More units available for more work. (1 unit = 30 hrs/qtr). No formal training is required and all majors are welcome.

Future Opportunities: Our Outdoor Ed program continues year-round reaching school children, families, and the general public. You can continue with us for units or as a volunteer.