Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Our audience includes researchers and extension professionals throughout the west, policy makers and the residents of rural communities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?EXTENSION SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT The Center's staff invested a good deal of effort during 2015 toward developing and coordinating the 2016 Extension Sustainability Summit (ESS). Held in Portland, Oregon, April 5-7, 2016, the Summit is designed to engage Extension faculty, agents, and professionals in a robust dialogue about the Extension sustainability outreach efforts currently offered, to identify needed areas of outreach and professionaldevelopment, and help shape a national strategic plan on sustainability. The Summit offered over 20 interactive sessions organized around the five themes of sustainability: Air/Climate, Energy, Food, Land, and Water. Detailed information will be provided in the 2016 Annual Report. In the meantime, visit the Extension Sustainability Summit website to view the schedule and presentations - wrdc.usu.edu/htm/programs/ess2016. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EXTENSION INSTITUTE Back by popular demand, the Community Development Extension Institute (CDEI) will be held May 22-25 in Jackson, Wyoming. The Center's staff was hard at work in 2015 coordinating with the planning committee to develop this packed-full-of-valuable-learning-opportunities training! ?The Community Development Extension Institute is designed by Extension professionals for Extension and other agency personnel who find themselves working with communities. The Institute offers Basic and Advanced Skill-Building Sessions, plus Best Practices Sessions on community development programming. All sessions are led by experienced trainers and presenters. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Publications: Briefs, Rural Connections, and RC Monthly The WRDC may periodically publish briefs written by its Fellows and regional Extension researchers/professionals on topics relevant to the rural West. Rural Connections is a magazine published? twice each year by the WRDC. RC Monthly is the Center's monthly electronic newsletter. All three publications serve to inform the nation about research and activities relating to issues affecting the rural West. June 2015 - Extension in the West: Team Builders In this issue of Rural Connections, Western Extension Agents, Faculty, and Specialists share exceptional programs on significant issues that include small business development, local and regional foods, agriculture water conservation, wildfire preparedness, and renewable energy. National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center (NARDeP) The Western Rural Development Center along with is three sister centers - the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and the Southern Rural Development Center -received NIFA/AFRI funding to form the National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center. Known as NARDeP, the policy center serves to develop and deliver timely policy-relevant information on areas identified by its Advisory Board. Since its inception, NARDeP has funded evidence-based publications including 19 policy briefs, three data briefs, and five working papers. In 2014, NARDeP will be publishing a policy brief series on oil and gas development along with briefs onsage-grouse, California's water scarcity, and the jobs outlook in the U.S. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Small Business Innovation Research Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program The Western Rural Development Center, in collaboration with its sister centers and USDA NIFA, is developing and coordinating the Small Business Innovation Research Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program. The Small Business Innovation Research Program at USDA provides unique opportunities for the nation's small businesses to apply for and receive federal monies for research and development to support high quality, advanced concepts related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture and other endeavors that could lead to significant public benefits. The greatest impediment to the SBIR program having even greater impact seems to be a lack of awareness of the program by those eligible and qualified to apply for funding, especially minority-owned and women-owned businesses and businesses in underserved states. Area Sector Analysis Process The Area Sector Analysis Process (ASAP) is a Western Rural Development Center project that has been developed and implemented by western Extension agents and specialists. Over the years it has received significant seed funding and staff support from the Western Rural Development Center. ASAP continues to receive the Center's support as the WRDC staff serve as members of a current AFRI-funded ASAP project and provide ongoing coordination for its meetings, trainings, branding, and material design. Community Development Fellows Program The purpose of the Western Rural Development Center Community Development Fellows Program (CDFP) is to advance applied community development at land-grant colleges and universities, and other organizations and institutions with an interest in the rural areas of the western region. Workshops and Trainings ?The Western Rural Development Center will organize workshops and trainings for Agricultural Experiment Stations (AES), Cooperative Extension, and other professionals in its continued efforts to build Extension's regional capacity. These workshops will focus on topics considered to be important by the Center's Director, Community Development Fellows, and Board of Directors, along with the Western Extension Directors Association (WEDA), Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD), the Western Regional Program Leadership Committee, and others. WEDA and WAAESD will assist the Western Rural Development Center in promoting these events with relevant professionals. Registration fees will be charged to cover training-related expenses and the success of each training and workshop will depend on Directors providing funds to cover participation, supporting and encouraging their staff's involvement, and assisting with event promotion. Trainings in development include: Extension Sustainability Summit 2018 Dates: TBD 2018 Location: TBD - as of April 2016 we are considering Florida Committee Chair: Roslynn Brain, Utah State University Extension The Extension Sustainability Summit wasfirst offered in 2013 and attendees have requested it be offered every other year. The second Summit was held in 2016 with plans to make it an official national event beginning in 2018. Designed by Extension educators, for Extension educators, to assess what major environmental sustainability programs are currently being delivered through Cooperative Extension, and to develop a national strategic plan for Extension sustainability outreach efforts. The Summit focuses on five thematic areas: Land, Air/Climate, Water, Food, and Energy. Rural Housing and Climate Change Book Projects Two book projects will be completed in FY 2017. Each involves assembling experts from throughout the nation on issues that are of significant concern to Rural Americans. These experts will then write chapters for a book and a policy brief that will provide cutting edge research or describe successful outreach programs and then suggest policy alternatives to address complex issues. The two books and editors for each are: Rural Housing - Edited by Don Albrecht, Scott Loveridge, Stephan Goetz, and Rachel Welborn Local Adaptation of Climate Change - Edited by Paul Lachapelle and Don AlbrechtObjectives - Two books will be published on issues of significant concern to the residents of Rural America: Rural Housing and Local Adaptation to Climate Change. The books will bring together cutting edge research, successful outreach programs, and policy suggestions to help address these issues. Regional Community Health Specialists (CAPE Phase II) The Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation (CAPE) is a joint project of the Regional Rural Development Centers. Spearheaded by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, CAPE is dedicated to identifying and sharing best practices for benchmarking community behavioral health. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and facilitated by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the purpose of CAPE is to explore ways in which communities currently gain information on behavioral health, to discover what datasets exist, and to work with pilot communities to enhance access to needed information. Phase II has been funded and started. Phase II focuses on implementing locally-based, early warning systems in two categories: Innovation Communities and Barometer Communities. The western communities selected for Phase II from a competitive call for proposals are Dona Ana County, New Mexico and Kauai, Hawaii. Local Foods Resource Mapping Project The Local Foods Resource Mapping Project is designed to improve the understanding of state food system barriers and opportunities in the selected states drawing on a wealth of existing data sources. Led by our sister center, the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the project's main goal is to develop web-enabled directories and maps of food systems in the project's states. The Western Rural Development Center's contribution to the project includes coordinating with the two project states in the West: Alaska and Arizona. WRDC-NACDEP Regional Webinars ?The Western Rural Development Center and National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Western Region are collaborating to present webinars designed to provide educational and professional development opportunities throughout the year. The Western Rural Development Center promotes and facilitates the webinars that are coordinated by the NACDEP Western Region Representative (currently Roslynn Brain, Utah State University). The webinar recordings may be accessed from the website: wrdc.usu.edu/htm/webinars
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM The purpose of a WRDC Community Development Fellows Program (CDFP) is to advance applied community development at land-grant universities and other organizations and institutions with an interest in the rural areas of the western region. FELLOWS: Marion Bentley, Utah State University Extension Buddy Borden, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Steve Daniels, Utah State University Kathryn Dodge, University of Alaska Fairbanks Jody Gale, Utah State University Extension Thomas Harris, University of Nevada, Reno Mary Martin, University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension J. Michael Patrick, New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension L. Steven Smutko, University of Wyoming ASAP TRAINING CURRICULUM The Western Rural Development Center's Area Sector Analysis Process (ASAP) team has been busy taking their on-the-ground work and developing train-the-trainer materials for use by Extension. ASAPwas designed by Extension Specialists and Agents for Extension to use in collaboration with community leaders in targeted, sustainable economic development and has already been successfully applied to several communities across the region in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. The team has been developing the ASAP curriculum, while at the same time, piloting it in Wayne County, Utah. Excitingly, additional pilot communities have joined the project and include: -A six-county collaboration in Wayne, Grand, Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Millard, and Piute Counties, Utah -Cibola County, New Mexico -Valley County, Idaho ASAP assists communities in targeted, sustainable economic development by identifying: 1.Community goals and priorities for economic development 2.Community assets that will help achieve the community's goals and priorities 3.Industry needs and factors important for locating their operations in a community 4.Businesses that are consistent with the community's goals and priorities AG MAREKTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT The Agricultural Marketing Service Technical Assistance Project (AMSTA) shares knowledge through in-person grant writing workshops, as well as additional tools and materials provided through the AMSTA website. Workshops focus on effective grant-writing practices, with an emphasis on USDA's Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs. This national project relied on the Cooperative Extension network to identify experts for the project who then developed and delivered the training curriculum in all 50 states. For project details, visit amsta.net AMSTA OBJECTIVES 1.Make local foods grant-writing training widely available to interested parties. 2.Reduce the time and effort required to apply for USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program grants. 3.Prepare successful applicants to manage their awards. AMSTA OUTCOMES -137 Training Sessions delivered -3,000 participants -At least one training in each of the 50 states, plus Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands -33 percent of participants were minority -66 percent were female WESTERN EXTENSION AMSTA PROJECT TRAINERS Alaska -Stephen Brown Arizona -Trent Teegerstrom California -Jennifer Sowerwine Colorado -Dawn Thilmany Hawaii -Stuart Nakamoto Idaho -Cinda Williams Montana -George Haynes Nevada -Carol Bishop New Mexico -J. Michael Patrick Oregon -Maud Powell Utah -Kynda Curtis and Ruby Ward Washington -Marcia Ostrom and Colleen Donovan Wyoming Jennifer Thompson LOCAL FOODS RESOURCE MAPPING PROJECT The Local Foods Resource Mapping Project is designed to improve the understanding of state food system barriers and opportunities in the selected states drawing on a wealth of existing data sources. Led by our sister center the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the project's main goal is to develop web-enabled directories and maps of food systems in the project's states. The Western Rural Development Center's contribution to the project includes coordinating with the two project states in the West: Alaska and Arizona. LOCAL FOODS RESOURCE MAPPING PROJECT STATES Alaska Arkansas Arizona Kentucky Mississippi North Carolina LOCAL FOODS RESOURCE MAPPING PROJECT PARTNERS IN THE WEST Alaska - Stephen Brown Arizona - Trent Teegerstrom STRONGER ECONOMIES TOGETHER Stronger Economies Together (SET) enables communities and countries in rural America to work together in developing and implementing an economic development blueprint for their multi-county region that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of that region. This ongoing program is led by out sister center at the Southern Rural Development Center and funded by USDA Rural Development. Visit the SET website for details: srdc.msstate.edu/set The Wester Rural Development Center is providing SET with: - Input evaluation data from the SET Phase V regions completed surveys - Summary findings from the SET Coaches' summary reports - Ripple Mapping Comparisons - Quarterly reports of preliminary results from the various SET sessions REGIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH SPECIALISTS Regional Community Health Specialists is the second phase of the Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation. This project is an effort to engage communities to develop and test innovative, low-cost, replicable community-level early warning systems for mental health and substance abuse issues. The Western Rural Development Center's Don Albrecht serves as the Regional Specialist for the West and Betsy Newman serves as the project's web and graphic designer. Albrecht's role is to oversee and evaluate the community programs that have been funded. WESTERN REGIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE The The Center's Western Regional Coordinating Committee, "Addressing the Rural Development Concerns of the Rural West," is a Western Education and Extension Research Activity that provides an opportunity to bring Extension professionals, faculty, researchers, community leaders, and policy makers together to better understand these issues and develop programs to address them. The committee held their annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona, in February 2015. WERA REGIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES The WERA Regional Coordinating Committee works together to: 1.Develop funding proposals to conduct research to better understand the critical rural development concerns described in the Center's strategic plan. Research results will be published in professional journals, policy briefs, WRDC publications, and through other means. 2.Initiate appropriate and needed educational and training programs and deliver these programs via direct training, webinars, policy briefs or other means to community residents and leaders, Extension personnel and others. 3.Make informed policy recommendations based on research findings and communication with community leaders. 2015 WERA COMMITTEE MEMBERS Joyce Alves, Apache County Cooperative Extension Mark Apel, Cochise County Cooperative Extension Marion Bentley, Utah State University Extension Yong Chen, Oregon State University Roger Coupal, University of Wyoming Wes Curtis, Southern Utah University Lorie Higgins, University of Idaho Extension Ashley Kerna, University of Arizona Julie Suhr Pierce, U.S. DOI Bureau of Land Management
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience includes researchers and extension professionals throughout the West, policy makers and the residents of rural communities. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?EXTENSION SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT The Center's staff invested a good deal of effort during 2015 toward developing and coordinating the 2016 Extension Sustainability Summit (ESS). Held in Portland, Oregon, April 5-7, 2016, the Summit is designed to engage Extension faculty, agents, and professionals in a robust dialogue about the Extension sustainability outreach efforts currently offered, to identify needed areas of outreach and professional development, and help shape a national strategic plan on sustainability. The Summit offered over 20 interactive sessions organized around the five themes of sustainability: Air/Climate, Energy, Food, Land, and Water. Detailed information will be provided in the 2016 Annual Report. In the meantime, visit the Extension Sustainability Summit website to view the schedule and presentations - wrdc.usu.edu/htm/programs/ess2016. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EXTENSION INSTITUTE Back by popular demand, the Community Development Extension Institute (CDEI) will be held May 22-25 in Jackson, Wyoming. The Center's staff was hard at work in 2015 coordinating with the planning committee to develop this packed-full-of-valuable-learning-opportunities training! The Community Development Extension Institute is designed by Extension professionals for Extension and other agency personnel who find themselves working with communities. The Institute offers Basic and Advanced Skill-Building Sessions, plus Best Practices Sessions on community development programming. All sessions are led by experienced trainers andpresenters. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Publications: Briefs, Rural Connections, and RC Monthly The WRDC may periodically publish briefs written by its Fellows and regional Extension researchers/professionals on topics relevant to the rural West. Rural Connections is a magazine published? twice each year by the WRDC. RC Monthly is the Center's monthly electronic newsletter. All three publications serve to inform the nation about research and activities relating to issues affecting the rural West. June 2015 - Extension in the West: Team Builders In this issue of Rural Connections, Western Extension Agents, Faculty, and Specialists share exceptional programs on significant issues that include small business development, local and regional foods, agriculture water conservation, wildfire preparedness, and renewable energy. National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center (NARDeP) The Western Rural Development Center along with is three sister centers - the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and the Southern Rural Development Center -received NIFA/AFRI funding to form the National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center. Known as NARDeP, the policy center serves to develop and deliver timely policy-relevant information on areas identified by its Advisory Board. Since its inception, NARDeP has funded evidence-based publications including 19 policy briefs, three data briefs, and five working papers. In 2014, NARDeP will be publishing a policy brief series on oil and gas development along with briefs on sage-grouse, California's water scarcity, and the jobs outlook in the U.S. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Small Business Innovation Research Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program The Western Rural Development Center, in collaboration with its sister centers and USDA NIFA, is developing and coordinating the Small Business Innovation Research Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program. The Small Business Innovation Research Program at USDA provides unique opportunities for the nation's small businesses to apply for and receive federal monies for research and development to support high quality, advanced concepts related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture and other endeavors that could lead to significant public benefits. The greatest impediment to the SBIR program having even greater impact seems to be a lack of awareness of the program by those eligible and qualified to apply for funding, especially minority-owned and women-owned businesses and businesses in underserved states. Area Sector Analysis Process The Area Sector Analysis Process (ASAP) is a Western Rural Development Center project that has been developed and implemented by western Extension agents and specialists. Over the years it has received significant seed funding and staff support from the Western Rural Development Center. ASAP continues to receive the Center's support as the WRDC staff serve as members of a current AFRI-funded ASAP project and provide ongoing coordination for its meetings, trainings, branding, and material design. Community Development Fellows Program The purpose of the Western Rural Development Center Community Development Fellows Program (CDFP) is to advance applied community development at land-grant colleges and universities, and other organizations and institutions with an interest in the rural areas of the western region. Workshops and Trainings The Western Rural Development Center will organize workshops and trainings for Agricultural Experiment Stations (AES), Cooperative Extension, and other professionals in its continued efforts to build Extension's regional capacity. These workshops will focus on topics considered to be important by the Center's Director, Community Development Fellows, and Board of Directors, along with the Western Extension Directors Association (WEDA), Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD), the Western Regional Program Leadership Committee, and others. WEDA and WAAESD will assist the Western Rural Development Center in promoting these events with relevant professionals. Registration fees will be charged to cover training-related expenses and the success of each training and workshop will depend on Directors providing funds to cover participation, supporting and encouraging their staff's involvement, and assisting with event promotion. Trainings in development include: Extension Sustainability Summit 2018 Dates: TBD 2018 Location: TBD - as of April 2016 we are considering Florida Committee Chair: Roslynn Brain, Utah State University Extension The Extension Sustainability Summit was first offered in 2013 and attendees have requested it be offered every other year.The second Summit was held in 2016 with plans to make it an official national event beginning in 2018. Designed by Extension educators, for Extension educators, to assess what major environmental sustainability programs are currently being delivered through Cooperative Extension, and to develop a national strategic plan for Extension sustainability outreach efforts. The Summit focuses on five thematic areas: Land, Air/Climate, Water, Food, and Energy. Rural Housing and Climate Change Book Projects Two book projects will be completed in FY 2017. Each involves assembling experts from throughout the nation on issues that are of significant concern to Rural Americans. These experts will then write chapters for a book and a policy brief that will provide cutting edge research or describe successful outreach programs and then suggest policy alternatives to address complex issues. The two books and editors for each are: 1.Rural Housing - Edited by Don Albrecht, Scott Loveridge, Stephan Goetz, and Rachel Welborn 2.Local Adaptation of Climate Change - Edited by Paul Lachapelle and Don AlbrechtObjectives - Two books will bepublished on issues of significant concern to the residents of Rural America: Rural Housing and Local Adaptation to Climate Change. The books will bring together cutting edge research, successful outreach programs, and policy suggestions to help address these issues. Regional Community Health Specialists (CAPE Phase II) The Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation (CAPE) is a joint project of the Regional Rural Development Centers. Spearheaded by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, CAPE is dedicated to identifying and sharing best practices for benchmarking community behavioral health. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and facilitated by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the purpose of CAPE is to explore ways in which communities currently gain information on behavioral health, to discover what datasets exist, and to work with pilot communities to enhance access to needed information. Phase II has been funded and started. Phase II focuses on implementing locally-based, early warning systems in two categories: Innovation Communities and Barometer Communities. The western communities selected for Phase II from a competitive call for proposals are Dona Ana County, New Mexico and Kauai, Hawaii. Local Foods Resource Mapping Project The Local Foods Resource Mapping Project is designed to improve the understanding of state food system barriers and opportunities in the selected states drawing on a wealth of existing data sources. Led by our sister center, the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the project's main goal is to develop web-enabled directories and maps of foodsystems in the project's states. The Western Rural Development Center's contribution to the project includes coordinating with the two project states in the West: Alaska and Arizona. WRDC-NACDEP Regional Webinars The Western Rural Development Center and National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Western Region are collaborating to present webinars designed to provide educational and professional development opportunities throughout the year. The Western Rural Development Center promotes and facilitates the webinars that are coordinated by the NACDEP Western Region Representative (currently Roslynn Brain, Utah State University). The webinar recordings may be accessed from the website: wrdc.usu.edu/htm/webinars
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM The purpose of a WRDC Community Development Fellows Program (CDFP) is to advance applied community development at land-grant universities and other organizations and institutions with an interest in the rural areas of the western region. FELLOWS: Marion Bentley, Utah State University Extension Buddy Borden, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Steve Daniels, Utah State University Kathryn Dodge, University of Alaska Fairbanks Jody Gale, Utah State University Extension Thomas Harris, University of Nevada, Reno Mary Martin, University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension J. Michael Patrick, New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension L. Steven Smutko, University of Wyoming ASAP TRAINING CURRICULUM The Western Rural Development Center's Area Sector Analysis Process (ASAP) team has been busy taking their on-the-ground work and developing train-the-trainer materials for use by Extension. ASAP was designed by Extension Specialistsand Agents for Extension to use in collaboration with community leaders in targeted, sustainable economic development and has already been successfully applied to several communities across the region in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. The team has been developing the ASAP curriculum, while at the same time, piloting it in Wayne County, Utah. Excitingly, additional pilot communities have joined the project and include: - A six-county collaboration in Wayne, Grand, Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Millard, and Piute Counties, Utah - Cibola County, New Mexico - Valley County, Idaho ASAP assists communities in targeted, sustainable economic development by identifying: 1. Community goals and priorities for economic development 2. Community assets that will help achieve thecommunity's goals and priorities 3. Industry needs and factors important for locating their operations in a community 4. Businesses that are consistent with the community's goals and priorities AMSTA OUTCOMES - 137 Training Sessions delivered - 3,000 participants - At least one training in each of the 50 states, plus Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands - 33 percent of participants were minority - 66 percent were female WESTERN EXTENSION AMSTA PROJECT TRAINERS Alaska - Stephen Brown Arizona - Trent Teegerstrom California - Jennifer Sowerwine Colorado - Dawn Thilmany Hawaii - Stuart Nakamoto Idaho - Cinda Williams Montana - George Haynes Nevada - Carol Bishop New Mexico - J. Michael Patrick Oregon - Maud Powell Utah - Kynda Curtis and Ruby Ward Washington - Marcia Ostrom and Colleen Donovan Wyoming Jennifer Thompson LOCAL FOODS RESOURCE MAPPING PROJECT The Local Foods Resource Mapping Project is designed to improve the understanding of state food system barriers and opportunities in the selected states drawing on a wealth of existing data sources. Led by our sister center the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the project's main goal is to develop web-enabled directories and maps of food systems in the project's states. The Western Rural Development Center's contribution to the project includes coordinating with the two project states in the West: Alaska and Arizona. LOCAL FOODS RESOURCE MAPPING PROJECT STATES Alaska Arkansas Arizona Kentucky Mississippi North Carolina LOCAL FOODS RESOURCE MAPPING PROJECT PARTNERS IN THE WEST Alaska - Stephen Brown Arizona - Trent Teegerstrom STRONGER ECONOMIES TOGETHER Stronger Economies Together (SET) enables communities and countries in rural America to work together in developing and implementing an economic development blueprint for their multi-county region that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of that region. This ongoing program is led by out sister center at the Southern Rural Development Center and funded by USDA Rural Development. Visit the SET website for details: srdc.msstate.edu/set The Wester Rural Development Center is providing SET with: - Input evaluation data from the SET Phase V regions completed surveys - Summary findings from the SET Coaches' summary reports - Ripple Mapping Comparisons - Quarterly reports of preliminary results from the various SET sessions REGIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH SPECIALISTS Regional Community Health Specialists is the second phase of the Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation. This project is an effort to engage communities to develop and test innovative, low-cost, replicable community-level early warning systems for mental health and substance abuse issues. The Western Rural Development Center's Don Albrecht serves as the Regional Specialist for the West and Betsy Newman serves as the project's web and graphic designer. Albrecht's role is to oversee and evaluate the community programs that have been funded. WESTERN REGIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE The The Center's Western Regional Coordinating Committee, "Addressing the Rural Development Concerns of the Rural West," is a Western Education and Extension Research Activity that provides an opportunity to bring Extension professionals, faculty, researchers, community leaders, and policy makers together to better understand these issues and develop programs to address them. The committee held their annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona, in February 2015. WERA REGIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES The WERA Regional Coordinating Committee works together to: 1.Develop funding proposals to conduct research to better understand the critical rural development concerns described inthe Center's strategic plan. Research results will be published in professional journals, policy briefs, WRDC publications, and through other means. 2.Initiate appropriate and needed educational and training programs and deliver these programs via direct training, webinars,policy briefs or other means to community residents and leaders, Extension personnel and others. 3.Make informed policy recommendations based on research findings and communication with community leaders. 2015 WERA COMMITTEE MEMBERS Joyce Alves, Apache County Cooperative Extension Mark Apel, Cochise County Cooperative Extension Marion Bentley, Utah State University Extension Yong Chen, Oregon State University Roger Coupal, University of Wyoming Wes Curtis, Southern Utah University Lorie Higgins, University of Idaho Extension Ashley Kerna, University of Arizona Julie Suhr Pierce, U.S. DOI Bureau of Land Management
Publications
|