Enhancing Both Cooperative Extension and National Environmental Education Resources

State Extension programs can contribute to the successful adoption of national environmental education programs by making locally relevant resources available, creating reference materials to bridge between 4-H project books and other resources, and developing companion materials that supplement national materials with local issues and resources. Such activities provide opportunities to integrate research and teaching with Extension programs and build productive relationships with agencies and organizations. Seven strategies with examples from one state are explained

Partnerships for Natural Resource Education: Differing Program Needs and Perspectives of Extension Agents and State Agency Staff

An evaluative survey of 45 Extension agents and 59 state forestry agency staff in Florida 1 year after a joint in-service training provides insight into the program needs for both groups as they develop public education programs on wildland fire. Results analyzed three primary barriers to program implementation: educational, logistical, and attitudinal, providing insight into the needs for both groups as they develop public education programs. Providing a toolkit of materials and resources reduces logistical and educational barriers and assists agents with program delivery in a new topic area. Supervisor support may be key to reducing additional barriers that agents perceive

Woody biomass outreach in the southern United States: A case study

a b s t r a c t Woody biomass is one potential renewable energy source that is technically feasible where environmental and economic factors are promising. It becomes a realistic option when it is also socially acceptable. Public acceptance and support of wood to energy proposals require community education and outreach. The Wood to Energy Outreach Program provides science-based information, tools, and resources for fostering informed community discussions about using wood for energy in the southern United States Introduction The transition from nonrenewable to renewable sources of energy is moving to the forefront of the global energy agenda. In the United States (U.S.), researchers are exploring the environmental sustainability and economic viability of renewable sources of energy [1], while communities are considering which sources are locally feasible for meeting future energy demands i o m a s s a n d b i o e n e r g y 3 5 ( 2 0 1 1 ) 1 4 6 5 e1 4 7 3 0961-9534/$ e see front matter

Message in a Bottleneck? Attitudes and Perceptions of Climate Change in the Cooperative Extension Service in the Southeastern United States

This paper addresses factors affecting climate change perceptions and attitudes among Cooperative Extension professionals in the Southeastern United States. Extension serves as a critical link between climate researchers and stakeholders who have the capacity to directly affect climate change impacts through on-the-ground action. We used the Six Americas scale, developed by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication, as the basis for a webbased survey of 2,758 Extension professionals in eight Southeastern states between August 2011 and March 2012. Given their role as science communicators, one might expect Extension professionals to be as concerned as climate scientists about potential climate changes. We found, however, that Extension professionals are similar to the general public and represent the full range of Six Americas categories. Factors correlated with Six Americas results included: gender, political leaning, education, state Extension program, Extension program area, role within Extension, and coastal/inland location. Our results suggest the importance of engaging Extension staff in a long-term professional development strategy that involves improved training and climate education, preparing Extension professionals to effectively communicate climate change information to farmers and forest landowners whose actions impact climate outcomes

PINEMAP Intern Program: Integrating Undergraduates into Forest Resource and Climate Change Research and Education

The PINEMAP Intern Program is part of the Pine Integrated Network: Education, Mitigation, and Adaptation Project, a coordinated agriculture project (CAP) recently awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). A major goal of this CAP was to use educational projects to both integrate the scientific disciplines and expand the science to students and educators. Our Intern Program is one of the projects meeting this education aim. Our broad goal was to develop a program that will engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research, education and, potentially, future graduate studies. Principle investigators and their graduate students from across PINEMAP’s 6 disciplinary areas will briefly train undergraduate researchers from universities across the southeastern US who will later return to their home institutions and share internship experiences and knowledge with public school students. In its first year, the program will fund 6 interns and then scale up to 18 interns over the following 3 years. From December to February, graduate students and undergraduates may submit, respectively, proposals for micro-grants (a proxy for intern stipends) and applications for internships. Interns will be paired with graduate student mentors based on interest in PINEMAP disciplinary areas. Undergraduate students accepting summer internships must participate in a distance education course the following fall semester. This course functions as a public communication class with a focus on creating inquiry-based lessons on forest resources and climate change targeting secondary public school students. Finally, interns may present their experiences with other colleagues and mentors at the spring PINEMAP annual meeting. Expected outcomes for interns are: increased understanding of and ability to conduct scientific research, improved communication skills, and an appreciation for professional interdisciplinary research. Graduate students selected to the program will: learn to be mentors, build interns’ research skills, and work with interns to educate secondary school students

Building Successful Partnerships for Technology Transfer

As budgets for Cooperative Extension projects get tighter, many units are enticed to consider partnerships with agencies and organizations to continue to proactively deliver services. Our experience working with the USDA Forest Service in a partnership that involves joint staffing and funding for technology transfer and research projects enables us to offer specific advice on how to use this tool most effectively. Communication and planning are essential and should cover everything from who gets office keys to who hires temporary staff

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Professionals\u27 Climate Change Perceptions, Willingness, and Perceived Barriers to Programming: An Educational Needs Assessment

The educational needs assessment reported here measured North Carolina Cooperative Extension (NCCE) professionals\u27 perceptions of global warming and identified barriers to climate change programming. Survey results from 400 NCCE professionals show 70% are cautious, concerned, or alarmed about global warming. Liberal and female Extension professionals were more likely to be alarmed and concerned than their conservative and male counterparts. Respondents indicated willingness to engage in programming, but need in-service training to address conflicts, gather information, and emphasize relevancy. NCCE professionals perceive lack of audience interest, conflicts within available information, and lack of applied information as the greatest barriers to climate change programming

Cooperative Extension and Climate Change: Successful Program Delivery

The politically charged debate surrounding climate change poses a challenge to outreach and education. A 2011 survey revealed that NC Extension professionals have approached climate change programming cautiously, citing lack of audience interest as the primary barrier—perhaps because the Southeast region has experienced relatively mild climate change impacts, to date. We propose a tiered approach to effectively communicate climate change adaptation strategies to agriculture and natural resource Extension clients: Extension should provide climate science information to early adopters and emphasize risk management of specific threats to clients not convinced about climate change, focusing on local solutions and familiar management tools

Recommendations for Early Phases of Engaging Communities in Climate Change Adaptation

Communities across the globe have begun planning for and adapting to climate change. Cooperative Extension Service professionals are in a unique position to use the resources available to them to facilitate climate change adaptation in their communities. Adaptation planning is a local activity that must be context specific. However, general recommendations can be made to help facilitate the planning process. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of research about climate change adaptation in communities to explore ideas that contribute to successful adaptation-planning communication. We identified and reviewed 50 peer-reviewed articles that described various outreach efforts to engage communities in planning for adaptation across a range of contexts and settings. Five themes emerged addressing how to facilitate early stages of the climate change adaptation process: establishing positive initial engagement, incorporating participatory methods, using tools to facilitate understanding, addressing trust and uncertainty, and maximizing limited time. Based on the review and emergent themes, we offer practical recommendations for educators and Cooperative Extension Service professionals as they engage communities in climate change adaptation