Joan Flocks: A starting place for understanding immigration reform

laurabernheim     Blog, May 2013     0

In late May 2013, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S 744), which will, within several weeks, appear before the full U.S. Senate for consideration. The bill is a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform plan. Continue reading.

Glenn Good: You can count on teachers — and the education researchers who support their work

laurabernheim     Blog     0

Take a moment to recall a teacher who really made a difference in your life. If you react similarly to others I have asked to do so, you are likely to identify at least one teacher who played a crucial positive role in your development. Continue reading.

Sonia Tighe: Capitalizing on the local food movement

laurabernheim     Blog, March 2013, Trends & Topics     1

The Florida Specialty Crop Foundation (a division of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association) believes there could be opportunities for our commercial growers of fruit and vegetables if the consumers perceive Florida-grown or Fresh From Florida produce to be a “local” product. Continue reading.

Alan Hodges: Local food grows local economy

laurabernheim     Blog, March 2013, Trends & Topics     0

For an economist specializing in the study of regional economics, the issue of local food production is a natural subject. Local food has become recognized as a potent strategy for economic development—keeping more dollars in the local economy, by substituting for imports. Continue reading.

Wendy Graham: Collaboration tackles climate impacts on water supply

laurabernheim     Blog, February 2013, Trends & Topics     0

Headlines abound warning of increasing demands on our water supply and concerns over decreasing levels and quality of water in our aquifers, natural springs, rivers and freshwater ecosystems. What is really happening? How vulnerable are we to changes in the water cycle? What science is available that can help answer the myriad vexing questions? Continue reading.

Michael Dukes: Using technology to save water in the landscape

laurabernheim     Blog, February 2013     0

Florida has the highest domestic per capita water use in the country, with landscape irrigation often estimated as accounting for 50 percent of that use but it can be above 70 percent during dry periods. Issues like water availability and quality, change in land use, and nutrient management are increasingly important—not only to landscape professionals, policy makers, and land managers, but to the general public. Continue reading.

Paul Monaghan: Use marketing to change behaviors — not profits

laurabernheim     Blog, November 2012     1

The term “social marketing” is often mentioned when natural resource issues are related to behaviors by the public. Educators and outreach professionals ask, “How do we get homeowners to conserve energy, use less water and recycle more? Why do behaviors seem so difficult to change?”

We think that social marketing, if properly done, can have an impact in promoting behavior change. Continue reading.

Linda Moon: Address disasters through internet, social media

laurabernheim     August 2012, Blog     0

Texas A&M Forest Service is recognized throughout the state and nation as a leader in forestry, and is the state’s lead agency when it comes to responding to wildfires and all-hazard incidents.

Among the agency’s primary functions is the responsibility to provide relevant, timely and accurate information to local and state decision-makers about the conservation and protection of natural resources and the protection of lives and property across the state. Continue reading.

Nathan Crabbe: Journalists are there to listen, fill in blanks

laurabernheim     Blog, October 2012     0

Imagine a covering an execution.

Now, imagine covering a botched execution.

That’s exactly what Gainesville Sun reporter Nathan Crabbe found himself doing shortly after joining the newspaper. Read a couple of his articles here and here.

Angel Diaz was convicted for shooting and killing the manager of a strip club in 1979. Continue reading.

Jim Karels: Prevent identity crisis with planning and preparation

laurabernheim     August 2012, Blog     0

For the first 41 years after the agency’s creation in 1928, Florida’s state forestry agency served the need of the forestry industry as the Florida Forest Service. In 1969, legislation reorganized a number of government entities, bringing the then Florida Forest Service under the umbrella of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, effectively renaming it the Florida Division of Forestry. Continue reading.