INTEGRATED ACTIVITIES a t the University of Alaska Fairbanks

INTEGRATED ACTIVITIESat the

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Carol E. Lewis, Dean and DirectorSchool of Natural Resources & Agricultural SciencesAgricultural and Forestry Experiment Station

E. Fred Schlutt, Jr.Director, Cooperative Extension ServiceVice Provost for Outreach

The word ‘integrated has many meanings. We are makingit a part of our lives and the secret to our success.

• Integration is the key to the strength of the land grant system

• NIFA mandates integrated activities for receipt of Hatch and and Smith-Lever funding

• ‘Mandate’ should never have to be a part of our vocabulary

No other system like the land grant institution existsin the world. It is our pride at the University of AlaskaFairbanks to carry forward this powerful dream of our forefathers.

• Public higher education is critical to continue our heritage

• Research must continuously enrich education

• Extension, outreach, and engagement deliver new knowledge

INTEGRATED ACTIVITIES

• Peonies Lewis and Schlutt

• Reindeer Lewis and Schlutt

• Obesity Schlutt

• Climate Change Lewis

• Plan of Work Schlutt and Lewis

PEONIES IN ALASKA: A discovery

• 2002 – discovery

• Funding – “New Crops, New Markets”

• Variety trials

• Best Management Practices

• Alaska Peony Growers Association

• Economic Opportunities Task Force

• Specialty Crop Research Initiative

• Cooperative Extension Service

REINDEER: Alaska’s Livestock of Choice

• Late 1800s – Reindeer on Seward Peninsula• Late 1960s – Research on brucolosis & vaccine• Mid 1980as – Alaska Native Land Claims &• Partnership with Kawerak Reindeer Herders Association

• 1999 – 16 animals provided to the Experiment Station• 2000 – sell pigs, move cattle, grow reindeer research• 2002 - Funding through “New Crops-New Markets”• Research – Alaska diets, herd, pasture, range management• Partnership in High Latitude Range Management• Reindeer declared livestock• Partner with 4H• State capital project proposal – food security

Pacific Land Grant Alliance institutions serve a region and communities with

diverse, widely dispersed, and mixed commercial/subsistence user groups. The land grant universities play a major role in identifying, fostering, and sustaining resource use and management systems in the region.

CLIMATE CHANGE IN ALASKA AND THE PACIFIC: Key Roleof Land Grants in the Region

University of Alaska Fairbanks University of Guam University of Hawaii

Northern Marianas College College of Micronesia American Samoa Community College

CLIMATE CHANGE – An Innovative Partnership

• Shared climate driver• Analogous management opportunities• Subsistence user communities• Opportunities for self-reliance• Need to adapt• New crop opportunities• Key role of the land grant institutions

All PLGA institutions are affected by the Pacific climate system.

Pacific Ocean is the largest single geographic feature on Earth.

Pacific El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the biggest single short-term influence on weather on a global scale.

Nearly all resource systems around the Pacific register an ENSO and global warming signal

• agricultural weather• forest growth and health• fisheries• water supplies• biodiversity

SHARED CLIMATE DRIVER

Ebbesmeyer, C.C.; Cayan, D.R.; McLain, D.R.; Nichols, F.H.; Peterson, D.H.; Redmond, K.T. 1990. 1976 step in the Pacific climate: Forty environmental changes between 1968-1975 and 1977-1984. In Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Pacific Climate (PACLIM) Workshop. Eds. Betancourt, J.L. and Tharp, V.L. California Department of Water Resources. Sacramento, California.

PACIFICPARTNERSIN CLIMATECHANGE ANDADAPTAION

THE WORK OF THE LAND-GRANT’S CAN:

Build capacity for the future Retain key expertise in climate change Meet expanded demand from user community Assist and accelerate mitigation and adaptation Keep pace with climate change information needs Build long-term data and information bases Build community partnerships for success Enhance research on emerging issues Incorporate climate change in education programs

PLAN OF WORK – Our ultimate integrated activity

• 1998 – AREERA

• 2004 – Begin cooperative process

• 2005 – First joint meeting to plan the Plan of Work

• 2007 – First ‘joint’ Plan of Work submitted

• 2008-2010 – Continue to report separately while merging POW

• 2011 – First joint Plan of Work

No other system like the land grant institution existsin the world. It is our pride at the University of AlaskaFairbanks to carry forward this powerful dream of our forefathers.

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKSAmerica’s Arctic University