Environmental Studies

Year of the Slug: A look back at 2012 at UC Santa Cruz

Higgs boson, condors, pumas, the Grateful Dead Archive … 2012 was yet another year of discoveries, breakthroughs, newsmakers, and honors for UC Santa Cruz. Here’s a look back at a few highlights of the year at UCSC.

Tracking pumas

UCSC students get first-hand scientific experience while monitoring the elusive big cats as part of the Puma Project.

UCSC sanitation activist speaks at World Toilet Summit in South Africa

A UC Santa Cruz Ph.D candidate in sociology and public toilet activist is scheduled to deliver a plenary session Thursday at the 12th World Toilet Summit in Durban, South Africa.

Mercury in coastal fog linked to upwelling of deep ocean water

Scientists have found clues to how mercury gets into coastal fog in California.

Emerging vector-borne diseases create new public health challenges

Land-use change, globalization of trade and travel, and social upheaval are driving the emergence of diseases in many regions.

Scientists develop new approach to support climate projections

A recalibration of climate sensitivity based on records of past climates agrees with IPCC estimates for the future.

Three environmental studies grad students win sustainable ag awards

Three UC Santa Cruz environmental studies graduate students are among 16 students nationwide awarded sustainable agriculture scholarships from Annie's Homegrown Inc., a natural foods manufacturer and distributor.

CASFS hosts author Michael Pollan before Santa Cruz benefit appearance

Author and UC Berkeley journalism professor Michael Pollan visited the UC Santa Cruz Farm on October 25 before taking part in the "Everybody Eats" benefit panel discussion later that evening at Santa Cruz High School.

Alan Richards to speak on petrol politics and the Arab spring Nov. 13

Alan Richards, UC Santa Cruz professor emeritus of environmental studies, will speak on “Petrol Politics in the Wake of Arab Spring” at the next "pub science talk" Tuesday, November 13 at the Red Restaurant and Bar, in downtown Santa Cruz.

Interdisciplinary conference focuses on development and climate change

Conflicts between development and climate change will bring together researchers and practitioners in both areas for an all-day conference at UC Santa Cruz on Saturday, October 27.

Social Sciences division honors teaching, staff, and scholarship

Social Science faculty, staff, and students honored for outstanding achievement, teaching excellence, and scholarship.

Terry Freitas Café honors memory of inspirational young alumnus

Café Revolucion has been rededicated as the Terry Freitas Café, commemorating a UCSC grad who died while in service to an indigenous people.

Farm-to-Fork dinner supports scholarships for farm apprentices

Late summer sunshine bathed rows of corn, pumpkins, salad greens, and strawberries as 125 guests enjoyed the recent Farm-to-Fork Benefit Dinner at the UC Santa Cruz Farm.

Dedication set for Terry Freitas cafe

A dedication ceremony is set for 5-7 p.m. Thursday, September 20 for the Terry Freitas Cafe at Colleges Nine and Ten on the UC Santa Cruz campus.

UCSC Farm & Garden hosts fall harvest festival September 30

Apples, corn, cider, and pumpkins take center stage at the 18th annual Fall Harvest Festival, Sunday, September 30, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UC Santa Cruz’s 25-acre organic farm.

UCSC plant sale kicks off fall gardening season September 14, 15

The UCSC Farm and Garden’s Fall Plant Sale, one of the largest all-organic events of its kind in the Monterey Bay Area, takes place September 14 and 15.

UCSC study shows how urchin-loving otters can help fight global warming

A new study by two UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest that a thriving sea otter population that keeps sea urchins in check will in turn allow kelp forests to prosper and help reverse a principal cause of global warming.

USDA grant aids organic farming training program at UC Santa Cruz

Training for beginning organic farmers on the Central Coast will get a significant boost from a three-year U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at UC Santa Cruz.

In-depth organic gardening course offered at UCSC Farm & Garden

A comprehensive organic gardening course is being offered this summer and fall by the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden at the historic Alan Chadwick Garden and UCSC Farm on the UC Santa Cruz campus.

Apple's software brings attention to mountain lion research

Apple's release of its "Mountain Lion" operating system is drawing attention to the real thing prowling just a few miles from the company's headquarters. Since 2008, UCSC researchers have captured 36 mountain lions as part of the UCSC Puma Project to better understand the cats' physiology, behavior, and ecology.

Organic cut flower growing and bouquet making workshop, June 30

A workshop on how to grow and assemble beautiful flower arrangements will take place Saturday, June 30, with Zoe Hitchner and Orin Martin from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UCSC Farm at UC Santa Cruz.

Graduate students offer free lecture on Alaska wilderness and predators

UC Santa Cruz wildlife biologists Yiwei Wang and Rachel Wheat will hold a free public lecture on Alaskan wildlife and the importance of salmon to the Alaskan ecosystem, Monday, June 25th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the UCSC Arboretum.

Free poetry reading and music at Alan Chadwick Garden, Saturday, June 23

Saturday, June 23, from noon until 2 p.m., a bevy of award-winning poets will read their work at “A Garden of Poetry and Music,” with piano music and vocals by Colin and Sheila Hannon in the historic Alan Chadwick Garden.

Researchers find increase in Lyme disease mirrors drop in red fox numbers

A continued increase of Lyme disease in the United States, once linked to a recovering deer population, may instead be explained by a decline of the red fox, UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest in a new study.

Daniel Press named executive director of CASFS

Environmental studies professor Daniel Press has been named executive director of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

UCSC Farm & Garden market cart opens Tuesday, June 5

Registration open for spring and summer 3-day 'Garden Cruz' classes

Intensive class will provide a solid foundation to further the lifelong study, enjoyment, and practice of organic gardening. Class instructors include Orin Martin, manager of UCSC's Alan Chadwick Garden, and local organic farmers Zoe Hitchner and Sky DeMuro of Everett Family Farm.

Walking and talking: Learning outside the classroom door

In her essay, UCSC lecturer Candace Calsoyas discusses the Aristotelian method of conversation and learning while on foot, a practice she introduced in Albania and brings to the College Eight core course.

UCSC Farm & Garden’s annual spring plant sale slated for May 5-6

Why letting salmon escape could benefit bears and humans

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz and in Canada suggest that allowing more Pacific salmon to spawn in coastal streams would mean a long term win-win for ecosystems and humans.

Peregrine falcon chicks hatch on San Francisco high-rise

Four fluffy, white peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in a nest on the San Francisco skyline where they can be viewed via a web cam hosted by UCSC's Predatory Bird Research Group.

Peregrine falcon eggs on San Francisco high-rise about to hatch

Four peregrine falcon eggs in a nest at the San Francisco headquarters of PG&E are expected to hatch any day, according to the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, which has successfully reintroduced peregrine falcons to the wild after the species was nearly decimated 40 years ago.

UCSC forest research site joins Global Earth Observatory, nearly triples in size

The nearly 15-acre Forest Ecology Research Plot located within the UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve has been accepted into the global network of the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Tropical Forest Science / Global Earth Observatory.

Nesting eagles highlight success of restoration program

Discovery of a pair of bald eagles building a nest near Watsonville's Pinto Lake highlights the success of a wildlife conservation effort begun 26 years ago, according to Glenn R. Stewart a UC Santa Cruz alumnus and director of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird (SCPBRG) Research Group at UCSC's Long Marine Lab.

Sign-ups now open for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program

Memberships in the CASFS/UCSC Farm’s 2012 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program are now available.

Big cats on campus: mountain lion sightings prompt UCSC expert forum

Excited by two recent mountain lion spottings on and near campus, a large crowd attended a UCSC forum on these powerful but shy and elusive predators.

Farm apprentice graduate honored in Bronx Black History Month ceremony

Karen Washington, a graduate of the 2008 apprenticeship class at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz, was honored at the annual Black History Month Celebration in the Bronx, N.Y.

Mountain lion research seminar set for Monday on campus

Environmental Studies Professor Chris Wilmers, who has been tracking and studying mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains for three years, will discuss his research at an informational seminar "Mountain Lions and People in the Santa Cruz Mountains," 7 p.m. Monday, February 13, in Classroom Unit 2.

New book traces UCSC’s role in organic and sustainable farm movement

A new book published by the UCSC Library’s Regional History Project offers a window into the 40-year history of how UC Santa Cruz--and California’s Central Coast—became leaders in the organic farming and sustainable agriculture movement.

Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle presents 6th Keeley Lecture

Legendary oceanographer, explorer, and author Sylvia Earle will present the sixth Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the UC Santa Cruz Music Recital Hall. Free and open to the public.

Conference focuses attention on Labor Across the Food System

A free public conference at UC Santa Cruz February 3 and 4 will address the question of "Labor Across the Food System." Scholars, researchers, and activists from California and beyond will gather to discuss the role of labor and social justice in reshaping the contemporary global food system.