Corpsmembers relax after a bountiful day cleaning up the Tule River corridor.

The SCC is composed of disadvantaged youth, ages 18-24. Most of these young people cannot compete in the job market. Some have not finished high school. Others have criminal records. CSET and the SCC provide these young adults with job training and placement, as well as assistance to corps members for earning their high school diplomas. They have provided over 4,000 young adults with job training and educational opportunities over the past 20 years.

Some of the SCC’s original projects included trail maintenance and development in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Their work in some of the nation’s most impressive forests naturally progressed into opportunities to bring the forest to the urban areas CSET served. SCC’s first urban forestry projects were in partnership with the Urban Tree Foundation.

The two organizations still work hand-inhand to plant trees today. The majority of these projects focus on unused riparian strips where native oaks and understory plants are placed along new hiking trails cut by SCC members. These trails provide a green escape in an area that would otherwise remain unused, and offer residents and visitors alike a glimpse into what the benefits of a strong environmental education program can mean for the region’s and its at-risk youth.

While many community members enjoy the beauty of these areas, many don’t realize the additional benefits CSET provides the community through its urban forestry program. The green trails capture storm water, increase wildlife habitat, and improve air quality in a region consistently ranked as one of the worst in the nation for smog and ozone pollution.

CSET continues its efforts to increase visibility on the tangible benefits of its project through a variety of tools and resources. One such resource is the federal grant secured by CEST in 2010 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These funds which are administered by California ReLeaf are supporting a multi-faceted project in which members of the SCC will be working to restore a native Valley Oak riparian forest along a creek that is currently devoid of vegetation while also improving Visalia’s urban forestry streetscape. The project brings the added benefit of significant job creation to a county with a 12% unemployment rate as of October, 2011.

“I had a revelation that, even though the people in these communities only live 45 minutes from some of the best national parks in the country, many of them can’t afford to make the short trip to see the parks. The urban forest brings nature to people where they are,” says Higgins.

He hasn’t only witnessed how urban forestry can change communities, but also how it can change individuals. When asked for examples of what SCC does for Corps members, Nathan is quick to respond with stories of three young men whose lives he’s seen transformed.

The three stories all start the same way – a young man who joined the SCC with little opportunity to better his life. One started as a crew member and has been promoted to crew supervisor, leading other young men and women to better their lives just as he has. Another is now working with the City of Visalia Park and Recreation Department as an intern doing park maintenance. His internship will hopefully turn into a paid position as funding becomes available.

Urban Forestry corpsmembers ‘greening’ our urban spaces.These young Valley Oaks will live for hundreds of years and provide shade and beauty for generations.

The most compelling of the three stories though is that of Jacob Ramos. At 16-years old, he was found guilty of a felony charge. Afterhis conviction and time served, he found it nearly impossible to find a job. At CSET, he earned his high school diploma and proved himself as one of the most dedicated workers in the SCC. This year, CSET opened a for-profit subsidiary that does weatherization work. Because of his extensive training completed with the Corps, Jacob now has a job there.

Each year, CSET plants over 1,000 trees, creates accessible hiking trails, and employs 100-150

young people. More than that, it has gone above and beyond its mission to strengthen youth, families, and communities in Tulare County. CSET and the SCC are a reminder of what can be accomplished for our environment and future generations through partnership and perseverance.

“Ambassadors” to the pilot programs will serve as coordinators, facilitators, and reporters, providing support in both strategic planning and project/program execution. Specifically, the Urban Waters Pilot Ambassadors will:

• serve as coordinators and ensure continuity of the pilot activities;
• connect federal resources and local needs/opportunities in collaboration with the local Urban Waters Partnership
• convene meetings and conference calls;
• report on the progress, value and outcomes of the Partnership, including local success stories, barriers and best practices. Reports may take various forms including annual reporting, web updates, participation on conference calls, weekly reports to the National Coordinator, etc.

The Ambassador will work closely with the pilot location leads to

• support the success of the pilots;
• maintain momentum for efforts at pilot locations; and
• demonstrate federal commitment to the success of pilot locations.

EPA will be the lead federal agency to place the Los Angeles Ambassador, who will fill a federal temporary full time position via the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Program (IPA). This position is available as a lateral assignment at the GS-12 or the GS-13 level. This temporary assignment will be for one year with the possibility of extending for a second year. The Council for Watershed Health will host the Ambassador. The reporting structure for the selected Ambassador will include the Council for Watershed Health, EPA, and the Ambassador’s permanent home organization.

The Los Angeles Ambassador will work with over 30 Partner organizations towards watershed revitalization. Responsibilities will include:

• implement, refine and update the first annual Partnership work plan,
• address project shortfalls by identifying technical expertise, opportunities for funding, and connections across partner organizations,
• coordinate meetings,
• identify opportunities to improve the Partnership by engaging with participating organizations and recruiting new partners,
• develop a Partnership communications plan.

Candidates from the Urban Waters Federal Partnership member agencies and departments will be considered. Local knowledge of the Los Angeles River Watershed is a plus. EPA will pay salary for this position. EPA cannot pay for relocation expenses. During the selection process, other options for covering these expenses will be explored in discussion with the Ambassador’s home agency.

To Learn More and To Apply:

John Kemmerer, Associate Director, Water Division, U.S. EPA, in Los Angeles is available to answer questions and provide more detail on the scope of responsibilities for this position. Federal Partnership members with candidate recommendations and/or candidates should notify Mr. Kemmerer by January 23, 2012 by phone at 213-244-1832 or Kemmerer.John@epa.gov.

FOR/HORT 350 Urban Forestry – Winter Quarter 2012

This introductory urban forestry course is ideal for anyone working in urban natural resources, parks and recreation, public works, or planning fields. It covers a wide breadth of urban forestry topics. Prerequisite is any introductory forestry or horticulture course, or prior experience working in an urban natural resource environment. This course is currently only being taught Fall and Winter quarters.

FOR/HORT 455 Urban Forest Planning Policy and Management – Winter Quarter 2012

This advanced urban forestry class is a required course in the new BS in Natural Resources – Urban Forest Landscape Option, and is also suitable for any Forestry, Natural Resources, or Horticulture Student who is planning to work in urban areas. It would also be ideal for people relatively new to the urban forestry profession who would like some in-depth knowledge and experience working on urban forestry issues in a learning environment. Prerequisite is FOR/HORT 350 or experience in urban forestry. This course is currently only being taught Winter quarters.

FOR/HORT 447 Arboriculture – Spring Quarter 2012

This is a technical class exploring the principles and practices of arboriculture. Prerequisite is an intro Forestry or Horticulture class, and a plant or tree ID class. This course is currently only being taught Spring quarters.

For details, visit http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu.

The total sum of grant awards is $125,000, which will be distributed in grants of up to $5,000 each to awardees. Applications are due January 31, 2012. Click these links to download further information about the grant and the grant application. Inquiries may be directed to Programs@ACTrees.org.

An informational webcast on December 15 at 1pm EST will feature additional background and details about the grants, as well as time for Q&A. Register for the webcast here.

The goal of the Urban Waters Small Grants program is to fund research, studies, training, and demonstration projects that will advance the restoration of urban waters by improving water quality through activities that also support community revitalization and other local priorities such as public health, social and economic opportunities, general livability and environmental justice for residents. Examples of projects eligible for funding include:

• Education and training for water quality improvement or green infrastructure jobs

• Public education about ways to reduce water pollution

• Local water quality monitoring programs

• Engaging diverse stakeholders to develop local watershed plans

• Innovative projects that promote local water quality and community revitalization goals

Information about Urban Waters Small Grants including the Request for Proposal (RFP) and registration links for the webinars is available at http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/funding. EPA expects to award the grants in Summer 2012.

Note to Applicants: In accordance with EPA’s Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1), EPA staff will not meet with individual applicants to discuss draft proposals, provide informal comments on draft proposals, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to ranking criteria. Applicants are responsible for the contents of their proposals. However, consistent with the provisions in the announcement, EPA will respond to questions from individual applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for clarification about the announcement. Questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail to urbanwaters@epa.gov and must be received by the Agency Contact, Ji-Sun Yi, by January 16, 2012 and written responses will be posted on EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/funding.

Dates to Remember:

• Deadline for submitting proposals: January 23, 2012.

• Two webinars about this funding opportunity: December 14, 2011 and January 5, 2012.

• Deadline for submitting questions: January 16, 2012

Related Links:

• For more information on EPA’s Urban Waters program, visit http://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters.

• EPA’s Urban Waters program supports the goals and principles of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, a partnership of 11 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways. For more information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, visit http://urbanwaters.gov.

Donate $100 or more to California ReLeaf before December 31, 2011 and receive a copy of Dr. Ritter’s book as a special thank you!

You can donate here right now.

While U.S. air pollution does not compare to that found in such nations as Iran, India, and Pakistan, there is little to celebrate when looking at the statistics for California.

The survey relies on country-reported data over the past several years, and measures the levels of airborne particles smaller than 10 micrometers — so-called PM10s — for almost 1,100 cities.  WHO also released a shorter table comparing levels of even finer dust particles, known as PM2.5s.

WHO recommends an upper limit of 20 micrograms per cubic meter for PM10s (described as the “annual mean” in the WHO report), which can cause serious respiratory problems in humans.   More than 10 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5s is considered harmful to humans.

Topping the list of worst cities in the nation for increased exposure to both classifications of particle matter was Bakersfield, which receives an annual mean of 38ug/m3 for PM10s, and 22.5ug/m3 for PM2.5s.  Fresno isn’t far behind, taking 2nd place nationwide, with Riverside/San Bernardino claiming the 3rd spot on the U.S. list.  Overall , California cities claimed 11 of the top 20 worst offenders in both categories, all of which exceed the WHO safety threshold.

“We can prevent those deaths,” said Dr. Maria Neira, director of WHO’s department of public health and the environment, who notes investments for lower pollution levels quickly pay off due to lower disease rates and, therefore, lower healthcare costs.

For years, researchers worldwide have been linking reduced particulate matter levels to healthy urban forests. Studies conducted by the Natural Environments Research Council in 2007 suggest that PM10 reductions of 7%-20% could be achieved if a high number of trees were planted, depending on the availability of suitable planting areas.  In the United States, the Center for Urban Forestry Research published a paper in 2006 that notes Sacramento’s six million trees filter 748 tons of PM10 annually.