Department of Environmental
Studies & Planning

Spotlight (Department Highlights)

Our new native plant propagation shade-house was completed in Fall 2002. Built with a grant from the Sonoma County Water Agency, the shade-house will be the repository of native plants propagated from seeds and cuttings collected by students in our new Native Plant Propagation class (ENSP 326). The class is offered every fall semester and is taught by Karen Tillinghast, director of the SSU Native Plant Garden, and Robin Burton, who also teaches our agroecology class. The native plants propagated by the class and housed in the shade house include Valley Oaks, California Buckeyes, Oregon Ash, Bigleaf Maple, among others. They are ultimately destined for use in restoration efforts on campus as well as throughout the southern Russian River watershed.

Environmental Technology Center (ETC)
After many years of planning, design and construction, the SSU Environmental Technology Center is open. Many ENSP classes have been taught in the ETC since its opening. Several events have also taken place in the ETC, including a meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and a very successful Green Building Expo in May. Public tours, professional workshops, and other educational programs are currently under development. Visit the ETC home page to learn more, and take a virtual tour of this educational sustainably-built structure! ETC GETS INVOLVED

Helping Small Businesses Reduce Energy and Save Money
The ETC is a partner in the Small Business Energy Alliance, a group that has received funding from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to provide energy efficiency technical services and financial assistance to small businesses in Sonoma, Napa, and Lake counties. The goal of the project is to assist small businesses with saving energy and money. Small businesses have been defined by the CPUC as an impacted and hard-to-reach customer group, thus in need of special assistance. One of the reasons the ENSP Department and the ETC have a special interest in this project is that it provides our Energy Management and Design students a real-world opportunity for putting into practice their classroom learning. As of January, 2003, five EMD students and graduates are involved in the administration and implementation of the program. Additional technical field positions may be available in 2003.

Cities for Climate Protection Campaign: Green House Gas Emissions Reduction
The Cities for Climate Protection Campaign has as its goal the implementation of green house gas (ghg) emissions inventories for all city and county goverments in Sonoma County. Sonoma County is the first county in the U.S. to have all of its muncipal governments sign on to conduct ghg inventories. The inventories will assist the cities in identifying their largest ghg emission sources and in the planning for how to best target strategies for reducing their overall ghg emissions.

The ETC is a partner with several other organizations in the adminstration and implementation of this campaign. This project provides students with paid internships, experience with working at the highest levels with city government elected officials and staff members, and an opportunity to make a real-world contribution to the reduction of green house gas emissions. The project will begin operation on Janaury 27, 2003 and will involve seven interns who will be doing data gathering, analysis software management, and report writing.

Green Building Design and Construction
The ETC in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council - Redwood Empire Group will be offering in 2003 a series of 6 "Green Building Design and Construction" workshops. Each workshop will be focused on a specific technical area of green building, and will be useful to building industry professionals: architects, engineers, builders, government building officials, and facility operators. Students of the green building field and the general public will also benefit from the information presented. The cost for these workshops will range from $20 to $40 for 4- to 6-hour sessions. Check the ETC website for a current schedule of events, check our website.

NOT NEW, BUT NEWSWORTHY

ENSP and the SSU School of Business and Economics join
together in Cooperative Agreement with the China International Science Center Following the visit of three ENSP faculty to China in the Summer of 2000, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Bernie Goldstein, SSU Vice President of Academic Affairs and Bai Xiahong, President of the China International Science Center. The agreement supports the exchange of students and scholar between the two participating parties. Dr. James Stewart RetiredJim Stewart retired at the close of the Fall 2002 semester after over 30 years of teaching in the ENSP Department. Jim was among the earliest Volunteers in the U.S. Peace Corps, serving two years in an elementary education project in the Philippines. He returned to the Philippines to do his Ph.D. field research on social, economic and ecological effects of the Green Revolution on rice farming in Asia. His areas of specialization included human ecology, food and population issues, global environmental trends. He will be missed by students and colleagues alike.

Native Plant Garden named after ENSP Founder, Kenneth M. Stocking On May 17, 2000, the Native Plant Garden at SSU was officially named after our founder, Dr. Kenneth M. Stocking. A gathering of faculty and friends came to SSU to honor Ken and his many contributions. To see Ken being congratulated by SSU President Ruben Arminana (next to the new sign naming the garden after Ken), just click here.

Fairfield Osborn Preserve
SSU is the proud owner and manager of over 200 acres on the top of Sonoma Mountain, only a 15-minute drive from campus. The preserve is a diverse set of ecosystems with a rich cultural history. We hope you will come to visit. The preserve is open on weekends during the academic year for guided tours at 10 am and 1 pm. University field trips are typically Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday we offer programs for local schools and youth groups. The first director of the preserve was ENSP faculty member, Rocky Rohwedder. For more about the preserve and the programs offered, check out the web site.

ICPA gets awards
SSU's Institute for Community Planning Assistance (ICPA) has received two prestigious awards from the American Planning Association for its "Keller Canyon Landfill Property Valuation Study." The first, for "Academic Excellence," was awarded by the Northern California Section of APA. It was presented at an awards ceremony held at the Fort Mason Officer's Club in San Francisco. The second is an "Academic Exellence Award of Merit" from the California Chapter of APA. The two-and-a-half year study was co-directed by Professors Steven Orlick, ENSP Dept., and Stephen Lewis, Economics Dept. It was conducted under contract with the Contra Costa County Community Development Department. Some 17 ENSP and Economics Dept. students were employed on various phases of the project. ICPA and Dr. Orlick have now received or shared seven awards from the American Planning Association since 1985. In conjunction with the Association of Bay Area Governments, ICPA also coordinated the Sonoma County Subregional Planning Pilot Project.

Grants, Grants, Grants!
We've had some good luck lately obtaining grants for various projects. Here's a sampling: -- With funding from the California Urban Environmental Research and Education Center (CUEREC), our Institute for Community Planning Assistance is setting up an Environmental Mediation Program that could be replicated at other California State University campuses. Steve Orlick and Tom Jacobson are Project Directors. -- With funding from the National Science Foundation, we are helping to develop a CD ROM for the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). GREEN is an international watershed-based education and action project. Rocky Rohwedder is Project Director.

Copeland Creek restoration continues
Thanks to a large donation of native plants from Circuit Rider Productions Inc. and the California Native Plant Society, we're adding many new native plants to the creek this Spring. Meanwhile we continue removing exotic vegetation as part of our ongoing restoration effort, under David Stoke's direction.

Request for alumni business cards and email addresses
Please send us your business card, and we will post it on our ENSP Alumni Wall of Fame. We'd also love to have your e-mail address as a way to keep in touch and notify you of job opportunities or other opportunities. So if you've got one, please send your e-mail address to Steve Norwick (norwick@sonoma.edu).