Media Tip Sheet: Colorado State University Experts Available to Discuss Variety of Summer Topics

Note to Reporters: Experts at Colorado State University can talk about a wide variety of summer subjects from weather and wildfire to plant care and water science. The resources here are for reporter use only and not intended for publication.

 

What’s Bugging You?
Will there be a higher infestation of grasshoppers this summer than in past years? Will Miller moths invade your home? Will yellowjackets interfere with your picnic or outdoor gathering? CSU bug experts can address these and other questions. Assefa Gebre-Amlak, pest management specialist at Colorado State Extension, can discuss the potential outbreaks of grasshoppers in Northeastern Colorado. Whitney Cranshaw, entomology professor in the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, can address questions on moths, bees, aphids, mites and a variety of other insects. Ned Tisserat, professor of plant pathology, is an expert on twig beetles and alfalfa weevils. To speak with Gebre-Amlak, Cranshaw or Tisserat, contact Jim Beers at (970) 491-6401 or Jim.Beers@colostate.edu.

Lawn Care During Hot Summer Months
Tony Koski, professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Colorado State Extension turfgrass specialist, can discuss irrigation management for lawns. He can also discuss ways to amend soils to promote water conservation. Koski can address issues such as lawn fertilizers, weed control methods and turfgrass management techniques. To speak with Koski, contact Jim Beers at (970) 491-6401 or Jim.Beers@colostate.edu.

Flowers Brighten the Summer Yard
Jim Klett, professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, has expertise in landscape plant material identification, culture and care. He is an expert in annuals, perennials and woody plants of the Rocky Mountain and High Plains areas. Klett is coordinator of CSU’s Flower Trial Gardens, the largest flower test garden in the state and one of the five largest in the United States. He also coordinates several state and regional programs including Plant Select and Planttalk Colorado. To speak with Klett, contact Jim Beers at (970) 491-6401 or Jim.Beers@colostate.edu.

Summer Food Tips
Summer means it’s time to fire up the grill, cut up fresh melon and plan picnics and sack lunches for days spent outside. Shirley Perryman can provide information about grilling with success, picking the best fresh produce from the grocery store or farmer’s markets, buying local and food safety. To speak with Perryman, call Dell Rae Moellenberg at 970-491-6009 or dellrae.moellenberg@colostate.edu.

Organic Vegetables
A specialist in organic vegetable production and specialty crops, Frank Stonaker can address a number of questions concerning organically grown vegetables. The specialty crops coordinator in CSU’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Stonaker helped develop the Rocky Mountain Small Organic Farm Project, a whole-farm systems approach in organic crop production. Stonaker also was the production manager at Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colo., an organic vegetable producer. To speak with Stonaker, contact Jim Beers at (970) 491-6401 or Jim.Beers@colostate.edu.

Gulf Oil Crisis Impact on Tourism
Stuart Cottrell, coordinator of the global tourism concentration in the Warner College of Natural Resources, has researched and taught sustainable tourism development and ecotourism in the U.S. and Europe for more than 13 years. He can discuss how the Gulf oil crisis is a global issue with ramifications not only for the Gulf Coast region but for regions linked by the Gulf Stream. Disasters such as this spill are of concern to island nations such as the Bahamas where potential impacts are expected to occur within three to six months. He can talk about how this crisis can be devastating to communities relying on tourism for their livelihoods. Cottrell teaches a marine ecotourism course in the Bahamas in May each year that features key issues involved in ensuring the sustainable development of marine ecotourism in island destinations. As a subset of ecotourism, marine ecotourism is becoming increasingly significant and its economic potential has received increased recognition. Globally, coastal regions have become the No. 1 tourist destination while island tourism continues to increase. To speak with Cottrell, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Tracking Tornadoes
V. "Chandra" Chandrasekar, professor of electrical and computer engineering, has helped develop a critical network of radar systems for deployment across the country, including a system being tested on tornado alley in Oklahoma. Chandra has been a key CSU player in the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, or CASA – an Engineering Research Center that is developing the network. He is the leader of the sensing thrust of the project and also the deputy director for CASA. He is the co-principal investigator for the CSU-CHILL National Radar facility as well as a member of the remote sensing research team at NASA. To speak with Chandra, contact Emily Wilmsen at Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu or (970) 491-2336.

Drought, Weather Observation and Climate History
State climatologist Nolan Doesken, based at CSU, is available to discuss flooding, drought, weather observation, weather instruments, historical climate data, descriptive climatology, precipitation and seasonal weather patterns. He also can address agricultural, recreational, hydrologic and industrial applications of climate information. Doesken’s 34 years of professional experience in weather research monitoring, data acquisition, analysis and archiving provides him the expertise to address a wide variety of climate-related questions. He can also talk about CoCoRaHS, the statewide volunteer network that improves precipitation monitoring and helps provide detailed drought, water supply and other water decision-making information to municipalities, homeowners, industries, utility providers, resource managers and educators. To speak with Doesken, contact Emily Wilmsen at Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu or (970) 491-2336.

Colorado’s Water – Science, History and Politics
Neil Grigg, civil engineering professor and renowned water resources engineering consultant, can discuss Colorado’s water history, drought management, government water resources planning, Western water management issues, water system infrastructure engineering, flood control and urban water systems management. Grigg recently published "Colorado’s Water: Science and Management, History and Politics," a book that presents long-range views about Colorado’s water issues, including drought. He has authored or co-authored about 200 publications and several other books about water resources engineering and infrastructure. To speak with Grigg, contact Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-2336 or Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu.

Black Bear Behavior
Ken Wilson, head of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, can discuss findings from a recently completed black bear behavior study in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. He can discuss black bear movement and feeding patterns along with human interactions in rural mountain towns such as Aspen. To speak with Wilson, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

National Parks
Peter Newman, associate dean of academics in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources, can talk about balancing use and preservation in national parks and managing visitor use impacts, particularly acoustic impacts. He has found that human-caused sounds and the permeation of noise pollution from aircraft, roads, maintenance activities and visitors make natural sounds and quiet an increasingly scarce resource. In a recent study, visitors to the Bear Lake corridor of Rocky Mountain National Park needed to hike more than a half-mile to find peace and quiet. Newman is a former National Park Service ranger in Yosemite National Park. To speak with Newman, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Health of Colorado’s Forests
Jessica Clement, co-director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, is available to talk about ways to restore or enhance Colorado’s forests, how to reduce wildfire risk while meeting other objectives and generally working toward a vibrant future of forested landscapes in Colorado. The Colorado Forest Restoration Institute was established by Congress to work with state and federal partners and communities to actively restore forest landscape health and reduce the risk of severe wildfires. She can also speak on community forest initiatives, collaborative forest management on any scale and finding ways to explore ecologically, economically and socially desirable conditions for future forests. To speak with Clement, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Wildfire Economics
Douglas Rideout, wildfire economist and director of the WESTFIRE Research Center, can discuss the economics and management of wild and prescribed fires, the wildland-urban interface, strategic analysis and budgeting of fire programs, fuel management and initial attack systems. The center has played a central role in the construction and implementation of the new Fire Program Analysis system that is being implemented nationally to support fire program planning. To speak with Rideout, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Forest Fuel Management
Frederick "Skip" Smith, interim department head of the Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Watershed Stewardship, is available to discuss how forest and fuel management is a key factor in reducing wildland fire risk. To speak with Smith, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Snowmelt and Streamflow
Steven Fassnacht, associate professor of snow hydrology in CSU’s Watershed Science Program, can discuss ongoing analyses of mountain snow characteristics across various portions of the Colorado River basin. Recently he has been involved with fieldwork in Northern Colorado, Southeastern Wyoming and the analysis of snowpack properties in and around the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s snowcourse and snow telemetry stations. To speak with Fassnacht, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Impacts on Water Run-off
Lee MacDonald, professor of land-use hydrology in the Watershed Science Program, can discuss effects of forest management and changes in forest cover, including beetle kill, on run-off (peak flows, low flows and annual water yields) and erosion. He can also discuss the effects of wild and prescribed fires on run-off and erosion, hydrologic recovery and the effectiveness of burned area emergency rehabilitation techniques. To speak with MacDonald, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Galapagos Seabirds and Wildlife Disease Ecology
Kate Huyvaert, assistant professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, can discuss her work on the conservation of the critically endangered Waved Albatross, the only tropical albatross and an endemic to the Galapagos Islands. She can also discuss general seabird biology as well as natural history of the Galapagos Islands. Huyvaert can discuss general aspects of the ecology of diseases in wildlife and, in particular, can discuss projects on blood parasites in tropical forest birds and avian influenza in wild forest birds. To speak with Huyvaert, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Fisheries and Invasive Species
Christopher Myrick, professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, can discuss the implications of an ongoing study on the development and evaluation of fish passage structures (fish ladders) on Colorado’s Front Range. He can discuss the importance of balancing the need for effective stream management for human purposes with the ecological need for connectivity on systems including the St. Vrain River, Boulder Creek and Fountain Creek. Additionally, he can discuss the implications and preliminary results of an ongoing study on the development of passive barriers to the movement of an aquatic nuisance species, the New Zealand mudsnail. The presence of the mudsnail in Boulder Creek has led to the closure of areas to public access; preventing the upstream movement of this species has implications for future management decisions. He also can discuss the potential implications of a recently initiated study on the development of barriers to the upstream movement of the burbot. Burbot, a freshwater fish, were illegally introduced into the Green River system in Wyoming within the last decade, and because of their predatory nature, are a potential threat to both native species and valuable non-native sport fishes. Developing barriers to prevent further range expansions is critical to the preservation of these fisheries. To speak with Myrick, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Rare and Elusive Species/Amphibian Conservation
Larissa Bailey, assistant professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, can discuss ways of estimating species occurrence for rare and elusive species. She also can discuss changes in amphibian populations and potential management solutions, especially for species found in the eastern United States. To speak with Bailey, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Agricultural-related Injuries and Depression
Lorann Stallones, psychology professor and director of the Colorado Injury Control Research Center based at CSU, can talk about agricultural injuries, which are a major problem during the summer months, and depression among agricultural farmers and workers. To speak with Stallones, contact Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-2336 or Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu.

Summer Reading
Several CSU English professors can offer tips and recommendations for summer reading from the latest fiction novels to classic mysteries. To speak with any of the following English professors, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

David Milofsky, Denver novelist and professor of English, can suggest recent fiction.

John Calderazzo and SueEllen Campbell, English professors, can provide summer reading suggestions for creative nonfiction and works related to nature and climate-change.

Ellen Brinks, associate professor of English, is available to offer suggestions on historical fiction for summer reading.

Pattie Cowell, English professor and associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts, can offer recommendations on fiction novels, recent and classic mysteries and literary biographies.

Summer Travel and Foreign Language Experience
Sheri Anderson, Spanish instructor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, is available to offer tips on summer travel and study abroad opportunities as they pertain to language growth and international travel. She says being an internationally minded and traveled person is becoming an important trait in career growth, and she can offer tips on how to be the most efficient in gaining that experience. To speak with Anderson, contact Kimberly Sorensen at (970) 491-0757 or Kimberly.Sorensen@colostate.edu.

Colorado State Forest Service
Colorado State Forest Service experts are available to discuss a variety of topics related to forestry issues and the summer wildfire season. To speak with any of the following CSFS experts, contact Ryan Lockwood at (970) 491-8970 or Ryan.Lockwood@colostate.edu.

Wildfire Risk Reduction/Individual Fire Preparedness
Lisa Mason, CSFS outreach forester, can discuss wildfire mitigation around homes and subdivisions, defensible space, and programs such as Are You FireWise? and Plains FireWise.

Community Wildfire Protection Plans
Judy Serby, CSFS conservation education program manager, can discuss Community Wildfire Protection Plans: what they are, where they have been implemented, how they are created, why they are important and the necessary steps to implement them.

State Firefighting Resources/Fire Suppression
Rich Homann, CSFS fire division supervisor, can talk about the state’s engine crews and other firefighting resources and how they’re positioned throughout the state to assist local resources in suppressing wildfires during initial attack.

Bark Beetles/Forest Insect and Disease Issues
Sky Stephens, CSFS forest entomologist, can discuss bark beetles, the importance of keeping bug-infested firewood out of Colorado, the CSFS annual aerial survey of insect and disease activity in Colorado and other forest insect and disease issues.

Bark Beetle Mitigation Options
Ron Cousineau and John Twitchell, CSFS district foresters, can discuss forest management related to mitigating the spread of and damage from bark beetles, including tactics to protect healthy trees, improve overall forest health and reduce the risk of falling tree hazards.

Environmental and Forest Education
Shawna Crocker, CSFS assistant staff forester, can discuss environmental education, Project Learning Tree and forest education.

Forest Management/Forest Restoration Grants
Joe Duda, CSFS forest management division supervisor, can discuss broad forest management topics such as the statewide forest resource assessment and strategy and CSFS goals to create more resilient future forests in Colorado. Duda also can discuss projects funded by the Colorado Forest Restoration Pilot grant program, established to develop and implement forest restoration projects that protect critical water supplies and address related forest health challenges such as wildfire risk reduction, community protection, ecological restoration and use of woody biomass.

Woody Biomass Use/Wood Products Industry
Timothy Reader, CSFS utilization and marketing forester, can talk about Colorado’s forest product markets, the use of woody biomass, biomass energy applications and lumber-quality issues.

Seedling Tree Program
Randy Moench, CSFS nursery manager, can talk about the state’s seedling tree program, seedling uses (i.e., forest restoration and the creation of windbreaks), requirements to qualify for low-cost seedling trees, tree planting tips and how landowners can apply for and obtain seedlings from the CSFS.

Community Forestry
Keith Wood and Vince Urbina, CSFS north and south area community foresters, respectively, can talk about urban and community forestry topics such as tree pruning, tree planting and dealing with storm-damaged trees as well as arboriculture and the Colorado Tree Coalition.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds
Kathryn Hardgrave, outreach coordinator for the CSFS American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, can talk about forestry projects funded by ARRA grants that are starting or nearing completion. The CSFS awarded $10.7 million in much-needed economic stimulus funds to 15 organizations and businesses that will create or retain more than 200 forestry-related jobs in Colorado between last year and Sept. 30, 2011.

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