If you stay abreast of water media you may be familiar with Dr. Mary Lusk
from handy insight on reclaimed water in Florida and topical research on septic system pollutants. You may also recognize Dr. Lusk as the UF/IFAS Water Regional
Specialized Agent for the South Central District. This spring during the Urban Landscape Summit, Dr. Lusk agreed to speak with IrriGator for our on-going series featuring Water RSAs and their districts.
What drew you to the Water RSA position?
ML: I really like that it combines science with
communication to the public. To me Extension is just the perfect job because
you’re taking scientific information and you’re conveying that to the public. I
love that combination. It’s the best of all worlds to me: science and
communication.
What are the critical water issues in the South Central
District?
ML: My district is a mixed bag. We definitely have a lot of
urban land with the Tampa/St. Pete area, and the Sarasota, Port Charlotte and
Naples areas. We also have huge amounts of ag in this district. We have
strawberry and vegetable row crops in the Hillsborough County area - all the row
crops in the Immokalee area. I really have to wear two hats between the urban
and ag world.
If you had to focus on one issue as being most important,
it’s probably nutrient storage. We have a lot of water bodies that are impaired
because of excess nutrients. What I focus a lot on is ways to get the message
out of things we can do to reduce our nutrient footprint, reduce that transport
of nutrients from land, whether it’s urban or agricultural, to the water.
Dr @UF_MaryLusk led a team to write longest article in "Critical Reviews in ES&T" on septic systems pollutants." https://t.co/n9YBw0YNLf— Gurpal Toor (@ToorUMD) May 19, 2017
Do you consider your first year as an RSA a success?
ML: I feel like this past year has been a success. I’ve seen
firsthand the issues. I know who the players are. I’ve met so many people at
agencies like DEP, FDACS, the water management districts. I’ve learned who the
people are and what they’re working on, what’s important to them and by default
learned what’s important to Florida. Now that I have this information I feel
that I’m ready to go, ready to start tackling some of those problems.
How do you feel having a digital presence on Twitter
benefits you and your work?
ML: I really was looking for ways to just expand my reach,
reach those folks that I don’t see face to face, perhaps I’ve never met, but
folks who are out there looking for this information. Expand my reach. That to
me is great. The more people we can get in touch with, all the better.
