Water and the Florida Public

At IrriGator we invest considerable time and resources into communicating research-based information on water-use and water management. Rare, however, is the opportunity to gauge how the public is receiving and digesting these efforts. Enter the UF/IFAS PIE Center’s annual Public Opinion of Water in Florida survey.

Gleanings

The Center’s survey polled 749 Florida residents on a number of water-related topics. The ensuing report paints a helpful picture about what the public knows and doesn't know and where messaging and communication can be improved or adjusted.  A sample of these findings include: 

• Water ranks 3rd, below health care and the economy, on a priority list of those surveyed
• Few of those surveyed felt water quality was getting better in any of Florida's water bodies
• 85% of those surveyed indicated they were likely/very likely to pay attention to a water news item
• 72% of those surveyed are willing to pay more for their water bills if it would ensure adequate water resources for Florida's future

When the chips are down

"I think the public generally understands

 water conservation when they are affected by it. 

That is, when they don’t have enough water, 

the importance hits home. Those affected 

by the drought in California right now 

would be a good example."

-Dr. Michael Dukes

In a recent interview for Landscape Management, Dr. Michael Dukes, director of the UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, addresses some aspects of successful water communication. Namely, context counts. When water scarcity is a factor, the public is generally more receptive to messaging. And in drought circumstances conservation messaging tends to saturate the media. 

Knowing what we don't know about what you think you know about water: an infographic

Further, Dr. Dukes also notes how the development of a water efficient ethic within the Green Industry coincided with implementation of water conserving programs, devices and codes at both the manufacturing and agency levels. There are advantages to being able to communicate important information from a non-crisis position.

Teachables

As someone whose work encompasses Extension and communication, the most useful gems among the Center’s survey results are Figure 33 and Figure 35. 

Extension? What's that? (courtesy: Public Opinions of Water in Florida)

For me, Fig. 33 (above) confirms the shortcomings of engaging the public by way of what are often understaffed, inadequately resourced and marginal channels throughout the state. On the other hand, Fig. 35 (below) is fraught with possibility, suggesting an accessible audience consuming content online - a multimedia platform today’s educators are well-versed in utilizing. 

See you on the interwebs (courtesy: Public Opinions of Water in Florida)

In a great article addressing the water survey, Jenny Adler of the UF Water Institute said it best: “We are given an incredible opportunity (which will also be a challenge) to share current water research and knowledge about water issues through these identified outlets.”

Webinars
The PIE Center recently hosted a webinar on water issues and the implications for agriculture featuring Dr. Kati Migliaccio and Dr. Alexa Lamm. View the webinar here.

The PIE Center recently hosted a webinar featuring Dr. Michael Dukes addressing the landscape water use aspects of the survey. View the webinar here.

Polk County: If You’re Into Water, You’ll Love “Living at the Lakes”

Living at the Lakes (LAtL) is a program offered in Polk County, Florida, by Lakes Education/Action Drive (LE/AD) and UF IFAS Extension Polk County. Live on or near a lake? Use lakes frequently for recreation? Interested in learning more about our local hydrology? Then LAtL is for you!

Living at the Lakes is a free program offered twice a year, three sessions at a time. Each session has a unique theme and includes a short presentation and ample time for audience questions and discussion.

Reserve your spot

Staying Informed

LAtL presentations are structured around frequently asked questions, such as:

• Why is my lake green?
• Do plants attract snakes?
• Is algae bad for the environment?
• What kind of bird is this?
• Are alligators dangerous?

Because lakes!

In addition to presentations, several utilities and governmental agencies set up booths to share additional information on water conservation, invasive plants, wildlife, and Florida-Friendly Landscaping™.

Read the flier and register today

You Are Invited

Living at the Lakes is currently scheduled for March 3, 5, and 10, from 6-8pm at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland. If you are interested in attending, register here. The agenda currently includes presentations on:

• March 3
• Know the Flow! An Introduction to Water in Central Florida
• How Rain Gardens Help with Water Quality

• 
  
• March 5
• Why is my Lake Green? An Introduction to Water Quality Issues
• Fish Facts
• 
  
• March 10
• Lake Water Quality: We’re All To Blame, We All Can Help
• The Importance of Lakefront Vegetation

See you there!

About the author:

Shannon Carnevale is the Natural Resources Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County – working on educational programming related to Polk County’s natural resources and environment.

Engage. Communicate. Educate: Bringing Extension Into the Digital Age

UF/IFAS Extension Agents and Master Gardeners recently attended an in-service training focused on learning social media basics and getting hands-on time with several UF/IFAS apps. The IrriGator project also took center stage in both website and blog form.

The IrriGator Project: All irrigation. All the time. All across FL. 

Knowledge on-the-go

What do weather, horticulture and irrigation have in common? UF/IFAS has apps for those! My FL Farm Weather keeps growers attuned to weather information from across the state. FL Gardening Solutions lets the user create a virtual garden, and then periodically push notifies handy information about garden plants for care and maintenance. 

What's cooking? Smart irrigation!

Smartirrigation Turf is like having a weather-based controller on your mobile device. The user creates an irrigation system, programming geographic information and system parameters, and then the app does all the work – push notifying irrigation scheduling adjustments based on details about the local weather and your system.

Sharing is caring

As a means for promoting projects and expanding the reach of educational content, social media platforms can be very useful for Extension Agents. 

Orange County Extension's Jennifer Pelham defines the terms.

Training attendees learned the ABCs of Twitter, with many live-tweeting during the event using #waterIST. Then IFAS Communications’ Social Media Manager Tiffani Stephenson talked about how to manage a social account successfully and the benefits of “official account” status. She also shared her top 5 Twitter tips for Extension Agents.

This is a call…

A training is valuable insofar as it prepares you to put a useful skill into practice. Training attendees whom braved the hours to the event's conclusion enjoyed a spirited presentation on blogging. 

...and by spirited I mean there were bunnies

The takeaway: blogs offer an opportunity to share and educate in detail about your field of expertise. And because the web is teeming with great content to help make your posts as polished and engaging as possible, there’s no reason to not get in the game.

Fire up those phablets

Initiate your own platform or benefit from IrriGator’s existing infrastructure and editorial guidance. Extension Agents are invited to contribute water-related content to IrriGator! Contact Kati Migliaccio with an article pitch or to claim a publishing date.

Cynthia Barnett and the Craft of Environmental Journalism

If you have water on the brain 24/7 like us here at IrriGator you know very well that renowned author/journalist Cynthia Barnett joined UF’s College of Journalism and Communications this year as a Hearst Visiting Professional. Author of the water-focused classics Mirage and Blue Revolution, Ms. Barnett is teaching two Environmental Journalism courses this semester and, as chance would have it, we’re enrolled in both.

Cynthia Barnett and Mackenzie Boyer: listen to the interview below 

Learning from the Pros

I should clarify. Graduate student Mackenzie Boyer is enrolled in both courses. I’m only taking part in the hour-long survey course. Nevertheless, our objective is the same: dive into sundry works of environmental journalism with an expert guide to learn about effective communication techniques.

The Interview

Recently, Cynthia Barnett was kind enough to grant IrriGator a short interview. We were interested in Ms. Barnett’s thoughts on and approach to this new teaching venture as well as her highly anticipated new book, and she more than satisfied our curiosity. Special thanks to Mackenzie Boyer who put on her reporter’s hat to capture this audio.

Hot tip: if you live in North Florida, clear your calendar for April 26^th. This is when the book release celebration for Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History takes place in Gainesville. Listen above for further details.

Apps in Agriculture: Perfecting the New Avocado Smart Irrigation App

One of the newest additions among the SmartIrrigation Apps to be released by UF IFAS is for avocado. Commercial production of avocados in Florida is primarily centered in Miami-Dade County - approximately 7,400 acres (Fig. 1). Read more about avocados in this EDIS article.

Bells and whistles

The avocado smart irrigation app has some special features to accommodate for the different varieties and needs of avocado growers in Florida. One unique feature is an emailed output with irrigation scheduling information (Fig. 2).

System	Zone	Irrigation type	Irrigation days	Irrigation time (hours)	Irrigation time (minutes)	Irrigation amount (in)	Last 7 days rainfall (in)
Trec Grove	West	Micro sprinkler	Monday Wednesday Friday	0	15	0.2	0

Fig. 2. Example of output emailed from the app to the user

Further, the app can be used with overhead solid set and microsprinkler irrigation systems. Microsprinklers provide targeted irrigation which is more efficient than solid set (Fig. 3). However, many growers use solid set not only for irrigation but also for cold protection (Fig. 4).

Fig. 3. Microsprinkler irrigation in an avocado orchard.

Fig. 4. Overhead solid-set irrigation in action.

The app uses real-time FAWN data for determining the irrigation schedules (Fig. 5). 

Fig 5. Screenshot of the avocado app's generated irrigation schedule.

In trial phase

We are currently testing the app at the UF IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center and on a local grower’s field in Homestead, FL. Anyone interested in being an app tester should contact Dr. Kati Migliaccio (klwhite@ufl.edu). The app is slated for release in April 2015.

Fig. 6. Deanroy, Armando, and Tina working to install the field study in an avocado orchard in Homestead, FL (January 2015).

This project is being conducted by Dr. Migliaccio’s group. Mr. Deanroy Mbabazi is leading this effort as part of his MS research.

About the author:

Mr. Mbabazi is a graduate student in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. His research interests are in irrigation, hydrological systems modeling, water quality, water conservation, surface-vadose zone- groundwater hydrology, and solute and contaminant transport.

2014: A Year In Review

On the occasion of the final week of 2014, it’s only fitting that we should take a look back at the past year’s work. Here then is a reflection on some of the more notable events and how they may or may not portend things to come – entirely from my perspective.

A blog is born
The year began auspiciously enough with the initiation of this irriGator blog. On orders of "do the same thing you’ve been doing, but differently," I packed up my wares from my previous writing home in the interweb’s lost recesses and set about writing/editing here. 

Design notwithstanding, this blog has developed considerably this year. We featured one notable guest author (fresh from a national victory) and slowly began integrating entries summarizing recently published research pertaining to irrigation and water conservation (the latter's popularity exemplifying the utility of the blog format). Expect more of this in 2015 as we feature more guest authors, more research, and the thrilling conclusion of the soil moisture sensor “water-saving” saga.

The Unit turns 1
One notable event in 2014 was the Landscape Unit research site celebrating one year in operation. We marked the occasion over the summer by adding a final flourish to the site: warm-season turfgrass. 

St. Augustine, centipede, zoysia and bahia were added – the latter species as demonstration, and St. Augustine as a critical part of the research plots comparing Florida-Friendly (FFL) and traditional landscape designs.

Click here to view some of my field images…and see ongoing Landscape Unit research data.

While one project was just getting started, another study we endearingly referred to as the “strawberry project” came to a close following three years of winter plantings and frost protection irrigation work. 

The wet, wild winter that spanned Jan./Feb. made for some sloppy harvest days and constant battles with fungus and pests. Nevertheless, the research did generate some insight as to how lowering spray head pressures can reduce water-use without affecting fruit yield.

Roll camera
In addition to the blog, the irriGator project’s video arm also picked up steam in 2014. We produced 13 videos on water-use topics as wide-ranging as soil-water retention curves, methods for using ET in Ag irrigation and, as a matter of fact, why do we even irrigate?

The latter production coincided with this year’s Water Institute Symposium at UF and provided a perfect opportunity to approach disparate experts and capture their insight into why we irrigate. 

What motivates irrigation according to author/journalist Cynthia Barnett? Watch the video and find out! 

One video, about the parts that comprise a typical residential irrigation system, stood out from all the others this year when it was selected by water blogger Alan Harris for his annual Labor Day Tribute to water management workers nationwide.

Meanwhile, in Miami…
In addition to my irriGator hat, I also continue producing visual media for Miami-Dade’s Urban Conservation Unit (UCU). 2014 started off with a bang for us with a video about industry certification that was shared by peers from coast-to-coast. Why certification? When you evaluate irrigation systems (and new system installs) daily, you gain an appreciation for craftsmanship. Industry certification helps set a standard in quality while also bringing the lazy and/or ill-equipped in our industry into stark relief.  

Some intriguing video topics fell into our lap this year. Our tree-planting allies at Citizens for a Better South Florida began work on a project to revive a 20s era underground cistern on their property and we were happy to chronicle this effort over two chapters (1 and 2). In 2015 we hope to capture the culmination of lots of work when the cistern goes online to help water their demonstration FFL garden.

And on other occasions we used context to our advantage. Such was the case in April when all of Miami celebrates National Poetry Month and we gathered some area friends and put image to verse to join the festivities.

Considering all our shorts and micro-shorts, we produced 15 videos this year. In the final weeks of December, we began photography on two new productions. 2015 here we come!

#futurevideo: a community garden in Florida City, FL.

To tweet, perchance to dream

I also had the opportunity to attend the irrigation industry’s biggest conferences this fall: WaterSmart Innovations and the Irrigation Show and Education Conference. These conferences provide great opportunities to revisit with colleagues, stay updated on new developments in research and technology and tweet up a storm. And tweet I did.

Notable moment: Dr. Michael Dukes accepts the Irrigation Foundation's Excellence in Education Award in Phoenix, AZ.

In fact, this year my social media experience opened several new doors. I was invited by the Graduate Student Professional Development Committee in our department (Ag and Bio Engineering) to present on the effective use of social media. And as fall semester came to a close the committee invited me back to organize a workshop on video editing.

Always add a QR code for good measure

Both of these topics are increasingly relevant in our mobile, social world where one's professional presence and accessibility needs to extend from the physical to the digital. UF/IFAS is certainly embracing this reality. One 2015 event we're already planning for is an in-service training for Extension Agents exploring both social media and mobile apps and how facility with these tools can complement a program’s outreach and public profile.

2015? Let's get it
At the same time we continue using every venue and opportunity within our reach to get the message out about water-use efficiency and conservation. To that end, look for the UCU next month on national twitter discussion #landscapechat. 

We’ve been invited to highlight all the good work Miami-Dade and UF/IFAS are doing to help everyone save water and make informed decisions when managing their landscape.

About the author: 

Michael Gutierrez is a water resources 
technician with UF/IFAS in the Ag & Bio 
Engineering Dept. He tweets, blogs and 
also shoots still and video media in South 
Florida, Gainesville and anywhere else a 
camera is handy. (image: Michael Dukes)

Extension Programs in a Mobile and Social World

In January, the Orange County Extension Office will host “Water Conservation On-the-Go,” an in-service training (IST) for UF/IFAS Extension Agents. Attendees will learn to use mobile apps for irrigation and then get familiar with how social media can enhance Extension program outreach.

Get in on the action! Courtesy: Media Bistro

The interweb never sleeps

As an Extension Agent, what’s the advantage of putting yourself or your program on social media? Well, your client-base, peers, academic institution, and industry partners are all on social media. So why not you and your expert insight?

Who remembers #IFASDay 2013? 

A digital presence can only enhance your program's accessibility and profile, as well as that of any promotional or educational content you generate. Even if you find your clients are mostly face-to-face or phone people, a well-managed social media presence makes you and your program available to the wider world 24/7, 365, with minimal demand on your time. This IST will train on the Twitter platform and set-up accounts for attendees.

There’s an app for that
With the prevalence of smart phones, tablets and phablets, most everyone is obtaining their information immediately, wirelessly and via touchscreen. UF/IFAS is meeting this trend head-on with a bevy of mobile apps on a variety of research topics.

Get to know a host of UF/IFAS mobile apps

Mobile apps combine the latest technology with years of research and data to engage new and existing audiences in an accessible way. This IST will introduce and train on a gardening app, a weather app for use in agriculture and a smart irrigation app for turf.

You are invited
The “Water Conservation On-the-Go” in-service training takes place: 

• Tuesday, January 27 
• Orange County Extension Office 
• See the agenda here.
• Sign up here. 

Twitter accounts will be set-up for interested attendees, so bring your favorite head shots or program/field images on a USB drive for use in account design. 

 For additional information contact: Jennifer Pelham or Kati Migliaccio.