California Drought Watch
Although water is in short supply, UC Davis' expertise in water-related issues is not. California Drought Watch brings together the university's globally renowned resources in water sciences, management, law and agriculture to ensure that policymakers and the general public have access to the knowledge, research and technologies that are crucial to addressing the challenge of the state's drought.
Visitors to the site will find the latest drought research and news headlines, as well as drought management tools from UC Davis experts and water organizations throughout the state. They will discover how UC Davis is cutting back on water consumption, learn about upcoming events like the April 25 Drought Summit, and find out how to reach UC Davis' top experts in drought and water management.
“Policymakers and the public need to see, not just be told, that UC Davis is a go-to place on drought,” said Jay Lund, director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. “This site should help draw tighter the wide range of work done on drought and related subjects from all across the campus.”
Visit California Drought Watch.
Farmer and Rancher Voices from the Drought
Over the sound of bleating sheep and singing birds, Dan Macon describes how the current drought has affected his sheep ranch, Flying Mule Farm, in the Sierra Nevada foothills: “This is the driest of three dry years in a row for us … Over the last three years, we've reduced the size of our flock by half. Because we've reduced the size of our flock, I have taken a part-time job and will probably take a second part-time job this spring.”
His is one of several audio stories compiled as part of Farmer and Rancher Voices from the Drought.
A team of UC researchers began the project this spring. Led by Ken Tate, UC Davis professor of plant sciences and rangeland watershed specialist in Cooperative Extension, they use digital tools to capture the voices of farming and ranching families who are battling the worst drought of their careers.
Each week, the team posts new tracks to SoundCloud — an audio-streaming service and social network where users can upload, record and share tracks they create. Friends, loved ones and colleagues of ranchers and farmers are also invited to interview them and post tracks to the SoundCloud group page. Several of the farmers and ranchers share practices that have worked for them so that others struggling with the drought can better cope.
Members of the state's farming and ranching community also share stories, photos and comments at the project's Facebook group page.
The project was inspired by Caroline Henderson's “Letters from the Dust Bowl,” which documented the voices of farmers and ranchers leaving dust-covered Oklahoma in the 1930s in search of a better life in California.
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