University of California, Davis
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

UC Davis has many partnerships with the local community. A representative sampling of the sustainability-related partnerships are: Participation with local government and citizen groups through the City of Davis Climate Action Team, Valley Climate Action Center, and Yolo County Climate Compact to share faculty and staff expertise and work together towards solutions. The UC Davis Arboretum and California Center for Urban Horticulture partnership to work with commercial nurseries to bring tested, reliable, easy-to-grow, water-conserving, heat-tolerant plants, the Arboretum All-Stars, to major retailers. The choices include both native plant species and adaptable non-natives, many selected for their value to birds, beneficial insects, and other native pollinators. Protection of Putah Creek through the Solano Project water settlement, which brought consistent water supplies back to a local stream in order to ensure viable habitat for salmon that use the stream for a spawning ground. Protection of open space through participating in the Kidwell exchange, which entailed purchase of land adjacent to Interstate 80 to keep it in farmland instead of commercial development; and through the Russell Ranch Habitat Mitigation Area and Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, including participating in the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Council. Stewardship of regional water supplies through participation and chairing of the Water Resources Association of Yolo County, which produced an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan.