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Updates for government notices, Things to do, Artists, General things

Thursday, August 1, 2019 - 12:00pm
not Necessarily the view of this paper/ outlet

We, at the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP), have a number of announcements for August:

First, we are pleased to announce the release of a new research and policy brief titled Utah Women in STEM Education: A 2019 Update. It was authored by Drs. Cheryl Hanewicz and Susan Thackeray (Utah Valley University) and focuses on any changes over the past five years in terms of Utah women graduating with STEM degrees.

Second, our first Utah Women’s Leadership Speaker & Dialogue Series free event of the academic year is titled, “Make a Stronger Impact in Utah & Beyond: Unleash Your Power as Women to Do Good!” It will be held on Wednesday, September 25 (6:30-8:30pm) at UVU (live streaming available too). Carine Clark, four-time president and CEO of high-growth tech companies, will give a short keynote, and then attendees can attend one of three workshops:

  • Leveraging Social Media to Do Good: What, Where, and How (great one for teens/all ages)
  • Community Advocacy Training for Utah Women
  • Use Your Voice: Tips and Opportunities to Write, Speak, and Impact More Powerfully

Check out our flyer for details on presenters and more information about the sessions. You can RSVP online now! Thanks to our three premier sponsors for our community events this year: Squire, L3Harris, and MX.

Third, we highlight two resources that may be of interest to you:

Fourth, on October 9 (7:30-10:30am), we’ll be hosting an event titled “Designing Corporate Women’s Networks, Initiatives, and Leadership Programs: A Research-Based Workshop” (see link for cost/details). This gathering is designed specifically for company representatives who are interested in creating, designing, developing, or restructuring women’s networks, groups, programs, and/or other initiatives in their organizations. Thanks to SolutionReach and eBay for their sponsorship.

Fifth, here are some important events that our partners are hosting:

  • Aug. 15-16: YWCA’s Second Annual Utah Women’s Policy Conference (Trolley Square, SLC, Registration)
  • Aug. 27: WLI’s 4th Annual Women's Golf Clinic & Tournament (7:00am, Registration)
  • Sept. 5-Oct 3: Advocacy Bootcamp: How to Turn your Passion into Advocacy (YWCA, SLC, Registration)
  • Sept. 6: "Salute to Women Leaders" at the Utah Royals game versus the Portland Thorns (BBQ, game, keynote)
  • Sept. 13: YWCA Leader Luncheon, with keynote speaker Valarie Kaur, a civil rights activist, award-winning filmmaker, lawyer, faith leader, author, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project (SLC, Registration)

Finally, check out the following editorials and articles:

  • A Mother’s Influence on Her Daughter’s Body Image (LinkedIn)
  • A Decade of Progress for Women in Utah (Utah Business)
  • A New Economic Reality (Zip Code Economies #4 Podcast, Federal Reserve)
  • Commentary: Having Daughters is a Game-Changer for Men's Attitudes toward Women (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Guest Opinion: What Fathers Can Do to Help Their Daughters (Daily Herald)
  • Women, Hardships, and Calling (LinkedIn)
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    Press Release

     

    USDA Releases Proposed Amendments to Greater Sage Grouse Land Management Plans

     

     

    (WASHINGTON – August 1, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service proposed changes to how the agency manages greater sage grouse in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah after hearing concerns from states and land users. The changes strive to improve the clarity, efficiency, and implementation of the current sage grouse plans.

     

    “The Forest Service continues to promote our multiple use mission while ensuring conservation of greater sage grouse habitat,” Secretary Perdue said. “We are sharing the stewardship of the lands with western state governors – their extensive participation throughout this process was the key to landscape-scale conservation that aligns our policies and practices across local, state, and federal jurisdictions.”

     

    The Forest Service published the final environmental impact statement in the Federal Register, and the objection period will last 60 days from the date of the publication of the notice of availability. After considering objections, the Forest Service intends to continue the planning process by issuing a final decision document regarding the revised plan amendments in the fall of 2019.

     

    Background:

    Greater sage grouse populations have been impacted by a variety of threats including the loss of habitat from wildfire and the spread of invasive weeds like cheat grass. In 2015, the USDA’s Forest Service, along with the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, amended land management plans in an attempt to address threats and improve habitat conservation for greater sage grouse.

     

    Stakeholders have since raised concerns that the 2015 plans would impact economic growth and did not align with conservation plans laid out by the states. To address these concerns, USDA engaged in an historic collaboration effort to build partnerships between state and local governments, ranchers, universities, non-profit groups, and businesses in order to better align changes to the 2015 plans with stakeholder knowledge.

     

    USDA applied lessons-learned and concerns voiced by a diverse set of stakeholders, including grazers and other land users, in the 2019 proposed changes. The 2019 plans have been adapted to take into account site-specific conditions to ensure ranchers, permittees, and industry can adapt to their local conditions rather than be forced to conform to a one-size-fits-all, national approach.

     

    Key Changes:

    • The 2019 plans allow for greater flexibility and local control of conservation and management actions related to sage grouse, ensuring that we can both conserve the habitat and enable grazers to maintain their livelihood. USDA has revised grazing guidelines to shift from rigid, prescriptive standards to common sense, locally-driven strategies.
    • The 2019 plans align state and federal conservation standards, so ranchers and other land users have one set of standards instead of dealing with multiple, complex layers of restrictions. The new changes also align mitigation options with state-based systems so mitigation strategies on how to ensure no net-loss of habitat are locally supported, not a one-size-fits-all standard.
    • The 2019 plans maintain the goal of preventing any net-loss to critical sage grouse habitat, but no longer require the unreasonable standard that every action increase conservation. This enables local stakeholders to determine what strategies to implement where and how while still conserving sage grouse habitat.
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    • In a new interview with CMRubinWorld, Founder of PenPal Schools Joe Troyen of PenPal says teachers want to collaborate, create, and deepen learning experiences on a global scale.

      NEW YORK (PRWEB) JULY 30, 2019

      Globalization has arrived. Are schools prepared for it? How can Technology help? 

      Joe Troyen is the Founder of PenPal Schools, an organization that connects over 300,000 students from 150 countries to learn together through collaborative online projects. “Teachers used to be interested in connecting globally to bring more global awareness into their classroom, but now teachers are more excited about connecting globally to collaborate, create, and deepen the learning experience for students,” says Troyen. The learning supported by the PenPal platform goes beyond communication skills such as reading and writing to digital citizenship and social and emotional skills. Troyen says that teachers now see the value of global connections for subjects such as science and math. 

      To date, PenPal Schools has connected 326,000 students from over 8,000 schools in 150 different countries. A big challenge for the initiative was school administrator buy-in. “When principals just hear the name and don’t take a closer look, they may not think it’s worth the class time. That’s why we’ve really made learning the focus of everything and aligned all content to academic standards,” explains Troyen.

      Read the full article here

      Joe Troyen is the Founder and CEO of PenPal Schools. PenPal schools was created in 2011 and allows students from over 150 countries to learn together online. The organization has been recognized by President Obama as one of the world’s leading social organizations. 

      CMRubinWorld’s award-winning series, The Global Search for Education, brings together distinguished thought leaders in education and innovation from around the world to explore the key learning issues faced by most nations. The series has become a highly visible platform for global discourse on 21st century learning, offering a diverse range of innovative ideas which are presented by the series founder, C. M. Rubin, together with the world’s leading thinkers. 

      For more information on CMRubinWorld

      Follow @CMRubinWorld on Twitter 

      Contact Information: 

      David Wine 
      David(at)cmrubinworld(dot)com

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      Press Release

       

      Secretary Perdue Statement on Labor Agreement with Guatemala

       

      (Washington, D.C., August 1, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today applauded the Department of Labor and Guatemala on the signing of an agreement to improve H-2A visa program operations. Secretary Perdue issued the following statement:

       

      “Our farmers and ranchers are the most productive in the world, and they want to obey immigration law. This move by the United States and Guatemala will allow for greater cooperation and will safeguard against disturbances in the H-2A visa program by protecting workers from illegal recruitment activity, providing our farmers with a stable, legal workforce. President Trump is dedicated to securing our borders while continuing to support America’s farmers and ranchers. The signing of this agreement with Guatemala further solidifies our partnership and engagement with our neighbors and commitment to solving the humanitarian crisis at our southern border.”