March 21, 2003 News Releases
Released 3/20/03
EXTENSION
CENTRALIZES DISASTER RESOURCES
LOGAN — In response to disaster and biosecurity threats
that cross many state boundaries, Extension Services has launched
a collaborative Web site to pool disaster related information.
According to Leona Hawks, Utah State University Extension housing
specialist, the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN)
http//www.lsuagcenter.com/
eden/ is a collaborative multi-state effort by land-grant universities
across the country to improve the delivery of services to citizens
affected by disasters. The site is designed to serve Extension
agents, educators and citizens by providing access to resources
on disaster preparedness, recovery and mitigation.
As Utah’s land-grant university, Utah State is part of
the network that addresses emergencies and threats such as grasshoppers
and Mormon crickets, West Nile virus, exotic Newcastle disease,
drought and wildfires, Hawks said.
Right now there is a wealth of information on Homeland Security
and preparedness, she said.
Go to http//www.lsuagcenter.com/eden/
March 20, 2003
Writer: Dennis Hinkamp 435-797-1392
Contact: Leona Hawks 435-797-1529
WINNERS OF 2003
UTAH STATE CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST ANNOUNCED
LOGAN — Winners of the 2003 Utah State University Creative
Writing Contest have been announced by contest director Marina
Hall. The contest is a university-wide competition supported
by the Department of English, the Associated Students of USU
and the Honors Program.
“We had a record number of entries this year,” Hall
said. “Students from every college at Utah State University
participated.”
Winners’ major areas of study included American studies,
biology, English, geography, journalism and psychology.
The winners and their categories are as follows:
Undergraduate Fiction: first place, Val Bradley; second place,
Steve Davidson; third place, Joanna Hooste. Graduate Fiction:
first place, Joshua Alan Terry; second place, Denice Turner;
third place, Sheldon Lawrence.
Undergraduate Poetry: first place, Jerry VanIeperen; second
place, Nicole Warenski; third place, Marty Northrip. Graduate
Poetry: first place, Alison Scoville; second place, Callie Bunderson
Ngaluafe; third place, Leslie Brown.
Undergraduate Essay: first place, Steve Davidson; second place,
Marisa L. Feinstein; third place, Jennifer M. Carroll. Graduate
Essay: first place, Susan B. Anderson; second place, John Engler;
third place, Sheldon Lawrence.
The full panel of judges also selected Scoville’s first
place grad poetry entry as “best in contest.” Scoville
will receive the Adrienne Platero Creative Writing Award.
Contest interns Amanda Cutting and Kandus Linde are currently
updating both the contest Web site and print publication, “Scribendi.”
Winning submissions will soon be posted on the site, which can
be accessed via a link on the Department of English Web site,
http://websites.usu.edu/english/.
A reception and reading of first-place entries is Thursday,
April 3, at 7 p.m. in the Utah State Haight Alumni Center. Refreshments
will be served at this free event, and everyone is invited.
For more information, contact Hall at (435) 797-3858 or mhall@english.usu.edu
March 20, 2003
Contact: Marina Hall (435) 797-3858
HERE'S TO
YOUR HEATH!
LOGAN — Many people pride themselves on their names
and the number of famous or important people among their relatives,
said Jerry Goodspeed, Utah State University Extension horticulturist.
“I, on the other hand, have often felt like the fewer
relatives drawing attention to themselves, the better.”
“Some plants also have large families. In the Intermountain
area, there is one plant that belongs to a very large family,
though the plant itself gets little recognition. Pink or Darley
heath (Erica x darleyensis) is in bloom right now, and has been
blooming since the middle of January in my yard,” Goodspeed
said.
The heath family contains more than 3,000 species. This family
also has some famous members. The most well-known are rhododendrons
and azaleas.
“My favorite relatives of spring heath are blueberries
and huckleberries,” Goodspeed said. “Rhododendrons
are pretty, but they do not work well in a pie.”
The name “heath” commonly refers to uncultivated
ground that is typically moist and covered with low shrubs,
Goodspeed said. Many of the plants belonging to the heath family
thrive in bog-type conditions where the soil is acidic and high
in organic matter. Since these plants enjoy acidic soil, most
of them avoid Utah's alkaline soil and dry winters at all costs.
However, pink heath and a couple of others actually survive
in our soil, and bloom despite our cold, dry winters.
“As mentioned, pink heath blooms very early,” Goodspeed
said. “Mine started blooming during a warm spell in January
and still looks beautiful. This type of heath prefers a well-drained,
high-organic soil, but can grow in almost any soil in our area.
I have seen it thrive on the west side in a high water table
soil, and on the benches in sandy, rocky ground. It requires
minimal care, and I often recommend it where a low-growing,
flowering shrub is needed.”
Pink heath usually provides the first flower in the garden.
This small, slow-growing evergreen shrub reaches no more than
a foot or two in height. It is excellent for low borders, as
a filler or under-story plant or for an early accent in a flower
and shrub bed. If it is planted thick enough, it may also be
used as a groundcover. When mature, it can spread over three
feet in diameter, he said.
This plant can bloom from January through April, which is one
of the longest bloom periods of any shrub. The blooms can be
purple or light pink to white. It grows best in a full-sun location
with some afternoon shade, Goodspeed noted.
Several varieties of heath are available locally. The most popular
is Mediterranean pink (Erica x darleyensis ëMediterranean
Pinkí). A pink to purple-colored variety is purple heath
(E. x d. ëAtropurpureaí). If a gardener is looking
for a white variety, they could choose between White bell heath
(E. x d. ëSilberschmeizeí) and Mediterranean white
(E. x d. ëMediterranean Whiteí). Goodspeed recommends
the pink varieties over the white because they bloom a little
better, he said.
“These shrubs all bring early color into the landscape,”
Goodspeed concluded.
“Just remember, though, do not invite any of their relatives
over. Although some are beautiful and others are delicious,
they are such fussy guests while trying to live here in Utah
that they usually are not worth the trouble.”
March 20, 2003
Writer: Julene Reese, 435-797-1363
Contact: Jerry L. Goodspeed, 801-392-8908
ASK A SPECIALIST:
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RAISE A CHILD?
It comes as no surprise that it is expensive to raise a child,
and that the cost is ever increasing. Consider the following
information to see if you are financially prepared.
According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
a middle-income family (making $39,600 to $66,600 a year before
taxes) living in the urban West will spend $186,720 to raise
a child born in 2001 to age 18.
Child raising costs in the urban West are higher than the rest
of the country, primarily because housing is more expensive.
Thus, the average cost in the United States for a middle-income
family to raise a child born in 2001 to age 18 was estimated
at $170,460.
These estimates are contained in a report issued annually by
the USDA titled, “Expenditures on Children by Families.”
The report includes averages for the entire country and provides
estimates of expenditures on children from birth through age
17 in different geographic regions of the United States, including
urban and rural areas.
The estimates include direct spending for housing, food, transportation,
clothing, health care, child care, education and miscellaneous
expenses. They do not include costs related to pregnancy and
childbirth or the indirect cost of lost earnings and career
opportunities when one or both parents take time away from work
to care for their children. Also not included is the cost of
paying for college or for setting aside money for college, since
the estimates only apply to costs from birth to age 18.
According to the USDA, expenditure estimates on children by
husband-wife families do not apply to single-parent families,
which account for an increasing percentage of families with
children. The USDA prepares separate estimates for these households.
The estimates show that a single parent family with an income
less than $39,100 before taxes will spend $118,950 to raise
a child born in 2001 to age 18. The two-parent counterpart will
spend $124,800. The difference in spending between single- and
two-parent families is attributed to differences in income.
As single-parent families have one less potential earner (the
absent parent), total household income is lower and child-rearing
expenses consume a greater percentage of income.
Because the USDA estimates are based on averages, they are not
useful in predicting what a particular family will spend. However,
they do illustrate useful trends. For instance the cost of raising
a child increases as a child gets older, a signal for parents
to continually find ways to add to their income.
That is probably not good news for parents of preschoolers who
are shocked at the cost of day care. Unfortunately, the savings
in child care as youngsters grow older is more than offset by
increases in other expense categories (food and transportation,
for example).
The USDA estimates are put to a variety of uses. For instance,
divorce attorneys and mediators employ them to provide a reality
check for parents who think child support guidelines are unrealistic.
The estimates are also useful in estate planning to evaluate
financial needs in the event of a parent's premature death.
In addition, teachers use the estimates to help students understand
the financial changes that accompany parenthood.
To receive a copy of the 2001 estimates of raising a child,
send a stamped, self addressed envelope to the Family Resource
Management Specialist, 2949 Old Main Hill, Utah State University,
Logan, UT 84322.
To see other "Ask A Specialist" columns, visit http//extension.usu.edu/publica/news/aska/
________
Direct column topics to Julene Reese, Utah State University
Extension, Logan, UT 84322-4900; 435-797-1363; julener@sunrem.com
March 20, 2003
Answer by Barbara Rowe, Utah State University Extension
Family Resource Management Specialist
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