Hello!  I'm Helaine Berris, the new Area Water & Soil Advisor for UC Cooperative Extension serving Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Mendocino counties.  Originally from Nevada, I received a B.S. in Eco-Hydrology from the University of Nevada-Reno and attended graduate school at UC Davis where I completed a M.S. in Hydrologic Sciences and a M.S. in International Agricultural Development.  I've spent the last 3 years in Seattle, WA where I was a Soil Conservationist for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and worked for a startup that created tools to measure farm ecosystem health.  During this time I developed a passion for small farms, urban agriculture, conservation planning, and improving strategies for managing soil health and water management. Before this I was a teacher in China and Spain for 4 years. 

My vision for the Water & Soil Program is to provide outreach and research for on-farm water management and innovation.  The program will be shaped around practices that help agricultural producers improve farm scale water efficiency and soil health, meet local regulations, and adapt to environmental extremes.  This may include soil health practices to improve water holding capacity, irrigation management, research around soil-plant-water dynamics, and so much more!  Primary goals during my first year is to learn as much as I can about my new community and complete a needs assessment to better understand producer/stakeholder challenges and barriers around water.  If you're interested in providing input, please contact me at hmberris@ucanr.edu.  I'm happy to be back in CA where I can combine my interests in science and education in my new advisor role.