May 1997
UC SAREP Researcher Wins Award from City of Davis
Robert L. Bugg, cover crops and restoration ecology analyst with the UC Davis-based statewide Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), has been selected as the 1997 recipient of the City of Davis Environmental Recognition Award in the individual category. Bugg was nominated by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), a sustainable agriculture education and advocacy non-profit organization, for his work to improve soil quality, wildlife and insect habitats, and to reduce harmful synthetic chemical use.
"Bob has been a tireless champion of economically viable alternatives to synthetic insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers," says Lewis Santer, CAFF communications director. Bugg is co-founder of the Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) program, recognized as one of the top five pesticide reduction programs in the world by the World Resources Institute, and has worked on native grass restoration along roadways and in ‘farmscaping,’ the purposeful planting of noncrop plants that attract beneficial insects and wildlife.
"Bob is playing a major role in the transformation of Yolo County and California farming," Santer says. "Many of the almond or walnut orchards are now teeming with the biodiversity that cover crops bring to an orchard." Santer noted that differences are apparent beneath the soil, too, as orchardists work with Bugg to establish healthy earthworm populations.
Bugg, who received his Ph.D. in entomology at UC Davis, has conducted research on biological control of insect pests, cover crops, and restoration ecology. His work has been published in numerous scholarly journals, including Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, Biological Control, Hilgardia, HortScience, and the Journal of Economic Entomology. He has received many awards for his work, including an IPM Innovator Award from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, given jointly to members of the Merced BIOS management team. He has a special interest in promoting whole-farming systems extension programs and in assisting graduate students in conducting research on sustainable agriculture.
Bugg was presented the award by Davis Mayor Pro Tem Julie Partansky at a recent Davis City Council meeting.
Media Contacts:
Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu
