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Welcome to the website of
Julie Phillips, Morgan Family Chair in Environmental Studies, Tule Elk Biologist, Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Program Instructor and Researcher and Facilitator for Planet Earth! (For an extensive biography including presentations, publications and sustainability efforts, please see below)
Julie is the co-founder of the Phillips Sustainable Living and Green Building Team Center in Felton California - phillipssustainableliving.com
"The Endangered Species Act of 1973 acknowledges the rights of species to exist over time, while landscape ecology (and the passage of AB 2785 amendment to California DFG Code to identify wildlife corridors in California) acknowledges the rights of species to move over time and we must plan accordingly"
Julie Phillips, 2010
"In the United States, property owners do not own the wildlife living on their lands; wildlife resources are public resources, protected under the Public Trust Doctrine. The government of the people holds these resources in trust for all the people and is obliged to provide protection for these resources." R.T. Wright & D.F. Boorse, Environmental Science, Toward A Sustainable Future 2011
"The Public Trust Doctrine acknowledges the right of the public to advocate and participate in the protection, preservation and restoration of species and the landscape. This oversight role should not be the sole responsibility of resource agencies, private landowners, land trusts, nonprofits and private foundations. We must engage the public and students in these processes as they learn to be good stewards of the land"
Julie Phillips, 2010
Studying the landscape and how wildlife move and disperse is as important as studying the structure of DNA. Reconnecting our students and the public with the landscape is as important as any subject taught in our schools, colleges and universities."
Julie Phillips, 2009
"Studying energy efficiency, resource conservation and building performance is as important as any subject taught in our schools, colleges and universities."
Julie Phillips, 2010
Information to contact Julie Phillips:
My college office is located in KC 219 (Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies)
Spring 2012: Teaching ESCI 50 (Intro to Connectivity) and ESCI 90 (Tule Elk Field Studies June 7, 9 & 10), ESCI 1 (Environmental Science - 4 sections) and Wildlife Corridor Technician Project Manager and Lead Field Biologist (Coyote Valley Field Studies field clinical partnership field sites)
Class Information: Please visit the ES Department website for current listings!
Environmental Studies Department overview:
Please visit our ES Department website at: http://www.deanza.edu/es/
Environmental Studies Department's core mission: Students, Education and Stewardship!
Community College Mission: "To contribute to and inform our local community"
The Environmental Studies (ES) Department classes and and programs are taught and located at the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies (KCES) at De Anza College.
The "first" LEED Platinum (U.S. Green Building Council) community college building in the nation! Check out the incredible teaching and learning and green building innovations at the Kirsch Center website: http://www.deanza.edu/kirschcenter
Listen to "A New Direction" - original song written by Karl Villanueva and the ES Team honoring this special learning environment and "a building that teaches" : http://www.deanza.edu/kirschcenter/media/a_new_direction.mp3
Environmental Studies (ES) and Environmental Science (ESCI) classes:
Exciting classes for SPRING 2012 that support our work to save this planet:
ES 64 (AB 32 CA Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006)
ES 63 Agenda 21!
ES 62A, 62B, 62C, 62D Sustainability Management Planning (SMP)!
ESCI 50, 54, 56, 58, 82, 87X, 88X, 90, 92 (Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Program & Central Coast Landscape Institute Field Studies including Santa Cruz Mountains, Diablo Range, Coyote Valley and our newest field site - Pacheco Pass!)
ES 85A California Native Plants & Animals - Spring 2012!
ESCI 61, 63 Photovoltaic (PV) Technology theory and hands-on classes in our new PV Lab on the west side of the Kirsch Center! - Spring 2012!!
ES 6 mediated
ES 72, 75, 76A, 76, and new lab ESCI 71LX (The Building Envelope Lab)! LIVE - Energy Management classes and ES 69-79 also offered mediated learning!
ES 96Z & ES 91X (part of the new Environmental Education & Nature-Based Learning Certificate of Achievement - available Fall 2012)
Overview of our 5 areas of focus in Environmental Studies at De Anza College
Our ES Department is focused on 5 critical areas for educating students, our community, leadership and others:
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Environmental Stewardship (Wildlife Corridor Technician - WCT) Program
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Biodiversity Specialist
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Energy Management and Climate Policy
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Environmental Compliance and Pollution Prevention
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Environmental Education & Nature-Based Learning for Educators (New Certificate of Achievement!)
PROGRAM: Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Certificate of Achievement & Certificate of Achievement-Advanced and the Environmental Stewardship A.A. Degree
Our focus - sharing the concepts and principles of environmental stewardship and team-building to educate students, our community and others about the environmental challenges we face while studying the wonders of nature!
Central Coast Landscape Institute 50 year Mission:
Our Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) faculty and student team are studying wildlife movement through Coyote Valley, the Diablo Range (including Coyote Ridge and south into Morgan Hill) and Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We are currently monitoring permeability throughout the Coyote Valley Landscape in partnership with Santa Clara County Parks, Valley Transit Authority (VTA), Santa Clara Open Space Authority (OSA), Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Cal Trans, California Department of Fish and Game and private landowners.
Our WCT Team continues to monitor and document coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, tule elk, deer, badger, golden eagles and other raptors, roadrunners and other wildlife movement on a weekly basis (and over the past 2 years). Our wildife team has been observing tule elk along Coyote Ridge and surrounding east hills over the last few years! At least 38 tule elk on our last count!
Our bird survey team has identified over 200 species of birds in Coyote Valley including 21 species of raptors (including Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Short-eared Owls, Ferruginous Hawks, Falcons) and much more! The bird survey team identified a Crested Caracara on Friday, March 7, 2009, flying over the "core" of the corridor off Laguna Avenue! Learn valuable wildlife tracking skills! Our WCT Team is surveying wildlife along the Highway 17 Corridor (Santa Cruz Mountains)! Our WCT Team has partnered with the Cal Department of Fish & Game to survey wildlife (including tule elk) in the San Antonio Valley at the South Valley Ecological Area! Our WCT Team continues to monitor wildlife movement and permeability (including tule elk) along the Coyote Ridge and San Felipe Ranch (Diablo Range)! Our findings are critical for the important long-term vision of protecting critical wildlife corridor (Bay Area Linkages) in Central California!
Our new WCT Landscape Institute website will be sharing our findings in Spring 2012 with our new Safe Passages publication!
Our Long-term vision:
Our Central Coast Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Team will be surveying the Salinas River corridor, Pajaro River drainage, San Benito corridor, Pacheco Pass corridor, Diablo Range corridor and Diablo Range/Temblor Mts corridor into Carrizo Plains corridor over the next 50 years.
Our Partners:
The Morgan Family Foundation , Ben and Ruth Hammett and the Michael Lee Foundation's support of the Environmental Stewardship (Wildlife Corridor Technician - WCT) Program has allowed us to continue our field studies in the Coyote Valley Landscape in 2011/2012!
But we need your support to continue our work from 2011-2050! These critical wildlife corridors need to be permanently protected! Our work throughout the Central Coast region is critical to these effort!
To learn how you can join our stewardship team efforts,
Please visit our ES Department website at: http://www.deanza.edu/es/
Stewardship of our students and future leaders
Our 20/20 Working College Model for our students - 20 hours of coursework and community service and 20 hours of stewardship work and civic engagement. Help us encourage our students to stay in school, learn workplace and life skills, and make a difference in their community.
Would you consider sponsoring a student for a quarter or one year - so our students can be trained as mentors and community leaders while taking classes and working with our leadership team? Support their studies and hard work in our Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Program, Energy Management or Pollution Prevention fields!
Education serves as a compass . . helping our students head in the right direction! Please join us in the race to save this great planet through the stewardship of this next generation!
Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Species Update:
Coyote Valley Count: Bird species 200+ Mammal species 20 (3/23/12)!
Offered for the first time in California - possibly the country - Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Program! Now approved by the State Chancellor's Office!
Our exciting WCT corridor courses are taught by Julie Phillips, Ryan Phillips, Neela Srinivasan, Marina Chiarappa-Zucca, Stu Phillips, Cyrus Hiatt and Krikor Andonian. The Data Management team includes Deb Aso, Wendy Lao, Cyrus Hiatt, Neela Srinivasan and Chris DiLeonardo.
Sign up for our Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Certificate of Achievement and WCT Certificate of Achievement-Advanced - part of our Environmental Stewardship Program! Complete one or two certificates over 3 quarters!
Our Other programs in ES/ESCI:
PROGRAM: Biodiversity Specialist
Our focus - protection, preservation and restoration of species and maintaining the integrity of ecosystems through education
PROGRAM: Energy Management and Building Science
Our focus - energy efficiency, resource conservation and renewable energy
PROGRAM: Environmental Compliance and Pollution Prevention
Our focus - protection, preservation and restoration of all aspects of the environment including water, air, soil, species, ecosystems, energy and minerals (WASSEEM) through the implementation of Sustainability Management Planning (SMP)
PROGRAM: Environmental Education & Nature-Based Learning - New Certificate of Achievement commencing Fall 2012!
Our focus - share the principles of ecological literacy and education, stewardship, leadership, team-building, community-based coalitions with others using a project-based learning approach (local case studies) across the 37th parallel & beyond
Overview of our other projects within the Environmental Studies Department:
A CALL TO ACTION: Learn about the Environmental Studies Department's - A Call To Action! Join our efforts to commit to a 3% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions beginning 2011 to assist in the implementation of California's AB 32 (Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006). We will also outline strategies to implement the 7 Central Themes of Agenda 21. Visit our Agenda 21 website (linked off the ES Department website)
ES/ESCI Program Development in other Academic Institutions: To assist your team in implementing or expanding course offerings (including general education courses) and programs in Environmental Studies in every region of California: If your team is interested in adding Environmental Studies and Environmental Sciences to your existing ES Program, or you would like to create an Environmental Studies Program at your college campus, register for ES 96Z, 4.0 unit, Fall Quarter, 2012. This course (and certificate program) are for instructors and educators interested in teaching undergraduate level introductory environmental studies and environmental science courses. We would be honored to assist you in your efforts!
Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Program (part of the Environmental Stewardship Program) throughout the Central Coast Landscape: Students, under the guidance of Julie Phillips (Project Manager & Tule Elk Biologist), Lead Field Studies Instructor & Conservation Biologist Ryan Phillips, Field Studies Instructors Neela Srinivasan, Scientist Marina Chiarappa-Zucca, Stu Phillips, Deborah Aso (Lead Data Management Team) and Wendy Lao (Lead Staff Assistant & Field/Data Management Assistant); are studying wildlife movement and landscape permeability, conducting bird and mammal surveys, monitoring seasonal wetlands, assessing critical habitat core areas between the Diablo Range (inner coastal mountains) and the Santa Cruz Mountains (outer coastal range) throughout the Coyote Valley Landscape. Now Pacheco Pass State Park and contiguous lands! Students have been documenting wildlife movement through this corridor over the past two years. This is part of a 50 year long-term monitoring project studying connectivity along the 37th parallel and beyond from the coast inland (including Coyote Valley and south to the Carrizo Plains National Monument).
Our ES Team of Environmental Scientists, students and legal experts are studying the impacts any development in the Mid-Coyote Valley (South San Jose), the designation of Coyote Valley as an "urban reserve" by the City of San Jose and the proposed development by Gavilan College in the "heart" of the wildlife corridor in Coyote Valley as part of our Environmental Stewardship (WCT) Program.
Students are working with our elected officials and other partners to establish the Coyote Valley Bird of Prey National Conservation Area - the first Conservation Area created by students! This would include an Ohlone Cultural History Center and Natural Science Museum and Education Center. This is an effort to protect this critical area for future generations by forging a "partnership for the future" linking wildlife needs, the cultural heritage of Coyote Valley and educational opportunities. Our instructors, mentors and interns are learning about the historical and present oversight of this area from the Native American tribal leaders and descendants of the Coyote Valley Landscape.
This partnership envisions the creation of an Ohlone Cultural History Center, within Coyote Valley, honoring and protecting the Ohlone sacred sites as well as a Coyote Valley Natural Science Museum and Education Center to educate our community and millions of ecotourists about this critical bird sanctuary and conservation area.
The Coyote Valley Landscape is critical to the youth and community of San Jose - serving as a gateway to reconnect our children with nature. Over 40% of De Anza's students live in San Jose.
We will be expanding our environmental outreach program in 2012. School children from the Coyote Creek Watershed will be tracking wildlife through Coyote Valley using our wildlife tool kits!
Our students are tracing John Muir's path through Coyote Valley Landscape cited in his writings in an effort to educate K-12 students, other college students and the community about its rich environmental history. Our Stewardship WCT team participated in the Third Annual Coyote Valley Walking Tour (from Coyote Valley to Fremont Peak) in June 2010 The students, instructors Kristin Jensen Sullivan and Jana Clark as well as Peter and Donna Thomas (Muir historians) spent 6 days and 5 nights walking nearly 60 miles through the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Gabilan Mts.
Julie Phillips, Pat Cornely, Dave Deppen, Scott Gould, Kristin Jensen Sullivan, Diana Martinez, Richard Holman, Bill Roeder, Stu Phillips and others have been part of the effort to bring green building to the California Community College System. Members of the team have served on various phases of the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies (KCES) green building project (from concept to design to construction to commissioning). The KCES is the lead demonstration building in the California Community College system promoting energy efficiency, resource conservation and stewardship. The KCES opened its doors to students and the public in Fall 2005 and continues to welcome thousands of students, leaders, members of the public and others!
Julie served as the project manager for the Statewide Energy Management Program, SEMP, which is committed to providing low cost, accessible and relevant training in the field of energy management for technicians, managers and the public. Early energy pioneers helping in this effort were Al Guevara and Jim Anderson. SEMP also promotes local and state energy policy to encourage energy efficiency, resource conservation, renewable technologies and sustainability within the California Community College System.
Julie Phillips is the Morgan Family Chair in Environmental Studies at De Anza. Julie has a M.A. in the Biological Sciences from San Jose State University with a focus on wildlife management. She spent 7 years studying habitat utilization of tule elk, a subspecies of elk endemic to California, in the Mt. Hamilton region of the Diablo Range (including Isabel Valley, San Antonio Reservoir, Coe State Park, San Felipe Ranch and Pacheco Pass) and other areas of California including the Gabilan Range, Temblor Range and throughout the Carrizo Plains. Julie and the WCT Team are studying current tule elk locations (and comparing to established home range data from 30 years ago) to better understand tule elk natural history and the impacts of land use patterns and human disturbance to long-range re-establishment of the tule elk historical range.
Julie has extensive experience in tropical studies and has conducted courses in the tropical forests of Costa Rica for over 10 years. Julie and ES Students worked with the Pele Defense Fund in the 90's to help save the Puna Rainforest (among the last lowland rainforests) on the Big Island of Hawaii. Julie worked as co-founder (along with Alma Schreiber) of the South Ridge Watershed Association to help save South Ridge in the 90's. Through their efforts and working in partnership with the County of Santa Cruz (including Gary Patton, Fred Keeley and Jonathan Wittwer), CNPS and The Sierra Club, this team of activists permanently protected the largest remaining sand parkland habitat in Felton at Quail Hollow Quarry.
Julie and the WCT team of faculty and students are again studying permeability and connectivity for tule elk in the Central Coast region in partnership with resource agencies, transportation agencies, nonprofits and others. Julie and the team are revisiting tule elk locations in Santa Clara County (including the extensive reintroduction studies by Julie and Mike Kutilek in the late 70's and early 80's) in relation to current tule elk locations in the region in an effort to better understand home range, habitat utilization, calf and cow mortality factors, population estimations and projections and permeability of this critical umbrella species for the Central Coast region.
Julie was elected to public office in 1993, serving as a trustee for the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School (SLVUSD), 1993-1997. Julie served 4 years as a school board trustee (including one year as SLVUSD Board President) for the SLV K-12 District. Julie completed a Master's of Boardsmanship from the California School Boards Association (CSBA) in 1997.
Julie became the Morgan Family Chair of the Environmental Studies Department at De Anza College in 1998. Julie has worked with the ES Team of faculty, staff and students to institutionalize Environmental Studies (ES) into the De Anza College Academic and Instructional Program, State Chancellor's Vocational Program and the California Community College curriculum since 1990.
Julie was proud to be the Chair of the Environmental Studies Building Committee (eventually to become the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies Committee) from 1992 through 2005. Julie and the ES Team (including Pat Cornely and Kristin Jensen Sullivan) worked with students (Sarah Doty and Colin Underwood), staff, leadership, consultants and community members to realize the vision of the first LEED Platinum (USGBC) community college building in the nation. Pat Cornely, the first Executive Director for the Kirsch Center for ES in the history of De Anza College, led the effort working in partnership with Dave Deppen, Sim Van der Ryn Architects, Don Aitken, VBN Architects, Arup Energy Engineers, DASSE and others, to achieve a LEED Platinum certification for the Kirsch Center. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our green building expert/design architect, Dave Deppen, and energy expert, Dr. Donald Aitken, the committee and college was able to open "a building that teaches about energy efficiency, resource conservation, sustainability and stewardship" in 2005! Through the dedication of many people including Mike Brandy and Donna Jones Dulin, the Kirsch Center is now one of the most special places to learn and teach in the world!
Julie has spoken extensively on educational, environmental and sustainability (including green building) topics at national and state conferences on behalf of the Environmental Studies Department including:
CCC League of Innovation Presentation. Wildlife Corridor Technician (WCT) Program and Building Corridors for Students and Wildlife. Foothill-DeAnza. CCD. February, 2011.
Butte College Sustainability Conference. Sustainability and Our 3 Global Challenges. October, 2009.
URMIA (University/College Risk Management) Conference. Benefits of Building Sustainability into Your Organization-Reduce the Risks! March, 2009.
California Community Colleges Green Technology Summit. Sustainability and Sustainable Curriculum in the CCC System. October, 2008.
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) Volunteer Training Workshop. Sustainability and Wildlife Corridor Protection in the Central Coast Region. September, 2008.
UC Merced Sustainability Conference. Green Building in Schools and Colleges: Working Toward a Sustainable Future. April, 2003.
Julie Phillips' publications and sustainability efforts include the following:
J. Phillips. Educator's Guide to Environmental Stewardship, Leadership Training and Learning Model, Team-Building and Community-Based Coalitions for Educators. 2010.
R. Phillips, T. Diamond, J. Phillips, P. Cornely, V. Jennings and L. Morton. Coyote Valley Wildlife Corridor Monitoring Program 2008 Annual Report. De Anza College Wildlife Corridor Stewardship Team. 2009.
J. Phillips. College in the Coyote Valley Would Put Wildlife At Risk. Special Editorial to the San Jose Mercury. 2009.
J. Phillips. Coyote Valley Specific Plan's Draft EIR Comments. Submitted to the City of San Jose Development Services. 2007.
D. Aitken and J. Phillips. The Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies - A 17 Year Odyssey from Campus Vision to Architectural Fulfillment. American Solar Energy Society (ASES). 2006.
J. Phillips, S. Barnes, B. Benson, P. Cornely and Kristin Jensen Sullivan. Energy Training Handbook: Training Recommendations for California and the California Community College System. Statewide Energy Management Program (SEMP) in partnership with the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Chancellor's Office of the California Community College System. 2002.
J. Phillips, S. Barnes, B. Benson, P. Cornely and Kristin Jensen Sullivan. Energy Policy Handbook: Policy Recommendations for California and the California Community College System. Statewide Energy Management Program (SEMP) in partnership with the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Chancellor's Office of the California Community College System. 2002
J. Phillips and M. Kutilek. Pozo Tule Elk Subherds in San Luis Obispo County, California. Final Report to California Department of Fish & Game, 1988.
J. Phillips, M. Kutilek and R. Duke. San Antonio Tule Elk Herd Monitoring Project Final Report. 1987.
J. Phillips, M. Kutilek and R. Duke. San Antonio Tule Elk Herd Monitoring Project Final Report. 1986.
J. Phillips. Acclimation of Reintroduced Tule Elk in the Diablo Range, California. Master's Thesis. Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University. (Also report to California Department of Fish & Game). 1985.
J. Phillips and M. Kutilek. Habitat Utilization and Acclimation of Reintroduced Tule Elk in the Mount Hamilton Region of the Diablo Range, California. TWS Technical Session No. 2: Emphasis Species Research and Management. The Wildlife Society (Western Section). Fifteenth Annual Joint Conference. Sacramento, California. 1984.
J. Phillips, M. Kutilek and J. Shreve. Habitat Utilization and Acclimation of Reintroduced Tule Elk in the Central Diablo Range of California (abstract only) and presentation. Proceedings and Conference of The Western States Elk Workshop, Flagstaff, Arizona. 1982.
Most importantly, Julie lives with her husband, Stuart Phillips, in Felton, California. Stu (Passive Solar Expert and General Contractor) and Julie are co-founders of the Phillips Green Building/Sustainable Living Center (phillipsgreenbuilding.com) which is focused on educating others about the benefits of sustainability, passive solar design, designing with nature and sustainable living practices.
Julie and Stu are proud of their family including Ryan and Wendy (conservation biologist and dance trainer/artist), Sami (marine ecologist and educator) and Cody (green building construction associate). Our children have been climbing trees, chasing butterflies, tending the garden, building tree forts, hiking through rain forests, camping, living and learning about passive solar homes and interacting with nature since their births. They have been raised to help save this great planet! Onward. . . .
Julie is the co-founder of the Phillips Sustainable Living and Green Building Team Center in Felton California:
Our website: phillipssustainableliving.com
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