Last Monsoon Sampling CANCELLED
Hello Project Harvest Participant,
We hope this email finds you safe and healthy. We want to check in with you and provide an update on the Last Monsoon sampling.
The safety of you, the Promotoras, and the Project Harvest team is our top priority. After consulting with the Project Harvest Internal Advisory Board and University of Arizona public health personnel, we will NOT be collecting the Last Monsoon (September 15, 22, and 29) LAB samples. For those who have chosen the Do-it-Yourself (DIY) method, you are still welcome to do your experiment and send us your results, however, your Promotora cannot assist you in-person.
We will be sending all our participants care packages with a few helpful items, including a variety of seeds carefully selected to grow in Arizona's landscape, thanks to a partnership with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. We are also continuing to brainstorm ways that we can move the project forward during this time. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to send them our way!
We are very disappointed and sad that we had to cancel the last sampling of the entire program. Together, we have worked so hard to generate an extensive, long-term dataset on harvested rainwater quality. Thankfully, we have over 2,700 harvested rainwater samples that will allow us to answer our original critical research questions: What is the quality of harvested rainwater in your community, and what variables may impact rainwater quality?
On a positive note, beginning nearly a year ago, we established a relationship with the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) to collect non-rooftop harvested rainwater (rainwater directly from the sky, that does not touch anything on its way down!). We received rainwater samples from across Arizona, including the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National monument, and more! We are comparing your harvested rainwater data to these samples as well!
Please know we will still have our data sharing events in January 2021. We will be showcasing some data visualizations and a map! They will most likely be virtual, we hope you all can attend!
We are also developing a future plan to safely collect any sample waste or extra sampling materials you may have. Stay tuned!
If you'd like more information on COVID-19, please visit the links below.
Arizona Department of Health Services
https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php
Center for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
All our participants are in our thoughts. Please stay safe, and feel free to contact us anytime!