4-H Network News: Stewardship

Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts

My beach stewardship started a Revolution!

On one of my favorite work days, we took part in a Fish Fling at the Skokomish River where we threw salmon carcasses from a hatchery into a mountain river in order to provide the river system with nutrients. When the dead salmon are thrown into the river they provide food for larger animals and are spread around the river and forest, positively effecting the riparian zone: where the river interacts with the land. Not only was this helpful to the river, but it turns out flinging salmon off of a bridge as hard as you can is a lot of fun. Who would have guessed?

Read more about Holly's stewardship activities at: http://hollygarland.blogspot.com/

4-H actors star in upcoming stewardship video!

Jordan Henderson, Norm Vat, Kathy Thi Thach, Kevin Kop

and Milton "Chino" Celedon-Perez.

Click on photo for larger format.

Tacoma, Washington's 4-H Network News team brought their acting and comedic talents to the table for an upcoming video about stewardship on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. This team of videographers works weekly with 4-H Technology Program coordinator, Jennifer Johnson of WSU Pierce County Extension. Pamela Roberts, Jefferson County 4-H coordinator visited to coach the video production process. Chino led the team in planning this comedic drama, featuring Jordan's slick card game, Kathy and Norm's news commentary, Kevin's hilarious puppets and Chino's dramatic physical comedy.

This video is being produced in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and features footage of:

a salmon carcass "fish fling," showing 4-H youth returning dead salmon to the Skokomish River to increase the nutrient value in the riparian zone;
a helicopter flying in loads of trees complete with roots into the Skokomish River to build up "log jams" to slow the river flow down and create deep pools for salmon to thrive;
4-H trail builders maintaining trails for public use in the Olympic National Forest; and
restoration of elk forage by replanting open areas and decommissioned roads in the forest.

Plant-A-Thon cards raise funds for local schools!

In Richard Jesse Watson’s recent commission, “Sharing Their Journey,” children ride a coho salmon across a starry skyscape, planting native seedlings and sprinkling magic. Watson’s image will be seen all over town (Port Townsend, WA) – from neighbors’ refrigerators to shop windows – as well as distributed internationally.

An award-winning illustrator of more than a dozen children’s books, including Tom Thumb, High Rise Angel Food Cake and The Magic Rabbit, Port Townsend–based Watson has created the ink and acrylic image for the seventh annual Plant-A-Thon. The event is the largest fundraising/environmental service project in Jefferson County. Collectively, 250 students and parents from five local schools will plant 5,000 native trees at Tarboo Wildlife Preserve, a 310-acre salmon habitat restoration site near Quilcene...

Cards are available through schools that participate in the Plant-A-Thon. Participating schools include Swan School, Chimacum Pi Program, Sunfield Land for Learning, Quilcene Elementary and Jefferson Community School. Through cards sales and business sponsorships, schools raise more than $30,000 a year, collectively.

The cards are being sold now, in anticipation of two “green-belt-scale” tree-planting work parties in February. To purchase cards from any or all of the schools, visit http://swanschool.net.

Tree cards are also available from students and parents in participating schools, or through their school’s representative: Swan School, Betsy Carlson, 379-1554; Jefferson Community School, Susan O’Brian, 360-531-1795; Chimacum Pi Program, Kit Pennell, 360-821-1476; Sunfield Land for Learning, Michele Meyering, 385-3658; Quilcene Elementary, Eric Jorgensen or staff, 360-765-3363.

Read More

NOTE: Jefferson County 4-H sponsors in-school 4-H programs at the Pi Program, Sunfield Land for Learning, Quilcene Elementary and Jefferson Community School and supports the Plant-A-Thon efforts each year as part of its organizational activities! We encourage everyone to purchase cards to help this important educational environmental effort.

Join the 4-H Million Trees Project!

To join go to: http://www.4hmilliontrees.org/

4-H Stewardship Program youth start their environmental work!

Click on image to open larger photo

Above are pictured the first youth members of the 4-H Stewardship Program in Jefferson County, Washington. From left back: Cory Smith, Kevin Hughes, Ben Mitchell, Ben Matthews, Issac Urner, Zac Golding. From left middle row: Yarro Lanphear, Grayson Pennell, Nick Sterritt, Michelle Garland, Holly Garland, Adin Oman. From left front: Freya Fennwood and Joe Baisch, crew leaders. They are shown following their first training day at the WSU 4-H Challenge Course at Gibb Lake.

4-H Stewardship Program hosts "Let's Clean Up Our Watershed" event - September 25, 2010 - on National Public Lands Day

4-H Stewardship Program crew chiefs, Joe Baisch and Freya Fennwood, get their tools warmed up for the upcoming "Let's Clean Up Our Watershed" event in the National Forest in Quilcene. On September 25, 2010 community members from throughout Jefferson County will gather at the Quilcene Ranger Station to participate in this event as part of National Public Lands Day.

This community participation event will be led by 12 Port Townsend area youth, who will receive leadership training prior to the event to prepare them to be squad leaders for the cleanup. We would love to see everyone in Jefferson County join in and support the kids on this effort! If you would like to help out, please write to Pamela Roberts, 4-H Coordinator, at proberts@jefferson.wsu.edu.

4-H Stewardship Program now hiring youth ages 14-18!

4-H is all about developing youth leadership through hands-on learning and community service. So when 4-H leaders heard that the U.S. Forest Service was swamped with backlogged maintenance, it only seemed natural to ask:

Why not have youth take leadership in helping maintain the health of our unique Olympic National Forest while getting some fresh air and exercise themselves?

And so a new partnership was formed between 4-H youth and the USFS.

The 4-H Stewardship Program is NOW HIRING this fall 2010:

12 Port Townsend area teens, ages 14-18
To work six "saturdays on the ground" to help clean, replant, and reinvigorate our local public forest lands.

They will be led in this effort by our experienced 4-H crew chiefs, Joe Baisch and Freya Fennwood!

(To be fair, Chimacum area youth will be hired this spring and Quilcene area youth have Quilcene Ranger Corps this summer.)

The work days this fall for Port Townsend area youth participants are scheduled from September - November, 2010.

Planned activities include:

Fish Toss (returning salmon carcasses to a river)
Picnic table restoration
Watershed cleanup day
Elk forage restoration
Trail building
and more!

Youth will be paid minimum wage for their work and will be transported from Port Townsend and back on work days in a program van. Youth must live in the Port Townsend area, but can attend public, private or home school. We start the third week of September so don't hesitate if you are interested!

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the 4-H Stewardship Program, have them write to Pamela Roberts, WSU Jefferson County 4-H Coordinator, at proberts@jefferson.wsu.edu (this is the best way to contact her ) or you can call her at 765-0124.

The 4-H Eco-Stewardship Program

The 4-H Eco-Stewardship Program develops the critical thinking skills necessary for youth to become healthy, productive and knowledgeable members of their communities. It is based on a model that combines experiential education and service learning projects designed to create opportunities for youth engagement as both participants and leaders of the process.

Learn more

4-H “Survivor” Forestry Summer Day Camp

The 4-H Afterschool Forestry Program presents

4-H “Survivor” Forestry Summer Day Camp

FREE for ages 6-12

June 28- July 9

M-F

9:00 am- 3:00 pm at the Quilcene School

If your child will be attending,
please register with Sue Hay 774-1569 or Ginny Beard 765-0083

4-H enrollment forms need to be presented on first day of camp.
Camp activities include basic survival skills, day hike, Native American studies, art & nature crafts, forestry & environmental stewardship activities and FUN!
Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately and safely every day at camp, including appropriate footwear and jackets.
Campers also will need to bring a sack lunch each day and a water bottle. 4-H provides group snacks only.

Buried in Sawdust for 50 years: Restoration of Salmon Creek Estuary

Buried in Sawdust for 50 years: Restoration of Salmon Creek Estuary from North Olympic Salmon Coalition on Vimeo.

Eleanor Stopps - Protection Island guardian

Eleanor Stopps of Port Hadlock, Washington stands in front of Mats Mats Bay where she has lived for many years. Eleanor shares her history in a video interview below, in which she describes the 9-year challenge she endured to see Protection Island set aside as a wildlife breeding ground for gulls and other sea birds. She did this to protect these birds and also to honor her friend, Zella Schultz, who was an advocate for wildlife and birds. 4-H Network News is honored to share this interview with youth across the country as an inspiration to make a positive difference in this world. As Eleanor stated in her interview, "You can't succeed unless you are truly committed."

Makin' Tracks!

Join Lincoln, a 4-H'er from Louisiana, as she shows you how to make molds from animal tracks in the wild. Check out more great videos and online games on the Louisiana 4-H Kids Clubhouse website at www.louisiana4h.org/kids.

Louisiana 4-H: Making a Bird Feeder!

Join Ivy and Trey as they show you how to make a pine cone bird feeder. These bird feeders are easy and can be used as a conservation project for your group.

4-H battles reed canary grass!

"Stewardship," produced by Raphael Winters of the 4-H Afterchool Forestry Program, shows 4-H youth planting trees in the Lake Leland watershed. Invasive reed canary grass has negatively impacted this watershed, clogging the waterway and creating a barrier to migrating salmon.

Congratulations to the 4-H Afterschool Forestry Program for showing others how to replant an area such as this by:

bringing in native trees (cedar),
scalping the planting site to remove the grass and its roots, and
placing a mulch mat around the tree to decrease competitive grass growth near the tree.

Cedar River Watershed Education Center

Sue Hay shares a moment at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center listening to the rain drum garden. Sue continues to visit this center as inspiration for her vision of a possible future environmental learning center in or near the forests of Quilcene, WA on Hood Canal. Below is a view from one of the windows at the center.

Welcome to the Jefferson County Watershed Forums!

Sam Gibboney of Sam Gibboney Management Services and Ann Wessell of the Washington State Department of Ecology share information related to the Instream Flow Rule public education and input process in Jefferson County, WA.

Tom Jay Accepts Eleanor Stopps Environmental Award

Tom Jay, artist, shares some personal insights as he accepts the Eleanor Stopps Environmental Award for himself and his artist wife, Sara Mall Johani. This award was named for Eleanor Stopps, the guardian of Protection Island, which is now a protected wildlife breeding ground because of her actions and commitment.