4-H in Washington County – May 2018
Volume 13, Issue 5
Dates to Remember
May 18-19: 4-H@UMaine
June 1: Teen Science Café – Pleasant River Ambulance
June 8-10: June Jamboree at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds, Save the Date
June 10: Dog Fun Day, Princeton
June 22- 23: 4-H Downeast Dog Show, Princeton
June 30: Animal Approval Forms Due
June 30: July 7: CWF
July 20-22: Maine 4-H Days at the Windsor Fair
State 4-H Public Speaking Tournament
The 4-H State Public Speaking Tournament was held on April 7th at the University of Maine Orono. This years event was highly attended with more participating youth than ever before! Youth who qualified at the county level were invited to compete at the state level.
Presentations took place simultaneously in four different rooms, followed by social time, while attendees awaited the completion of judging. We closed the afternoon with an awards ceremony to recognize our talented presenters, dedicated leaders, parents and volunteers.
Of the 55 youth presenting from around the state one was from Washington County. Congratulations to Mikailia L. for her participation in this event and representing Washington County and receiving a blue ribbon!
Search and Rescue Dogs Go High-Tech in Downeast Maine
Alexandria Brasili
On April 6, 2018 students at Narraguagus Jr./Sr. High School in Harrington, Maine got to experience a Teen Science Café with local celebrity, Alan Curtis, of the popular TV show “North Woods Law.” This Café was organized by students in the Youth Leadership Team, and 4-H Community Education Assistant, Sandy Copel-Parsons. It’s part of a series of Cafes, supported by the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance and funded by the National Science Foundation, which focuses on the STEM in First Response and Emergency Management.
Alan is a Maine Game Warden who works with his black lab, Sig, to monitor and protect Maine’s natural resources by enforcing inland fisheries and wildlife laws, investigating poaching and other crimes, and conducting search and rescue operations for people lost in the woods. While Alan is a dynamic personality himself, this TSC was focused on his canine partner, Sig, who uses a combination of natural talent and technology to locate everything from people to shotgun shells.
Alan has an intimate connection to the Downeast Maine area, being born and raised in Machias. Students hung onto his every word as he described the trajectory he took to become a Game Warden, first volunteering with the fire department while he was in high school, then fighting big forest fires out west after he graduated, before applying to be a Game Warden.
Alan described his job as having a lot of technology that improves his ability to do his job but also noting that he has to rely on it failing. A Game Warden always needs to be prepared when entering the woods and tried-and-true methods like using a map and compass are important to know. However, Alan also uses GPS technology and mapping equipment in search and rescue operations to grid out and mark areas that have already been searched to pinpoint where someone might be located. Alan’s dog, Sig, also has a collar with a GPS tracker on it that relays the data to mapping software. Alan’s GPS tracks and Sig’s GPS tracks can be overlaid on each other to plot out which areas haven’t yet been covered.
Because Sig is constantly riding along with Alan on patrols, Alan has a high-tech truck to ensure Sig’s comfort from the heat of summer to the cold of winter. By using an app on his phone, Alan can tell what temperature the truck is, the battery capacity, and whether it is running or not. The truck also has canine heat alarm sensors that will alert Alan by text if the temperature starts to become too hot. If the temperature continues to rise, the truck will turn itself on, turn on the AC, roll down the windows, and the siren and lights will come on.
The students got to experience just how Sig works with a demonstration in the school field. Alan took a used shotgun shell and threw it out into the middle of the field. While waiting for the scent to wear off it, Alan showed the students his truck (complete with a dead deer in the back) and turned the siren and lights on to get Sig excited to “go to work.” Alan let Sig out of the truck, and after enthusiastically greeting all the students, he went to work finding the shotgun shell. Nose to the ground and zigzagging across the field, Sig eventually homed in on the shotgun shell, laid down next to it, and barked to indicate to Alan that he had found it. His reward for a job well done was playing fetch and running around with the teens.
The final in the First Responder: Teen Science Cafe series will be held June 1 at Narraguagus Jr. from 2:40-4:30 p.m. Pleasant River Ambulance will be presenting: High Tech Responders- Save Lives. FREE Pizza and Refreshments will be served!
Paper Clover Campaign
Tractor Supply Co. and 4-H just completed another successful spring Paper Clover Campaign! There was just under $1 million raised nationwide, and just over $7 thousand raised in Maine.
Thank you to members from Northwoods 4-H Club who came out to support Tractor Supply Paper Clover Days in Calais. A big thank you goes out to TSC manager Steve for his continued support of Washington County 4-H Clubs! Great job everyone!
Library Spin Club: Gardening Fun
The Porter Memorial Library Vacation 4-H SPIN Club was a huge success with many old and new friends present. The club featured the following programs:
- SEEDs, SEEDs ,SEEDs,
Re-purposed Coffee Carafe Moss Terrariums (A huge thank you to Bags of Rags for the carafe donations.)- Indoor Red Wriggler Worm Habitats were welcome spring school vacation activities.
Thank you to The Porter Memorial Library for welcoming the youth and making room for the activities!
STEM Activity at Milbridge Days
4-H member Armando demonstrates a STEM activity using Google VR Glasses with youth at the Milbridge Kids Day event April 14 at the Milbridge Public Library.
4-H Tech Changemakers Happenings
The 4-H Tech Changemakers want to address the issue of food insecurity. This week they surveyed parents from the Fort O’Brien School to learn about their attitudes toward volunteering and the issue of food insecurity. They are also getting ready to launch their web page that will feature stories about local community efforts that are happening to address the issue and will share ideas for more people to get involved!
Inez, a 4-H Tech Changemaker team member took some time out from collecting survey data at the Fort O’Brien School Family STEM Night to check out the “Google Goggles”.
Going to Summer Camp? Scholarships Available
With the help of scholarships, summer camp can become a reality for our youth. Be sure to check out all the great opportunities available to our 4-H youth at our UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Tanglewood & Blueberry Cove as well as our Bryant Pond 4-H Camp by visiting the 4-H Camps and Learning Centers page.
Youth have the opportunity to receive multiple scholarships. The Maine 4-H Foundation offers scholarships, as do the camps themselves. There are also active duty military-family scholarships, camp financial-need based scholarships. We are also offering five $200 scholarships to Washington County youth thanks to the generosity of the Harmon Foundation. These will be given on a first come, first served basis. Please visit the Washington County 4-H Program website for the application. Don’t wait until its too late… apply today!
For more information about the summer camps, check out these videos:
Follow a Researcher
What do green crabs, ducks, and parasites have in common? How do scientists make sure the data they collect is accurate? What is an invasive species, and how can they be identified? Maine 4-H invites youth to explore the science of tracking invasive species with its Follow a Researcher® program. Follow UMaine graduate student Tyler Van Kirk and his research on green crabs, an invasive species found along the coast of Maine. Students and educators can follow his data collection trips in real-time with an online map and try an experiential learning activity that shows why data collection methods matter. Live updates will happen weekly via Twitter. You can follow along and sign up for updates/announcements on the Cooperative Extension: Follow a Researcher® website.
Animal Approval Forms
If you plan to show an animal in any 4-H classes this year, including at the Blue Hill Fair, you must submit an Approval Form for 4-H Animal Shows (PDF) by June 30, 2018. Small pets and Poultry are the only exceptions, all other animals (Horse, Beef, Sheep, Goat, Swine, etc.) are required to have an animal approval form.
Perry Harvest Fair
The Perry Harvest Fair is generally held the first Saturday in October. This is a great time to be thinking ahead about the types of projects you would like to enter this year!
4-H Photo Contest
Washington County 4-H Program will offer a photo contest again this year! Those thinking of entering should be out taking photos now and throughout the spring and summer. Participants may enter in five photo categories: (You may enter one photo in each category and/or only one storyboard. Possible total of six entries per person).
- Nature/Landscape
- People
- Animals
- 4-H Activity
- Architecture
Be creative and get snapping those photos!
Registration for 2018 June Jamboree is Now Open!
2018 June Jamboree will be held on June 8, 9, and 10 at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds!
Start planning for a fun filled weekend full of exciting workshops and livestock activities. We have something for everyone! Some of the new and exciting workshops this year include Aquaculture: Farming Fish, Felted Animal Toys, Knots for Land and Sea, Pebble Art, Printmaking Fun, String Art, Summer Olympics, VermiCondos and more!
For a complete list of workshops visit the 4-H June Jamboree page. Throughout the weekend animal project clinics include 4-H Beef, Dog, Goat, Horse and Sheep! Be sure to drop by this “Anytime Science” or “Anytime Craft” table at any point throughout the day, between workshops or during your downtime. You can explore the science behind animal germs with staff from Maine CDC, check out seaweed samples collected from Penobscot Bay. Come and explore your creative side and make origami, decoupage bottles, painted oven mitts and more! You must register by May 16!
Dog Fun Day in Princeton, Maine on June 10
It will be a fabulous event! A day of fun and learning for all youth and leaders interested in a dog project will be held on June 10th in the Princeton area. Attendees will learn about showmanship, obedience, and agility, as well as activities related to our focus dog group, herding dogs. If you know you are planning to attend, please contact Tara Wood for more specific details at tara.a.wood@maine.edu or 207.255.3345 to R.S.V.P., proof of vaccinations is required.
Downeast Dog Show in Princeton, Maine on June 22 and 23
Attend both days at the Old School Restaurant in Princeton (or Saturday).
- Friday, June 22
- 5:00 p.m.: Agility, Knowledge Test, Quiz Bowl, Medical Kit, Pizza and Cookies at the Old School for contests and family.
- Saturday, June 23rd
- 9:00 a.m.: Registration. Event held next to Old School Restaurant in Princeton: Record books, posters and photos will be due at this time.
- 10:00 a.m., SHARP: Show starts: Showmanship followed by Obedience; Posters, record books and pictures will be judged throughout the day. Cloverbuds, Junior, and Senior classes. Awards and dismissal.
If you know you are planning to attend, please contact Tara Wood at tara.a.wood@maine.edu or 207.255.3345 to R.S.V.P. Entry forms with proof of vaccinations are required. Please check your email for more information and registration forms.
Online Project Records
4-H Community Education Assistant, Sandy Copel-Parsons is available to discuss the new online project records and give instructions on how to use them. Please contact the office at 255.3345 to set up a time to meet with her.
Visit Maine 4-H Project Records, Reflection Tools and Digital Badges! page to download and project record sheets (in both PDF and Word variations).
Cooking with the Kids
Yogurt Ice Pops
Ingredients:
16 ounces of non- or low-fat yogurt, 2 cups
16-ounce package of frozen fruit, flavor of your choice
1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin
Sticks or plastic silverware
Directions: Drain liquid from defrosted frozen fruit. Put the fruit in a saucepan. Add gelatin. Heat slowly, stirring until the gelatin dissolves. Place this in a blender with the yogurt. Blend together. Pour into paper cups. Insert plastic spoons as handles. Cover with foil to keep handles in place. Freeze, enjoy!
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Eat Well Program
4-H News from the State
Register Starting June 1st for 2018 Maine 4-H Days
Maine 4-H Days will take place July 20 – 22, 2018 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. If you do not have online access, please contact your local county office for paper copies of the forms. Find information and registration materials on the Maine 4-H Days page.
Registration opens on June 1. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact Sarah Sparks at sarah.sparks@maine.edu or 207.353.5550.
Oxford County 4-H June Jamboree
Oxford County 4-H June Jamboree Livestock Clinic, Working Steer and Horse Clinic is being held June 8 through June 10 at the Fryeburg Fair Grounds, 1154 Main Street, Fryeburg Maine. Workshops are designed for youth completing project work in the areas of sheep, swine, working steer and horse. Horseless riders are also welcome. Rabies vaccines will be available. A Big E Try Out for Working Steer is being held Sunday Morning.
Workshops will include washing, clipping, showmanship, animal handling and learning activities around zoonotic disease.
There is a $20.00 registration fee for everyone attending. Camper space is available and meals will be provided starting with breakfast Saturday morning through lunch on Sunday. Check-in begins Friday evening after 5:00 p.m. For more information about Oxford County June Jamboree please email maisy.cyr@maine.edu or rebecca.mosley@maine.edu. This event is open to 4-H Families from all counties. Adults and youth must preregister online due to insurance regulations and help with meal and activity planning.
Check with your county office for the online registration link which will be available soon. Registration deadline is May 25.
4-H Summer Camp Programs, Register Now!
Registration is open for summer programs at the UMaine 4-H Centers at Blueberry Cove, Bryant Pond, and Tanglewood for youth ages 8-17. Camps start up June 24 and run through August 18 with week-long, two-week, and mini-camp sessions to fit your needs. Campers shape their experience through activity choice (STEM, swimming, archery, gardening, watershed and marine ecology, creative arts, boating, drama, group challenge, and primitive skills), on adventures and trips, eating delicious home-cooked meals, and in wicked evening programs. Teen Leadership Programs build conscious young adults, through teamwork and community stewardship, and teach canoeing/backpacking skills while exploring Maine’s beautiful woods and waterways. Special scholarships for 4-H youth from the Maine 4-H Foundation and some scholarships for Conservation Education camps through Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at Tanglewood and Bryant Pond. To learn more visit the 4-H Camps and Learning Centers page or contact your local office.
Agricultural Labor Field Day
In collaboration: the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Maine Department of Labor (DOL) and Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) invite you to participate in the Agricultural Labor Field Day, Thursday, May 3, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at KVCC’s Alfond Recreational Center located on KVCC’s Hinckley Campus in Hinckley, Maine.
The Agricultural Labor Field Day aims to connect young adults interested in professional and academic agricultural careers with local jobs in a variety of agriculture fields and/or undergraduate programming in Sustainable Agriculture, Culinary Arts, and Business Administration at KVCC. This is also an opportunity to meet with workforce training and professional development staff from KVCC and DOL to review your resumes and get job search advice. In addition, KVCC will also provide tours of their farm during the event.
Schedule of events:
- 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Doors open to the public. Open fair format for participants to visit exhibits and for exhibitors to host interviews
- 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. First KVCC Farm Tour leaving the Alfond Rec Center
- 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Last KVCC Farm Tour leaving the Alfond Rec Center
The event is free and open to the public. For more information about this event and other agricultural opportunities please visit the Farm Labor Link Network page. We look forward to seeing you at our Agricultural Labor Field Day 2018. If you have any questions, please contact Yvette Meunier at 207.592.0640 or yvette.meunier@maine.gov.
2018 American Goat Federation Youth Scholarship Program
To encourage education and development of youth involved in the goat industry, AGF will accept scholarship applications from qualifying youth who enter and complete all requirements of the program. Projects must be received at the AGF office by August 20, 2018, and the Scholarship Application accompanied by a short biography must be received at the office No Later Than 30 days prior to August 20, 2018. Entries will be judged by an independent panel and winners will be announced September 2018. Applicants must be between the ages of 12 and 20, and under the age of 21 as of September 30, 2017. Applicants must be a member of the American Goat Federation, the child, grandchild, great-grandchild or stepchild, step grandchild or step great grandchild of a member of the American Goat Federation, or of any of the following member organizations of the American Goat Federation.
- The American Boer Goat Association (including Jr. Association)
- The American Dairy Goat Association
- Alabama Meat Goat and Sheep Producers Association
- Cashmere Goat Association
- Texas Sheep and Goat Breeders Association
For more information visit the American Goat Federation website.
Maine 4-H Project Records, Reflection Tools, and Digital Badges!
Maine 4-H is excited to roll out new 4-H project records, reflection tools and opportunities for digital badges. A team has been working to design the new records aligned with research and connections to Maine’s commitment to proficiency-based education in mind. We know that these won’t be perfect and are anxious to have YOU help us try them out and be part of the process. The new records are now posted online and can be found on the State 4-H website.
We are also planning a few ways for you to be part of the team to ask questions and give feedback.
- Join our Google classroom community. This will be a place where volunteers and youth members are able to share real-time feedback about these tools.
- To join: Sign in at Classroom
- On the homepage, click Add – Join class
- Enter the code d9jmty and click Join.
- Participate in our live feedback sessions. Please save the date for feedback sessions. These will be conducted using Zoom. Register for these sessions with KymNoelle Hopson at 207.353.5550 or kymnoelle.hopson@maine.edu
- September 11, 2018 from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
We are looking forward to having YOU as part of our team. If you have any questions please contact Kristy Ouellette, kristy.ouellette@maine.edu or 207.353.5550, extension 12.