4-H News in Washington County – December 2023
Table of Contents
Dates to Remember
Cobscook Currents 4-H Club
Oh Yea! 4-H Grows True Leaders Updates
Forest Health 4-H SPIN Club in Harrington
Seasonal Crafts Around the World 4-H SPIN Club in Calais
Final Deadline for 4-H Re-enrollment
News from the State
Dates to Remember
December 23: Application Deadline for Ignite by 4-H Conference
December 29: Final Re-enrollment Deadline
December 25 & January 1: Office Closed due to Holidays
January 5: Fryeburg Market Steer Intent to Participate Deadline
January 10: 4-H Volunteer Connections – Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Programs
January 15: Office Closed due to Holiday
January 15: Maine 4-H Beef ESE Intent to Participate Deadline
February 13: 4-H Volunteer Connections – Be a Positive Communicator
March 12: 4-H Volunteer Connections – Finding Space for Mental Wellness in Every Program
March 13-17: Ignite by 4-H Conference, Washington D.C.
April 9: 4-H Volunteer Connections – Animal Science: Strong Relationships and Sportsmanship
June 5: Fryeburg Market Lamb Intent to Participate Deadline
The Cobscook Currents 4-H Club learned all that goes into making a wreath at a recent meeting in November! Club members even tipped the trees themselves to get brush used to make the wreaths. Instructions were provided by Suzanne Plaut. The club was appreciative of Maine Coast Wreaths for donating the bows. Inspired to make your own? Check out the Cooperative Extension bulletin ‘Making Balsam Fir Wreaths‘ for step by step instructions.
Oh Yea! 4-H Grows True Leaders Updates
Oh Yea! 4-H Grows True Leaders officially wrapped up its “Harmful and Shifting Species” workshops, which led youth in Milbridge and Princeton through experiential learning seminars about invasive green crabs and how they negatively affect the Maine coast.
In keeping with Oh Yea! 4-H’s objectives of raising awareness about food systems, innovation, and healthy living, the club’s participants expressed interest in exploring aquaponics for their next workshop. Aquaponics is a new symbiotic system that uses fish and other aquatic animals to help grow food. The seminars will once again service the Milbridge/Cherryfield and Princeton/Indian Township areas. However, Oh Yea! 4-H is hoping to expand to the areas of Pleasant Point/Eastport area and Machias. Enrollment numbers will be limited as the aquaponics workshop. Because of the holidays, the sessions will begin in the new year, so stay tuned for enrollment dates and locations.
Furthermore, Oh Yea! 4-H has added a component of the program for teenagers. Teenagers are invited to Mano En Mano’s monthly meeting, starting Dec. 1st and will introduce Milbridge high-schoolers to the program’s Youth Development initiative. Parents and teenagers will be informed of the participants’ responsibilities in joining the program, which include training to become teen-teachers of younger member. Knowing these teen 4-H ambassadors are being asked to sacrifice a lot of their time and effort, Oh Yea! 4-H offers great opportunities to attend out-of-state conferences and will culminate with a generous honorarium for each participant!
Although the current members occupy most of the available slots, interested youth and teens should contact Jason Palomo, 4-H Professional at jason.palomo@maine.edu or by telephone at 207.255.3345 to inquire about joining.
Youth in the 4-H Forest Health SPIN Club are enjoying the integration of science and art by collecting ring tree data from tree cookies and making bracelets using the data. This month youth will be going on a field trip with a local land steward to explore forests and careers in forest health.
4-H Seasonal Crafts Around the World SPIN Club
Youth from a range of ages made Danish Nisse Dolls at the first club meeting, learning about the cultural history of this Scandinavian seasonal craft and taking pride in a piece of art they created themselves. Many firsts were experienced – sewing, using a hot glue gun and eating Danish butter cookies!
Final Deadline for 4-H Re-enrollment
Haven’t re-enrolled for 4-H yet? You still have time! 4-H re-enrollment paperwork must be received by Friday, December 29. Please contact Tara Wood at tara.a.wood@maine.edu or 207.255.3345 if you need assistance.
News from the State
4-H Volunteer Workshops for the 2023-2024 4-H Year
We invite you to participate in our 4-H Volunteer Connections virtual workshops! Join other 4-H volunteers from the North East region to learn, share and engage with one another on a variety of topics related to 4-H. All workshops are free and offered via Zoom in the evenings from 6:30 – 8:00 pm.Topics include:
January 10 – Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Programs
February 13 – Be a Positive Communicator
March 12 – Finding Space for Mental Wellness in Every Program
April 9 – Animal Science: Strong Relationships and Sportsmanship
Click here to register now! Come to one or come to all! We look forward to connecting with YOU!
4-H Tick Project
The 4-H Tick Project is a community science project engaging K-12 youth and educators, made possible through a partnership between 4-H Youth Development, UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, Maine Forest Tick Survey, and members of the Learning Ecosystems Northeast The project provides youth an opportunity to explore ticks and tick-borne diseases, which is a connected story of climate, ecosystem change, and public health.
All educators interested in teaching about ticks in Maine are encouraged to participate in the project at no cost to you. This is a great project for 4-H clubs, SPIN clubs, homeschool groups, and more. For more information and to register, visit the 4-H Tick Project webpage.
Fryeburg Market Animal Intents Now Available
Intent to sell forms for Fryeburg market projects are now available at umaine.edu/4h/animal-science-resources. Steers must be owned and in the possession of the 4-H member by December 31st and intent forms, including RFID tags, bill of sale, and photos of the steer must be submitted by January 5th. Lambs must be owned and in the possession of the 4-H member by June 1st and intent forms, including bill of sale, scrapie tag number, and photos of the animal, must be submitted by June 5th. For more information on 4-H market animal projects please contact your county cooperative extension office or call 207.581.3877.
Maine 4-H ESE Beef Intent to Participate Forms are Now Available
The 2024 Maine 4-H Beef ESE Intent to Participate form is now available online and must be submitted by January 15, 2024. This is a requirement for all youth intending to participate as members of the Maine 4-H Beef Team at the Eastern States Exposition in September. Youth must be 12-18 years old as of December 31, 2023 and have completed one year in a beef project prior to this year. Please contact Kristen Grondin, grondin@maine.edu, 207.581.8193, with any questions.
Ignite by 4-H
Who is eligible: All youth of high school age (14-18)
When is the event: March 13-17
Where: Washington DC metro area at the Westin Washington D.C. Downtown Hotel/Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C.
Timeline: Applications need to be completed by Dec 23rd
Cost: The Maine 4-H Foundation has graciously funded the majority of the registration and travel costs for youth. Youth will be responsible for $300 towards the cost of the trip. We encourage youth to reach out to the County offices and programs to seek out additional funding support. If youth need help or assistance please have them contact marble@maine.edu.Spark your imagination and passion!
Ignite by 4-H, an inclusive teen event, returns March 2024 to Washington, D.C. Join us for four days of inspiring speakers, workshop sessions, activities, and entertainment. The summit will provide high-school-aged youth from across the country the opportunity to explore the best 4-H has to offer in STEM, Agriscience, and Healthy Living. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover exciting career paths, make connections, and create an action plan to ignite change in your community!
Other info can be seen on the official website here: https://events.4-h.org/ignite/home – Applications are on a Google Form here. or cut and paste this URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7ycSGcNv7TW77U_3Lyyo3ZOD1CQ1HuF3GFgUYbpTUwu4w5w/viewform .
If there are any questions or concerns please contact tara.marble@maine.edu.