4-H News in Washington County – March 2026
Dates to Remember
March 3-24: 4-H Maine App Challenge Series
March 6: Speak Up, Maine 4-H! Public Speaking Tournament Registration Deadline
March 6: 4-H Volunteer Huddle
March 7: 4-H Dairy Quiz bowl tryouts
March 7: Oh Yea, Planetarium and Greenhouse Tours
March 10: Interactive Environscape Model at Whitneyville Library
March 11, March 18, April 1, April 8, and April 15 and In-Person: March 21: Maine 4-H Ag Ambassadors
March 13: 4-H Science Fridays, Maple Sugaring
March 14: Speak Up, Maine 4-H! Public Speaking Tournament in Calais
March 15: Speak Up, Maine 4-H! Public Speaking Tournament in Calais Snow Date
March 18: 4-H Volunteer Connections
March 21: Oh Yea 4-H, Ice Skating Trip
March 25: 4-H Page Day in Augusta
March 25-29: Maine Science Festival
March 28: Oh Yea 4-H Ice skating in Brewer
March 28: Central Maine School Garden Educators Symposium
April 3: 4-H Volunteer Huddle
April 10-15: 4-H Conference in Washington DC
April 11: Speak Up, Maine 4-H! State Public Speaking Tournament in Orono
April 12: Speak Up, Maine 4-H! State Public Speaking Tournament in Orono Snow Date
April 13, 15, 17: Dive into the UMaine Touch Tank (Virtually!)
April 17: Maine 4-H Sheep ESE Intent to Participate Form Deadline
May 1: Equine ESE Intent Form Due
May 5: Birdfest School Days at Cobscook Institute
May 19: Birdfest School Days at Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge
November 7: Maine 4-H Volunteer Summit
Speak Up, Washington County 4-H!
4-H youth are invited to participate in this year’s Washington County 4-H Speak Up Showcase, which will be held on Saturday, March 14 at 1pm at Washington County Community College in Calais. The snow date is Sunday, March 15th at 1pm.
Families and community members are invited to come, listen, and learn! For more information visit the Speak Up, Washington County 4-H webpage.
The state Speak Up Showcase will be held on Saturday, April 11th at the University of Maine in Orono. The snow date is Sunday, April 12.
Join Gabby Brodek, 4-H Professional, and Zach McClimon, Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District Manager, at the Whitneyville Public Library on Tuesday, March 10 from 1-2pm to explore an interactive enviroscape model to learn what a watershed is and how pollutants move through a landscape.
The Birding Festival is inviting homeschool students to participate in the Birding Festival School Days targeted for youth ages 10-12. There are two school visit days, Tuesday May 5th at Cobscook Institute and May 19th at Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge from 8am-2pm. Throughout the 90 minute time slot youth will rotate through four stations: bird walk, mist-netting, owl pellets, and active game. For more information and to register visit the Birding Festival School Days webpage. Register by April 3rd.
Club Updates
Oh YEA 4-H Grows True Leaders
This month, on March 7th at 12:00 noon and again at 1:30 p.m., OH YEA 4-H Grows True Leaders will be visiting the Roger Clapp Greenhouses with a light lunch and watching a presentation at the Versant Power Astronomy Center called “Mexicans Archeo-astronomy.” This outing to the university’s planetarium was so popular before with the Mano en Mano community, that we had to bring it back with an upgrade.
Then, we will be keeping it healthy by closing out the winter season on the ice. We will convene at the Penobscot Ice Arena in Brewer, ME on March 28th from 2:10 to 4:10 p.m. Mexican tortas will be available for lunch.
If you want to attend either event, transportation is limited, so please call (207) 255-3345 to RSVP.
4-H Science Fridays
With still plenty of snow on the ground, 4-H youth took to exploring one way to stay on top of it all…snowshoeing! Youth learned through experience how snowshoes help us humans stay on top of snow while traversing across a wintery landscape. We warmed up and dried off inside while playing board games to reiterate what we learned.
The next session is Friday, March 13th from 3-4:30pm. Youth will be learning about the maple sugaring process and tasting the finished project. For more information and to register visit the 4-H Science Friday webpage.
Conservation Career Club
In February, teens had the opportunity to experience what working for Cobscook Shores looks like during one of their school program days. The organization led students from Perry Elementary School on a snowshoe walk where they learned how to walk in snowshoes while learning about the local landscape and the significance of coastal markers, such as buoys. Teens in this club helped support the students with their snowshoes and talked to them about getting outside through collaborations with Cobscook Shores.
Crafting Clovers
For Calais Free Library’s Love Your Library event, the Crafting Clovers showed their love to their meeting space hosts by giving them a huge Valentine’s Day card! Library visitors got to add to the card, sharing what they love about the library. In March, youth will be building their own elephants in celebration of Dr. Seuss Day.
Winter Ecology Camp
Cobscook Institute, Downeast Coastal Conservancy, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Washington County 4-H got to spend the week of February break outside in the snow and sun with youth learning about winter ecology. Each day youth collected data on the weather and made observations about their surroundings. Youth participated in snowshoe hikes, ice core model dissections, and sled making. They also learned about winter animal adaptations and the subnivean zone.
Winter Family Fun Day
On February 21st, 4-H got to join in on the fun at Winter Family Fun Day at Middle River Park. The wind and cold did not stop families from learning about ice cores and how we can use them to learn about environmental conditions from the past. We are thankful for our friends at Downeast Coastal Conservancy for hosting this event, encouraging families to experience the outdoors in winter while having fun!
News from the State
Cost: Free
Ages: 8-13
Dates/Time: This workshop will meet Monday April 13th, Wednesday April 15th, and Friday April 17th from 4:00-5:00 pm
Registration Deadline: March 30, 2026
Capacity: Limited to 8 youth
You can register here or contact leah.mccluskey@maine.edu for more information.
Maine Science Festival
The Maine Science Festival will be held March 25-29 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. This FREE event includes a Field Trip Day for 7th- 8th graders, a Teen Tech Night, and Exploration Stations that include demonstrations and hands-on activities involving the sciences. Be sure to put it on your calendar because it really is a fun event! For more information, visit the Maine Science Festival website.
It’s Time to Think About Summer Camp!
Looking to take your Maine 4-H Experience to a new level? Check out the summer programs at your UMaine 4-H Camps! Opportunities for living in community, making new friends, building a sense of belonging, and honing your skills in a whole variety of program options such as, outdoor skills, shooting sports, STEM, creative arts, ecology, gardening, team work, and teen leadership. Each camp has scholarship opportunities to off-set tuition costs AND your County 4-H Programs have scholarships to attend camp too. One to three-week sessions available in both day and overnight settings. We hope to see you there!
Blueberry Cove, Tenants Harbor in Knox County. Dates: June 21-August 14, 2026.
Bryant Pond, Bryant Pond in Oxford County. Dates: June 21-August 14, 2026.
Greenland Point, Princeton in Washington County. Dates: June 28-July 31, 2026.
Tanglewood, Lincolnville in Waldo County. Dates: June 21-August 21, 2026.
Bryant Pond and Greenland Point contact, Bethany: 207.665.2068
Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove contact, Emma: 207.789.5868
Equine ESE Intent Forms Due May 1, 2026
The 2026 Eastern States (ESE) Horse Intent Form is now live and online. The form is to indicate your interest in participating in the Eastern States Team Tryout event this summer, which will be on July 31- Aug 1st, 2026, at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds.
The event this year will offer an overnight opportunity for youth to qualify and to learn and grow while getting to know other youth who are also interested in trying out. Youth can participate in one of the tracks below:
Teen Leader (4-H age 12 and up)
Rider or Driver (4-H age 13 and up)
Groom track (which is a learning track only)
If youth would like to come and learn about the team, help, and observe (especially if they aren’t old enough to qualify for the team yet), they can also come to tryouts as a “Groom” and will need to fill out the intent form.
Youth interested in any of the track options need to fill out the intent form. We use this info to contact and update interested families and youth.
Here is the ESE intent form to be filled out by May 1st. Approval forms must also be filled out and sent to your county office by May 1st as well.
More details will be included in the tryout application packet on the UMaine 4-H Horse Website.
The intent form does not bind you to the tryout event. Applications will be used to determine the event roster and final schedule.
If you have any questions, please reach out to: Tara Marble, tara.marble@maine.edu, or 207.778.4650.
4-H Page Day in Augusta – Sign up Now!
Date: March 25, 2026
Where: Augusta, Maine – State Legislature
Time: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Registration Deadline: March 14, 2026 – First come, first serve
Registered 4-Hers age 13 or older are encouraged to serve as Honorary Pages in the Maine House or the Senate on Youth Agriculture Policy Day, March 25th, 2026. The Maine 4-H program has up to 20 slots for Honorary Pages and registration is first come, first serve with a registration deadline of Saturday, March 14.
For more information and details about what a page does, please visit the event page. If you’re interested in participating, register now! Reach out to Karen Giles with any questions.
Early College Outdoor Intensives
The UMaine 4-H Camps and Learning Centers at Tanglewood and Greenland Point are each offering Early College programs in conjunction with the University of Maine Division of Lifelong Learning. KPE 265 is a 3-credit course focused on skills in outdoor recreation. This is an introductory course in outdoor and adventure activities, forming the foundation of an outdoor leadership education. The course focuses primarily on participation in four different activity categories: canoeing; bouldering and climbing; hiking and orienteering; and challenge course. KPE 207 is a 1-credit course where participants become certified in wilderness first aid (WFA) and CPR.
Registration: Participants must complete enrollment with the University of Maine Early College Program. Once that is completed we will send you an invitation to enroll for the Tanglewood portion of the program.
UMaine tuition for this course is free for Maine high school students (public school & homeschoolers). Tuition for out-of-state students and Maine private school students is $149 for 2026 per credit for a total fee of $596 for 2026. (Please note there is an overnight fee for this course for all participants).
Overnight fees: $900, including all housing, meals, and certification fees, scholarships available.
Tanglewood:
Dates: July 19 – 31, 2026
Ages: 15 – 18
Visit the Tanglewood website for more information and registration links.
Email Tanglewood directly with any questions.
Greenland Point
Dates: August 2 – 12, 2026
Ages: 16 – 18
Visit the Greenland Point website for more information and registration links.
Email Greenland Point directly with any questions.
4-H Public Speaking Update
You asked, we’re excited! Performing Arts demonstrations will now be part of Speak Up, Maine 4-H the statewide Public Speaking Program.
From dramatic monologues to musical performances, this creative category is your time to express yourself and share your spark center stage.
Performing Arts demonstrations include:
– a spoken introduction
– your performance
– and a spoken conclusion
Specific details, including updated evaluation tools and judges’ support for all categories, are now available on the Speak Up, Maine 4-H website and through county staff.
Maine 4-H Ag Ambassadors – Spring 2026
Maine 4-H is now accepting registrations for the spring 2026 Agriculture Ambassadors cohort! The program is designed for youth ages 14-18 who are interested in any aspect of agriculture. Youth spend time getting to know each other and learn both online and in-person in sessions facilitated by UMaine 4-H Staff and community partners. Sessions will focus on career exploration, exploring the Maine Food System with farm and production visits around the state, and building relationships with industry professionals.
This season we will visit local Maine Ag businesses like Libby Maple, Yeti Ridge Farm and more. Transportation assistance for these events may be available upon request.
In addition to the multi-week session, youth will serve in their ambassador role with Maine 4-H for at least 1 year. Youth will pick an agricultural area to focus on (ex. livestock, ag literacy/food systems, environmental stewardship, ag and health) during their term and explore leadership opportunities locally, statewide, and even nationally. Register today!
Spring 2026 Dates:
Online: March 11, March 18, April 1, April 8, and April 15
In-Person: March 21
Ag Policy Day at the State House: March 25 (optional)
Maine Agriculture Symposium at the University of Maine: April 19-21 (two nights), we try to offer transportation as best we can.
To register visit the Maine 4-H Ag Ambassadors website. For more information or a reasonable accommodation, please contact Alisha Targonski at alisha.targonski@maine.edu or 207.622.7546.
Maine 4-H Sheep ESE Intent to Participate Form Now Available
The 2026 Maine 4-H Sheep ESE Intent to Participate Form is now available online and must be submitted by April 17th, 2026. This is a requirement for all youth intending to participate as members of the Maine 4-H Sheep Team at the Eastern States Exposition in September (including teen leads).
The Eastern States Exhibition (Big E) 4-H Sheep Program brings together 4-H members from six states in Springfield, MA for three days of events that showcase their animals, knowledge and skills. Members must be 12-18 years old as of December 31, 2025 and have completed at least one year in a sheep project.
Please contact Megan Cook with any questions or for more information at megan.cook@maine.edu or 207-532-6548.
Central Maine School Garden Educators Symposium
Join fellow educators for a hands-on, idea-filled day focused on connecting students to birds, beneficial insects, and flowering plants through school gardens. The symposium features rotating bird-focused learning stations, practical seed-saving activities with students, and a lively lightning round of mini-sessions on cooking, bog gardens, garden clubs, and collaborative art. Afternoon sessions highlight pollinator protection, embracing insects in the garden, and a facilitated discussion on fundraising and volunteer engagement, followed by a creative flower dissection activity. The day wraps up with door prizes and a seed giveaway.
When: March 28, 2026 (snow date March 29, 2026, same time)
Time: 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Location: Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401
Cost: $0, $25, $50 Select a payment option that best works for you.
Registration is required to attend. Register here! Please contact Kate Garland (katherine.garland@maine.edu) to be added to a waitlist if registration is full. Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and rejuvenate your passion for garden education! Bring a bagged lunch; snacks and coffee provided.
March 2026 4-H Volunteer Corner: Your corner for connection, tips, and tricks!
As a 4-H volunteer, you can incorporate simple actions to build belonging. Try out some of these ideas the next time you are working with club members or a group of youth:
Know each young person’s name and call them by it.
“Hi, Maria! Glad you’re here today!”
Use icebreakers and team-building activities.
These short activities spark fun, help youth learn about each other, and build early connections.
Create safe spaces, including a shared set of ground rules.
At the beginning of the year, ask the group: “What do we need to agree on so everyone feels respected and comfortable here?” Write down their ideas (like listening when others speak, no put-downs, etc.) and post the “Club Agreements” on the wall each meeting.
Encourage engagement.
Rotate leadership roles each meeting—timekeeper, snack helper, or discussion leader—so every youth has a chance to contribute and feel ownership.
Utilize discussions to help youth learn from one another.
After a project activity, ask open-ended questions like, “What worked well in your group? What was challenging? What would you try differently next time?” Then have youth share with a partner or small group before bringing answers back to the whole club.
Cultivate shared experiences.
Plan a simple community service project, like making thank-you cards for local first responders, where all members contribute to a common goal. Celebrate afterward with group photos and a reflection about what they accomplished together.
4-H Volunteer Huddle: Join us for a short “gather and learn session” to help you up your game. We meet on the first Friday of each month from 12:00-12:30 pm via Zoom. Whether you are an experienced 4-H volunteer or just getting started, there’s something for everyone. We’d love to see you there! No registration required!
March 6, 2026- Prepare for the Fair
This 4-H volunteer information session will highlight how mentors can guide youth in preparing their animals and themselves for a successful fair experience. Volunteers will learn ways to support members with showmanship skills, animal care, and confidence in the show ring.
April 3, 2026- Doing to Understanding: Applying Experiential Learning in 4-H Clubs Learn how to guide youth through hands-on experiences followed by purposeful reflection, helping them build confidence, critical thinking, and leadership skills.Please note: The Zoom link and password will be emailed to all enrolled 4-H volunteers, or you can email Tara Wood tara.a.wood@maine.edu to request it.
4-H Volunteer Connections- Moving into a New Era of Leadership with TeensMarch 18, 2026 6:30 – 8:00p.m.In this session, you will learn how to partner with teen leaders to support the 4-H agenda. We’ll explore strategies for collaboration and share real-world examples from Maryland and D.C. 4-H programs. Register here!
Mark your calendars and save the date! Saturday, November 7th! The Maine 4-H Volunteer Summit- More details to come in the upcoming months, but we promise food, fun, connection, and learning! You won’t want to miss it!