May 18-19:<\/strong> 4-H@UMaine<\/p>\n June 1:<\/strong>\u00a0Teen Science Caf\u00e9 \u2013 Pleasant River Ambulance<\/p>\n June 8-10:<\/strong> June Jamboree at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds, Save the Date<\/p>\n June 10:<\/strong>\u00a0Dog Fun Day, Princeton<\/p>\n June 22- 23:<\/strong>\u00a04-H Downeast Dog Show, Princeton<\/p>\n June 30:<\/strong>\u00a0Animal Approval Forms Due<\/p>\n June 30: July 7:<\/strong> CWF<\/p>\n July 20-22:<\/strong> Maine 4-H Days at the Windsor Fair<\/p>\n State 4-H Public Speaking Tournament<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n Search and Rescue Dogs Go High-Tech in Downeast Maine<\/strong><\/p>\n Alexandria Brasili<\/strong><\/p>\n On April 6, 2018 students at Narraguagus Jr.\/Sr. High School in Harrington, Maine got to experience a Teen Science Caf\u00e9 with local celebrity, Alan Curtis, of the popular TV show \u201cNorth Woods Law.\u201d This Caf\u00e9 was organized by students in the Youth Leadership Team, and 4-H Community Education Assistant, Sandy Copel-Parsons. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Alan is a Maine Game Warden who works with his black lab, Sig, to monitor and protect Maine\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s dog, Sig, also has a collar with a GPS tracker on it that relays the data to mapping software. Alan\u2019s GPS tracks and Sig\u2019s GPS tracks can be overlaid on each other to plot out which areas haven\u2019t yet been covered.<\/p>\n Because Sig is constantly riding along with Alan on patrols, Alan has a high-tech truck to ensure Sig\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cgo to work.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Paper Clover Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n Library Spin Club: Gardening Fun<\/strong><\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n Thank you to The Porter Memorial Library for welcoming the youth and making room for the activities!<\/p>\n STEM Activity at Milbridge Days<\/strong><\/p>\n 4-H Tech Changemakers Happenings<\/strong><\/p>\n Going to Summer Camp? Scholarships Available\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u00a0visiting the 4-H Camps and Learning Centers<\/a> page.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0five $200 scholarships to Washington County youth thanks to the generosity of the Harmon Foundation.\u00a0These will be given on a first come, first served basis. Please visit the\u00a0Washington County 4-H Program<\/a> website for the application.\u00a0 Don\u2019t wait until its too late\u2026 apply today!<\/p>\n For more information about the summer camps, check out these videos:<\/p>\n
\n![\"Mikaila](\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/washington\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2018\/05\/N1.jpg\")
<\/a> The final in the First Responder: Teen Science Cafe series will be held\u00a0June 1 at Narraguagus Jr. from 2:40-4:30 p.m. Pleasant River Ambulance will be presenting:\u00a0 High Tech Responders- Save Lives. FREE Pizza and Refreshments will be served!<\/strong><\/p>\nTractor 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.<\/p>\n\n
Re-purposed Coffee Carafe Moss Terrariums (A huge thank you\u00a0to Bags of Rags for the carafe donations.)<\/li>\n4-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.<\/p>\nThe 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!<\/p>\nInez, 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”.<\/p>\n