SLO COUNTY H PRESENTATION DAY! DISTINCTIVE LEADERS in !

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1 University of California Cooperative Extension News & Views SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR 4-H MEMBERS, LEADERS & PARENTS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SLO COUNTY H PRESENTATION DAY! San Luis Obispo County s 4-H Presentation Day will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2015, in the Ag Engineering Building on the Cal Poly Campus. Entry forms are available at slocounty4h.org by clicking on Registration Forms & Applications. ENTRY FORMS ARE DUE in the 4-H OFFICE by Wednesday, January 28, Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. with Opening Ceremonies starting promptly at 9:00 a.m. If you aren t planning on doing a Presentation, please consider coming to Presentation Day to cheer on your fellow 4-H ers and learn about all of the different projects that are offered in San Luis Obispo County! As always, 4-H ers who earn a Gold Medal at County Presentation Day will be eligible to advance to the Sectional competition. The 2015 Sectional 4-H Presentation Day is being hosted by our county and will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at Cal Poly location is to be confirmed. Details will be provided to eligible medalists. DISTINCTIVE LEADERS in ! The San Luis Obispo County 4-H Youth Development Program is excited to announce our countywide awards program 4-H Youth of Distinction! The 4-H Youth of Distinction (YOD) award focuses on honoring 4-H members who demonstrate leadership skills in their 4-H clubs, schools and community. The 4-H Youth of Distinction Award is achieved via a Nomination basis. 4-H members are nominated by any adult volunteer, with the exclusion of family members. Note: All 4-H YOD Nominations must be approved by the nominee s 4-H Community Club Leader. Nomination forms must be received in the 4-H office by Friday, January 30th, The 4-H Youth of Distinction Award recognizes 4-H members in three different categories/grades: (6 th, 7 th ), (8 th, 9 th ) and (10 th, 11 th,12 th ). Nominees will be evaluated; and up to 25 youth will be selected to receive the San Luis Obispo County 4-H Youth of Distinction Award! A letter providing detailed information along with the nomination form will be sent to all SLO County 4-H Community Club Leaders and the YOD Nomination form can also be accessed on the county website by clicking on Registration Forms & Applications link. University of California, U.S. Department of Agriculture and San Luis Obispo County Cooperating.

2 SLO County s 4-H website is: SAFETY NOTES: National & State 4-H News For more information from the STATE 4-H OFFICE, visit 4-H Curricula: 4-H Project Sheets: If you d like to follow along with our State 4-H Ambassadors team, check out the hashtags #iamca4h and #CA4HSA15 on Instagram! We love hearing from members and leaders, so feel free to interact with us on all of our platforms, and if you see us in person, say hi! Take your rockets to the next level post 4-H National Youth Science Day You ve designed and launched your rocket. Now take it to the next level using cool Autodesk technology. Your mission: Tell us about your experience using Autodesk technology. Check out the fun activities brought to you by #Autodesk and then enter for a chance to win an ipad Air or 3D printer. December is Digital Learning Month! Access FREE Computer Science Resources from Code.org Computer science skills are in high demand in the workforce. Unfortunately, not many youth have the opportunity to participate in computer science activities. Expanded learning programs are a great vehicle for children and youth to actively learn computer science skills. Implement quality computer science activities in your program by accessing free computer science resources for elementary, middle, and high school students from Code.org and participate in the National Hour of Code. Leadership Washington Focus July 14-18, 2015 Registration due December 15. For more information on these programs please visit California Focus June 19-23, 2015 Registration opening the week of December 14th and is due March 31. District Leader Applications due January 14th. For more information visit Apply to be a State Ambassador! The California 4-H State Ambassador Program is a working honor that provides 4-H members expanded opportunities to serve the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. Due February 16, Apply Online at: News Views is published by the San Luis Obispo County 4-H Youth Program, University of California, Cooperative Extension, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. News Views is a monthly newsletter for 4-H members, leaders and parents in San Luis Obispo County. Please submit articles and photos by the 15th of each month to: Denise Harris, Editor 4-H Office 2156 Sierra Way, Suite C San Luis Obispo, CA (805) / dharris@co.slo.ca.us Katherine E. Soule, Ph.D. Youth, Families, & Communities Advisor The University of California prohibits discrimination or harassment of any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy (including childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran (covered veterans are special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, Vietnam era veterans, or any other veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized) in any of its programs or activities. University policy is intended to be consistent with the provisions of applicable State and Federal laws. Inquiries regarding the University s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action/ Staff Personnel Services Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin Street, 6 th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (510) No endorsement of named products and/or companies is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products and/or companies which are not mentioned. Persons with special needs wishing to attend a program should contact the 4-H Office in advance. Efforts will be made to accommodate your special needs. 2 News Views

3 4-H NEWS The County 4-H Awards Director, the County 4-H office, and the All Stars would also like to recognize the following 4-H Club on their achievements during the H Program Year: GOLD TREASURER S BOOK JACOB ALONSO,ESTRELLA 4-H & ESTRELLA 4-H GOLD SEAL CLUB Large Animal Testing for H Program Year Large Animal Level Testing (including Horse) will be offered at the UCCE Auditorium at 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo, on: January 17 th from 1-4 pm and also on March 28 th from 9-12am. If you are going to attend, please RSVP by to dharris@co.slo.ca.us OR call the 4-H Office at (805) and provide your Name, 4-H Club, the large animal species and level that you want to take. There are study guides on the county website under Level Testing that you can study from, but it is also suggested you study the 4-H curriculum books. Good luck and see you there! Tracy Johnston Large Animal Science Key Leader, 4-H Program Development Board Johnstonkt@msn.com or

4 Countywide Engineering Projects Announcement 4 News Views

5 4-H NEWS The State 4 H Livestock Judging Team, (from Creston 4 H) Whitney Whitaker, Nathanael Bourgault, Colton Kersey, and Sierra Bryant, traveled to Kentucky to participate in the North American International Livestock Exposition. The team placed 5th at Na onals! The Team placed 2nd in Sheep, 5th in Swine, 6th in Reasons, and 5th Overall. Colton Kersey and Whitney Whitaker were named All Americans. The team was able to go to Purdue Livestock facilities to practice, as well as, Poe Hampshires, Rodibaugh Swine, and Farrer Stock Farms. It was a great experience in some very challenging weather, but they all had a wonderful time! Thank you Erin Gorter for all of your coaching! New Large Animal Event: GOAT EXPO December 7th, 2014 Santa Margarita KOA Campground If you are looking for an educational day learning about Dairy and Meat Goats, the GOAT EXPO is the place for you to come. December 7th, :30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. The event is at the Santa Margarita KOA Campground with an Entry fee of $10 which includes Lunch. Goat level testing will be offered at the end of the event. If you would like to attend, Entry forms are available via the 4-H office or Tracy Johnston at johnstonkt@msn.com Sixty (60) spots are available, 30 4-H members have signed up so far. Come as a project group, or just come with another 4-H friend. Hope to see you there! Tracy Johnston, Large Animal Science Key Leader Cell: Home:

6 4-H COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY 2014 Toys-4-Tots Campaign begins! Hi there! This is Jesse-Ray Morring reporting in from the front lines of the 2014 Toys-4-Tots Collection Kick-off meeting! I m the Toys-4-Tots 4-H Ambassador, and I need your help to make this a great year! Please bring all 4-H Toys-4-Tots Donations to our toy box at the County 4-H Office by Friday, December 19th. If you can t get them there call (805) and the we will pick them up. We want to make a 4-H county-wide effort to show how many toys our clubs bring in. Together, our clubs can show what a 4-H outpouring can do. Have each club member donate one new unwrapped toy with a value of $10 to a club meeting before December 19 th (The toys can be on sale, just be valued at $10 originally). Then when your club collection is finished, call for pick-up, or take them to the 4-H office!! The United States Marine Corps Toys-4-Tots Collection drive for San Luis Obispo County had its kick off meeting last month. Barbara Wolcott has worked for years as Executive Director for the Toys-4-Tots, California Central Coast division. It s her job to coordinate collections in our County, each year. Volunteers who distribute boxes, money collectors, and pick up and deliver toys meet, with her to make sure things run smoothly so hundreds of kids in our county have a very Merry Christmas. Toys-4-Tots began in 1947, when a group of Marine Corps reservists, banded together and collected 5,000 toys for local kids that had none. The logo for Toys-4-Tots was designed as a donation by the Walt Disney Studios in As of 2012, the Toys-4-Tots program had collected and delivered over five hundred million toys! We will have a collection box in the 4-H County Headquarters office. All toys collected go to various locations in our county and end up helping kids everywhere. All toys collected in SLO County are given to kids in SLO County. When the need is filled, they go where they re needed. This means that we fill requests for the kids in our city, and then in San Luis Obispo County. When all requests for toys in San Luis Obispo County, are filled, the remaining toys will go to other nearby cities and counties! We will keep you all posted on our efforts and our final count! Ready, set, go get those toys!! 6 News Views

7 4-H COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY ALBERTSONS DONATES $10,000 to the SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM in 2014 Thank You Cards Needed from All of our County 4-H clubs! The 4-H Management Board and 4-H Office Staff would like to ask each of our 28 County 4-H clubs and its members to create and make Thank You cards for Albertsons for their $10,000 donation this past summer at the CA Mid-State Fair. These non-budgeted funds are used for all of our countywide 4-H events and assist us with our yearly budgetary 4-H program needs for our 1,600 members in SLO County. Your 4-H Club s Thank You cards can be sent to the attention of the 4-H Office at 2156 Sierra Way, Suite # C, San Luis Obispo, CA They can be hand made, store bought, written on index cards whatever method you can come up with to say THANK YOU ALBERTSONS for their generous $10,000 donation. Make sure your card shows which 4-H club it came from too! The Deadline to receive your 4-H Club s Thank You cards in the 4-H office is Friday, January 30,

8 4-H SMALL ANIMAL FIELD DAY INFORMATION 8 News Views

9 EMERALD STAR PROJECT EMERALD STAR PROJECT This year, we have a new Emerald Star project in San Luis Obispo County that offers 4-H members a wonderful opportunity to participate in a county-wide community service activity on a monthly basis. The SLO Women s Shelter is a nonprofit organization committed to providing shelter for victims of domestic violence and child abuse and helping them get a new start ( 4-H will be continuing to support them this year by sending items each month that will help them get a fresh start in life. This is a great opportunity for all the 4-H members in San Luis Obispo County to give of themselves and see how much their generosity benefits those in need! Donations can include: non-perishable food items, toiletries (toothbrushes & toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.), pet food, towels, craft supplies (glue, stickers, beads, buttons, scrapbook paper, feathers, shells, pebbles, etc), laundry detergent, small kitchen appliances (dishes, silverware, pots & pans, glasses, microwaves, toasters, etc.), used cell phones, new bedding (pillows, blankets, sheets, etc.) and clothing/household/craft/grocery store gift cards. There is a tub provided at the county 4-H office to collect your donations throughout the month. Community club leaders or 4-H members may drop off items in the tub provided. At the end of the month, the donations will be inventoried and brought to the Women s Shelter. The deadline to bring items into the 4-H office for the January donation is December 30th, If you have any questions about this project, please contact Olivia Snodgrass of Huasna Valley 4H at the address of: sunnysgirl41@gmail.com 9

10 4-H SLO SCIENTISTS NEWS On Saturday November 8, our SLO Scientist group, Birdsleuth:Nature Detectives, went on a bird watching trip organized by our group leader Julie Fallon. The first stop was at Sweet Springs Reserve in Los Osos. When we got there, the reserve was peaceful and quiet. There were a lot of eucalyptus trees. It was sunny but the fog soon rolled in. Two docents from the Audubon Society, Lindsey and Bert, met us at the entrance and we learned to focus our binoculars. The docents loaned us binoculars so everyone could see the birds. We walked down the trail through the eucalyptus and our first stop was to see monarch butterflies. Most were resting in the trees with their wings folded. They were very well camouflaged in the trees. Next we hiked down to the marsh. We saw great egrets, mallard ducks, grebes, American coots, and even a Great Blue Heron. My favorite was the great egret since it looked like a bird from a snowy area with feathers that were white like snow. I wondered why it looked like that since it wouldn t camouflage well. Then we walked onto the boardwalk and saw three deer lying down in a meadow. Next we stopped at a lookout over Morro Bay. One of the docents had a telescope pointed at a ruddy duck swimming in the water. He had dark feathers and a slightly bluish bill. On our way back we watched a kingfisher fly over the marsh. She was blue and white bird, bigger than a blue jay, with a little brown stripe on her belly. She flew very, very fast. She started to dive into the water, but right before she hit the water she turned the corner, went behind a rock, and flew out of view. Our group really enjoyed seeing all the birds in person. I d recommend bird watching at Sweet Springs in the morning since you get to see a lot of local birds hunting and feeding out in the open. Our next step was the San Luis Obispo Botanic Garden in El Chorro Regional Park. The weather was sunny there and a lot warmer, which we all liked. Our guide Karen took us on a hike through the field by the playground, across the creek, and up the hill toward the campground. Since it was later in the day we didn t see a lot of birds, but we got to see places where the birds would eat. Apparently the birds eat a lot of the same things the Chumash used as food, such as the seeds in the holly berries. It made sense since the seeds are a good source of calories so they would be nutritious for both birds and people. We stopped at a pepper tree where we learned that pink peppercorns could be used as food for both birds and people. Then we went to the botanic garden, where we got to see a pomegranate tree and the kids got to try pomegranate seeds. Both people and birds like pomegranates a lot. We ended our trip with a group photo and said thank you to our docent. The whole morning was really fun and a great learning experience. Now I know a lot more about our local birds. Caelan Struble, SLO Scientists, Junior Leader 10 News Views

11 4-H SLO SCIENTISTS NEWS 4-H SLO Scientists Tour Tehachapi Wind Power Park In conjunction with the 4-H SLO Scientist curriculum Power of the Wind, SLO Scientist members Arun Pickering and Jacob Hanson and their families from the Santa Margarita program along with SLO Scientist facilitator, John McCabe, his nephew, John, and 4-H volunteer, Dave Dauer, had the remarkable opportunity to tour the Victory Garden Wind Power Facility on Saturday afternoon, November 15 th. The group convened at the Tehachapi German bakery for lunch and was greeted by tour guide and Victory Garden Wind Power Facility s owner, Bob Gates. They then caravanned for the 5-miles up to the 5,000-foot elevation site to begin their tour! The group was given a site orientation, safety briefing and personal protective gear including hard hats at the maintenance building. Knowing that the Power of the Wind program is science-related, Mr. Gates introduced pertinent information with themes including wind mass with velocity and therefore energy, wind caused by the unequal heating of the earth, aerodynamics, the vector components of the lift created by the air flow, electric transmission and distribution system, some earth science and many more related topics. The massiveness of the turbines, depicted in the photos, as well as the height of over 20 stories, amazed everyone! Many, many thanks to John McCabe for entirely organizing this fascinating tour and to Bob Gates, the tour director, for his time and energy in leading our group of SLO Scientists. This unique opportunity to visit the wind power facility was an experience the SLO Scientist group will truly remember! 11

12 4-H SHOOTING SPORTS NEWS San Luis Obispo County 4-H Youth Development Program Development Board Travis Soule, County Shooting Sports Key Leader Contact Travis at or the 4-H Office at if you would like more information. 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop Rifle Discipline Bakersfield, CA Saturday, December 6, :00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Sunday, December 7, :00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. A 4-H shooting sports workshop for the rifle discipline will be held at UC Cooperative Extension Office, 1031 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue in Bakersfield. Participants must attend both days of training to receive certification. Upon successful completion of the course, the participant will be certified as a rifle trainer and can lead a rifle project at the club level or serve as county trainer to certify other leaders. There is no cost for the course. To register for the course or receive more information, contact John Borba at: jaborba@ucanr.edu 4-H Shooting Sports Archery Certification December 13 & 14, 2014 Merced County If you have an interest in sharing your archery skills with youth, how about becoming a 4-H Archery adult volunteer or teen leader. There will be a 4-H archery leader certification training offered in December The class will be held Saturday, December 13th, 9 AM 4 PM, and Sunday, December 14th, 9 AM- 1pm, at the Safety First Shooting Association, River Oaks Range, Shaffer Rd, Winton, in Merced County. This class is being hosted by Merced County 4-H. You must become a 4-H leader or member and attend both days to receive certification to teach archery at the project, club and camp levels. The course will include a PowerPoint lecture, review of equipment, practice shooting and teaching, and a written test. The cost is $35 per person to include a resource binder, Saturday lunch and Sunday breakfast. Junior and teen leaders are invited but must attend with an adult or have a certified archery adult leader they will be helping back home. Driving directions to the range are at Dry RV camping is an option. To register, please complete and mail the CA 4-H Shooting Sports Training Request and Registration Form available at and an adult or youth 4-H medical release form and a $35 check payable to Merced County 4-H Council and mail to UCCE, 2145 Wardrobe Ave, Merced, Registration is due Friday, December 5 th, and Space is limited to 15 attendees. For more information call Darlene McIntyre at or her at dlmcintyre@ucanr.edu. 12

13 4-H NEWS 4-H Club News Members of the Cambria 4-H club made an entry for the Annual Cambria Scarecrow Festival. Our scarecrow is called the Reclamator. He is collecting water from the roof and pouring it on the Wasteful Water Witch, who has melted into a puddle at his feet. You can still see this creative project outside the store Among Friends in Cambria's East Village. Stella Canestro of Cambria 4-H participated in the 22 nd annual Wood's Humane Society Wiggle Waggle Walk in San Luis Obispo, October 18 th with her Queensland Heeler, Cade. They had a lot of fun and raised $80 for shelter dogs. Be a Part of the San Luis Obispo County 4-H Program Development Board: Youth Leadership Key Leader Position is Open! Youth Leadership Key Leader: The Youth Leadership Key Leader is member of the Program Development Board, who has the overall responsibility for the development and delivery of programs to 4-H members in the Youth Leadership area. The Key Leader is responsible for the function of the Youth Leadership Program Development Committee and for working with chairpersons of event/activity committees in the Youth Leadership area. The Key Leader functions as a critical link between the Youth Leadership event/activity committees, the Youth Leadership Program Development Committee, the 4-H Office Staff, and the Youth, Families, and Communities Advisor. The event/activities that come under the Youth Leadership category are: Club Officer Training/Junior Teen Leader Training, County Leadership Development Events and Activities, Youth Leadership Conference, National 4-H Week, Other Activities/Events/Programs as developed. Program Development Board Key Leader Positions require a two (2) year commitment and the ability to attend scheduled Program Development Board Meetings. For a complete position description, application and or any questions contact our 4-H Program Rep, Krysti Jerdin at or kjerdin@ucanr.edu 13

14 4-H INFORMATION It s always an exciting time when a new 4-H Program Year begins! There are great possibilities ahead; a new slate for sharing good times, learning new things and growing as a person and citizen of our world. It is especially important then, at this time of year, to stop and consider what 4-H means to us our members and families and how each of us contribute to making the SLO County 4-H Youth Development Program the amazing and positive experience that it is. There are many ways we do this. But the foundation is our parents and adult volunteers and the behavior they model. So, now that the new program year has begun, and we see old friends and meet new ones, let s all remember the reason we re here: To create an environment where learning is fun, in an atmosphere of trust, and in a way we can be proud our members will emulate. We CAN Make the Best Better by practicing a few basic principles: Provide encouragement and support. Allow your child to experience the full process of 4-H, no matter the outcome. Keep your expectations realistic and open. Knowledge and life skills take time to develop. Support your child s efforts. Provide resources and supplies for projects. Respect youth ownership of projects. Allow your child to do his/her own project. Encourage your child to focus on the positive in the experience or situation and less on competition. Allow your child to make mistakes. We learn through our mistakes and in correcting them. Encourage your child to do his or her best, not to be better than someone else. Treat others in a courteous, respectful manner. Be respectful of adult volunteers. Allow leaders to lead, and give them your support. Deliver and pick up your child on time for events and meetings. Help out cheerfully and often. Follow through when you volunteer. Demonstrate ethical behaviors. Treat animals humanely and teach your child to provide appropriate animal care. Attend meetings and participate in activities and events. It makes for a lighter load on each and is more fun for everyone. They re good for us, and good for our youth! 14

15 4-H SWINE EXPO INFORMATION 15

16 University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program 2156 Sierra Way, Suite C San Luis Obispo, CA Return Service Requested 4hOnline Enrollment continued year-round Contact 4-H Community Club Leader SLO County 4-H Youth Development Program Calendar JANUARY Rocket Launch, Atascadero Entry Deadline for Small Animal Field Day Large Animal Level Testing, 1-4pm UCCE Aud. SLO County 4-H Presentation Day Entry Forms Due Albertsons Thank You Cards Deadline into 4-H Ofc. Emerald Star Project Deadline YOD Nomination Forms Due 4-H Small Animal Field Day, Atascadero Armory FEBRUARY Dairy/Market Goat Expo, Santa Margarita KOA Toys-4-Tots Drop-off Deadline Emerald Star Project Deadline SLO County Presentation Day, Cal Poly Ag Eng Bldg. Swine Expo Entry Forms Due Electronics I, Cal Poly Swine Expo, Paso Robles Grange Emerald Star Project Deadline MARCH APRIL MAY (TBConfirmed SECTIONAL Presentation Day Loc. TBD 4-H Primary Member Field Day, UCCE Aud., SLO Robotics I, Cal Poly Cerro Alto Rabbit Show, Paso Robles Event Ctr. Large Animal Level Testing, 9-Noon UCCE Aud. SLO Emerald Star Project Deadline Robotics II, Cal Poly Children s Day in the Plaza, SLO 4-H FAMILY FUN DAY, Rancho El Chorro, SLO Canyon Country Dog Show, Santa Rosa Park, SLO Food & Arts Celebration & Fashion Revue, LMS, SLO Emerald Star Project Deadline Emerald Star Project Deadline County 4-H FIELD DAY & Silent Auction Paso Robles Event Center CA State 4-H Field Day, UC Davis Campus