MARCH 4, 2010 ISSUE
Watauga Cooperative Extension Presents 2010 Report to the People
Agents Celebrate Accomplishments of 2009, Layout Objectives for 2010
Watauga Cooperative Extension Director Jim Hamilton hands Extension Advisory Leadership Council Chair Nancy Reigel a bouquet from Shady Grove Gardens and Nursery in honor of her service as chair on the council. Hamilton surprised Reigel with the gift during the Extension’s 2010 Report to the People. Photo by Sam Calhoun
The Watauga County branch of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension hosted its 2010 Report to the People on March 1 at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone. Community members, agricultural officials, media and more than a half-dozen state and local government representatives heard presentations by Extension Director Jim Hamilton, Extension Advisory Leadership Council Chair Nancy Reigel and all six Extension agents—Meghan Baker, Richard Boylan, Eddy Labus, Karee Mackey, Margie Mansure and Wendy Patoprsty—on the Extension’s work throughout 2009 and its objectives for the current year.
“Watauga is one of those cooperative extension-rich counties that is the envy of other [county extension programs],” said Hamilton, “because of our dedicated and competent agents.”
As its mission, North Carolina Cooperative Extension partners with communities to deliver education and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of North Carolinians.
Highlights of 2009
In 2009, Watauga County Extension programming focused heavily on the integration of programs, especially in the areas of natural resources conservation, profitable and sustainable agriculture and healthy-eating/life-skills development. Extension agents integrated their skill areas in programs that complement the Citizens’ Plan for Watauga, the county’s new comprehensive plan that aims to provide a balance between managing change, preserving community traditions, protecting the natural environment and enhancing quality of life.
To that end, agents offered 162 meetings, workshops and programs to more than 4,500 participants during 2009, in addition to contacting more than 29,000 residents through face-to-face meetings, newsletters, emails and phone calls. Also, agents organized 168 volunteers that contributed more than 2,500 hours of service to support programming, which translates into an estimated value of more than $50,000.
Elaine Mansure holds a bag with the total amount of waste collected from the 2009 Farm City Banquet, a zero-waste event organized and implemented by the Watauga Cooperative Extension. Photo by Richard Boylan
Farm City
The Farm City Banquet has focused on the importance and interdependence between rural and urban communities in Watauga County for more than 50 years. The 2009 banquet attracted 120 community members who celebrated 20 citizens for their involvement in agriculture, preserving natural resources and community development. More than 20 volunteers helped organize the event, which came close to its zero-waste goal.
Ag Options
Extension’s agriculture, livestock and specialty crop agents work to save growers money and enhance sustainability and profitability at local farms. In 2009, Boylan worked with five local growers who were recently awarded $15,000 through the N.C. Ag Options grant program. Boylan and colleagues also worked closely with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, Slow Food Boone and High Country Community Supported Agriculture, plus collaborated with ASU’s sustainable development program.
Operation Medicine Cabinet
Operation Medicine Cabinet was a successful collaboration between the Extension, local and state law enforcement, Appalachian Voices, the Watauga RiverKeeper, Watauga River Conservation Partners, ASU and Boone Drug in removing pharmaceuticals from the home and reducing that amount of drugs entering local waterways. The project collected more than 40,000 pills, 12 gallons of liquids and 2,000 needles, which is more than a similar drug take-back program in Charlotte collected. Other counties are now modeling similar programs off the Watauga County initiative.
Boone Stormwater Wetland
In 2009, the Extension partnered with N.C. State University’s Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, the Town of Boone and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to construct a 1.4-acre wetland to mitigate—filter, settle and clear—the approximately 40 acres of stormwater entering the New River. More than 18 volunteers contributed more than 100 hours of labor planting vegetation within the wetland. The site provides a passive recreational park for the county and a sanctuary for wildlife.
School Gardens and Local Foods for Local Kids
The Extension collaborated on several 4-H projects in 2009. The Local Foods for Local Kids program connected kids to where food comes from through farm visits around the county. The Extension also piloted school gardens for more than 150 students at two elementary schools and one charter school. Volunteers prepared beds, started seedlings and helped educate the students about farming. Each class held harvest parties and enjoyed nutrition and cooking classes.
Objectives for 2010
For 2010, Watauga Extension hopes to address the following objectives:
- Improve profitable and sustainable agriculture systems through marketing local goods and services for added value in traditional and alternative agriculture production.
- Develop School to Career programs that help prepare children and adults for the workforce in today’s uncertain economy.
- Promote natural resources conservation and environmental sustainability, including best management practices, to ensure water quality.
- Develop urban and consumer agriculture programs to meet the needs of the diverse demographic of residents.
- Promote healthy eating, physical activity and chronic disease risk reduction to address a high obesity rate in Watauga County residents. Sixty-five percent of adults in the county are overweight or obese.
According to Reigel, the Extension’s Advisory Leadership Council is in need of “new faces, new ideas and renewed enthusiasm to meet the needs and challenges for the new decade.” Reigel hopes new community members will step up and join the council for its work in 2010. For more information and/or an application, community members can contact Hamilton or any Extension agent by calling 828-264-3061.
For more information, click to http://watauga.ces.ncsu.edu.
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