UAF Cooperative Extension Service
2011 program HIGHLIGHTS
C O O P E R AT I V E
EXTENSION
SERVICE
Page 1 — Program Highlights 2011
Putting education to work in your life and community
From the Director’s Office This year marked our 81st as the outreach arm of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Extension outreach is one of the three missions of all land-grant institutions like UAF. Abraham Lincoln established the land-grant college system by signing the Morrill Act on July 2, 1862. Called the “people’s university,” land-grant colleges also have a teaching and research mission. The Smith-Lever Act, signed May 8, 1914, created the Cooperative Extension program at land-grant universities to “disseminate useful and practical information.” UAF Cooperative Extension provides research-based information to individuals and communities to help inform and educate. As we prepare to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Morrill Act this year and the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act in two more years, it is important to note that Extension has evolved. While we still honor those core program areas on which Extension was founded, we are transitioning into issue-based programs as highlighted in this report. This focuses our efforts on delivering university-based research on issues currently facing Alaskans.
State Advisory Council This is the perfect time to be involved with the Cooperative Extension Service State Advisory Council here in Alaska. I can’t express how exciting it has been to see the development of the new strategic plan and how that is defining a new direction. Moving away from the traditional program themes and on to issue-based education is a huge paradigm shift for a program with so much history behind it. This is positioning the Cooperative Extension for opportunities to collaborate with other organizations throughout the state to deliver the university’s best science-based information in the most relevant manner. Meeting with different agents and specialists around the state, I can see that Cooperative Extension has the best outreach potential imaginable — empowering and engaging Alaskans to create the most sustainable communities possible. It is an honor to be on the council in these times of such need — and so much opportunity.
Fred Schlutt Cooperative Extension Director
Kyra Wagner State Advisory Council Chair
What is Extension? The Cooperative Extension Service is an educational network supported by a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and more than 100 land-grant universities such as the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Each state and territory has a network of local or regional offices staffed by experts who generate and distribute useful knowledge to the public. They also work with residents to meet their challenges, whether it’s growing enough food for their families, building an energy-efficient home or smoking salmon. Extension has district offices in nine Alaska communities. Our agents deliver programs in person and on an extensive videoconference network. They are happy to answer questions by phone and e-mail. Information is also available through Extension publications, interactive online lessons, DVDs, radio and television programs, newsletters and newspaper articles, and even Facebook. Check out our web presence at www.uaf.edu/ces . Page 2 — Program Highlights 2011
Mission
Cooperative Extension educates, engages and supports the people and communities of Alaska, connecting them with their university. We provide factual and practical information while bringing Alaskans’ issues and challenges to the university.
EXTENSION SERVES OUR COMMUNITIES “We are grateful to Cooperative Extension for our herbicide recommendations and for Phil Kaspari’s invaluable agronomic advice. It is critical to the success of our farm.” — Bryce Wrigley, Delta Junction farmer
“I have taken many classes offered by Cooperative Extension (canning fish, making yogurt, preserving food, etc.) and have learned so much. Thanks so much for offering these classes, especially to rural places like Bethel.” — Mary Martin, speech language pathologist, Bethel
“Being a Master Gardener is one of my proudest accomplishments.” — Terry Wilson, Anchorage Master Gardener
“The courage it takes to get up and present your opinions or information to a room, or to walk into a building and convince a stranger to buy a goat will serve you well the rest of your life.” — Tatiana Butler, former Kenai 4-H’er who works as a publications assistant in Washington, D.C. Page 3 — Program Highlights 2011
“I’ve decided to eat more fruits and vegetables and feed them to my family. I am motivated to exercise more weekly and to keep doing it as I age to maintain muscle and bone.” — Deb Trowbridge, Nome participant in the StrongWomen Healthy Hearts Program
“The resources that 4-H has given me have opened my eyes to opportunities for positive change and ways to implement these changes and develop youth programs in rural Alaska and my village.” — Courtney Agnes, 4-H volunteer mentor and site coordinator, Tanana
“We’ve had wonderful support from Cooperative Extension in Palmer. They understood the potential benefit of cultivating Rhodiola rosea in Alaska and helped us get the word out to growers in a way we could not have done by ourselves. Thank you!” — Dr. Petra Illig, Anchorage grower and president of Alaska Rhodiola Products “I learned how to buy and prepare healthy food on a tiny budget. The Cooperative Extension was an educational source I was completely unaware of.” — Jenn Oden of Fairbanks, who participated in Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Program Highlights 2011 — Page 3
Planting the seeds for increased local food production in rural communities A 10-pound bag of potatoes can cost more than $20 in rural Alaska, where stores charge a premium for fresh vegetables. Extension is experimenting with different methods to teach rural residents how to grow more local produce. Participants in the Alaskan Growers School learned about gardening by correspondence, audio and online. Some attended classes with gardening and small business experts in Fairbanks during August and participated in a five-day practicum at the Calypso Farm and Ecology Center, gaining experience on a working farm. The beginning growers school teaches participants how to raise enough food for themselves and 10 other families, while the advanced school focuses on starting a small agricultural business. Both are funded by a three-year grant through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that supports rural farmers. Summer participants planned to start home or community gardens or sell a little produce. Herman Morgan, the district manager for the Soil and Water Conservation District in Aniak, intends to teach other gardeners in the Kuskokwim region. As one man told him, “You might need this information to feed your families and teach your kids how to feed their families.” Check out our Alaskan Growers School video: http://youtu.be/TCVR1Y176_g
FYI . . . • Seventy-four individuals from 42 communities completed one or more sessions of the beginning or advanced Alaskan Growers School in 2011. • Nearly three-quarters of the beginning school’s participants felt they had gained the knowledge and skills to grow enough food for their family and 10 other families. • During 2011, Extension also trained 206 Master Gardeners who will volunteer thousands of hours in their communities as part of their certification.
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FOOD SAFETY AND SECURITY
Extension supports classroom programs Beverly Chmielarczyk says there is something magical about the salmon incubation tank in her third-grade classroom. “The students are completely riveted by the tank,” she said. Elders and family members also visit to check on the developing salmon fry. As a new teacher, Chmielarczyk attended an in-service offered by Extension about the salmon incubation project — and has used the information with students of various ages in Kwethluk and more recently, in Napaskiak, near Bethel. “It helps you teach science in a culturally relevant way,” said Chmielarczyk. 4-H natural resources specialist Peter Stortz has coordinated the in-service for nearly 20 years. Scientists and other experts show rural teachers how to use the project to explore the science behind natural resources important to their communities. In-service cosponsors include Alaska Sea Grant and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Extension has many other connections to K-12 schools. Our agents regularly deliver programs on topics ranging from GPS/GIS technology and Alaska agriculture to gardening, the environment and personal finance. Nutrition educators involve youth in making healthy food choices and integrating fitness into their lives. Many classrooms supplement learning with 4-H curricula. Students in Eagle explore subjects like embryology, public speaking and art on “4-H Fridays.” Teachers and afterschool clubs in several communities participated in the 2011 4-H National Science Experiment, which challenged youth to build and test wind turbines.
FYI ... FYI … • Extension developed the salmon incubation project in 1991 to increase math and science literacy in village schools. Thirty-five to 40 schools participate annually in the program, which involves more than 1,200 students. • During 2011, more than 10,000 Alaska youth had fun learning through school enrichment activities in the classroom and in after-school programs. • Extension educators in 2011 offered nutrition lessons to about 3,500 youth in classrooms around the state.
youth, family and community
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Program Highlights 2011 — Page 5
Alaska 4-H exchanges introduce youth to new global perspective Kira O’Donoghue traveled to Mongolia this past summer as part of a 4-H exchange involving eight Western states. The Fairbanks teen was joined by Mariah McCoy of Chugiak and Palmer 4-H specialist Peter Stortz. The University of Wyoming coordinated the fourweek exchange, which included language and cultural training by Peace Corps volunteers. Participants lived with Mongolian families for two weeks and spent the final week sightseeing, camping and hiking. O’Donoghue particularly enjoyed her homestay, where she drank milk tea and helped out with chores, such as milking the cow. She keeps in touch with her host sister on Facebook. “You get to make friends on the other side of the world,” she said. This was the first 4-H exchange with Mongolia, but 4-H has a long history of exchanges. A Japanese exchange has been ongoing for more than 40 years. Alaska youth travel to Japan every year and Alaska families host Japanese youth. Jill Holmgren, who coordinates the outbound exchange, said participants learn that culture isn’t just food or clothing, but also ways of thinking. “Parents report that their teens return from exchanges more confident and with a global perspective.” More information: www.uaf.edu/ces/4h/exchange/
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FYI . . . • Alaska families will host 10 Japanese youth this summer through the 4-H Labo International Exchange Program. • In the past five years, Alaska 4-H’ers have traveled to Hawaii, Arizona and Virginia for exchanges and have hosted return exchanges. Tanana District will host New Jersey 4-H’ers this summer and travel to the state in 2013. • The States’ 4-H International Exchange Programs offer additional exchange opportunities to Finland, Australia, Norway and Costa Rica. Youth do not have to be active 4-H members to apply for exchanges but will be enrolled in 4-H if they are accepted.
YOUTH, FAMILy AND COMMUNITy
“You get to make friends on the other side of the world.” — Kira O’Donoghue, Fairbanks 4-H’er
Teens return from exchanges more confident and with a global perspective. Page 7 — Program Highlights 2011
Program Highlights 2011 — Page 7
GPS/GIS training helps Yupik village document site erosion, river channel Seven-hundred-year-old and older artifacts from a former village site near Quinhagak have fallen on the beach and washed out to sea. Melting permafrost and a loss of protective sea ice have led to extensive beach erosion near the Yupik village of 600 in Western Alaska. Quinhagak wanted help documenting its old village sites, said Warren Jones, manager of the village corporation, Qanirtuuq, Inc. Palmer agent Steve Brown teamed up with Bethel Marine Advisory Program agent Terry Reeve in July to show Quinhagak residents how to use a GPS to map archeological sites and other terrain. Four youth and four adults learned how to operate a GPS and then to use GIS to interpret and display the information. They mapped old village sites, airport erosion and the Kanektok River channel. The channel information will help barges get in with supplies without getting stuck on sandbars. Jones, a team leader for Quinhagak Search and Rescue, wants to map snowmachine trails to other villages and upriver, which will make it easier to look for residents who get lost in whiteout conditions. “We’ll use a GPS to stay right on the trail,” he said.
FYI . . . • More than 300 Alaskans learned how to use a GPS in a dozen Extension workshops around the state. Alaska presents special challenges to GPS users, and the sessions focus on what the owner’s manual doesn’t tell you. The classes are popular with hunters, law enforcement and other emergency responders. • An additional 157 individuals practiced their GPS skills to find hidden containers called geocaches.
University of Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, Deborah Mercy
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• Extension developed a geospatial technology curriculum for the Matanuska-Susitna School District that teaches students how to use the GPS and GIS, and a geospatial after-school lab has been set up at the Bethel Youth Center.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Partnership extends energy outreach The Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) develops solutions to Alaska energy challenges through applied research. Our partnership with ACEP is natural because we are in the business of providing Alaskans with practical information based on university research. We also educate Alaskans about energy conservation and renewable and alternative energy systems. Extension helps ACEP get the word out. We have designed, edited and distributed ACEP publications on wood pellets, ground source heat pumps, biogas and other energy topics. We help ACEP webstream and videotape its monthly community energy lecture series in Fairbanks and package the videos for iTunes University, where they can be viewed widely over the Internet. We also videotaped the 2011 International Wind-Diesel Workshop and Alaska Rural Energy Conference sessions for the web. Julie Estey, the business director for ACEP, appreciates the partnership with Extension. “It helps us reach a broader audience in a more meaningful way,” she said. Extension and ACEP work together to provide financial support to other outreach efforts, co-sponsoring the past two Alaska Rural Energy Conferences and International Wind Diesel Conference. In addition, Extension supported “Power Play,” an interactive energy exhibit that ACEP curated for the University of Alaska Museum of the North.
FYI . . . • Extension distributes the following ACEP publications: Biogas, Biomass, Greenhouse Energy, Ground Source Heat Pumps in Alaska and Wood Pellets in Rural Alaska. Download the publications at www.uaf.edu/ces/about/partners . • More than 400 individuals attended the September 2011 Alaska Rural Energy Conference in Juneau. The conference included 24 technical sessions on current research and energy topics. View the 2010 sessions online at www.bit.ly/ACEPruralenergy . • Extension offered training in 2011 in solar energy design, cold-climate homebuilding and home retrofit. Nearly 400 Alaskans attended workshops in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Delta, Bethel, Nome and Kenai. See our many other energy and housing publications at www.bit.ly/energypubs .
energy
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Improving women’s nutrition, fitness through a new Healthy Hearts program Alaska Extension is field testing a new StrongWomen program to reduce heart disease. Agents taught the StrongWomen Healthy Hearts program in Nikiski and Nome in 2011 and will offer the 12-week program in more communities this year. Twice-weekly classes combine aerobic exercise with nutrition education and hands-on cooking activities. The Tufts University program targets women who get little or no exercise. Nikiski resident Mary Olson already swam regularly, but since her mother died from heart disease at age 54, she wanted to lower her risk. Olson, who is 66, said the Healthy Hearts nutrition education was invaluable. The classes taught by Linda Tannehill introduced her to new foods her family likes and to a recreation center where she can walk indoors. Since starting the class in March, she has also lost 24 pounds. “I loved everything about it,” she said. Nome agent Kari van Delden said participants in her classes lost a little weight and felt more fit. They ate healthier meals and said their clothes fit better. The value of the program extends beyond the class, she believes. “When we change how women eat, we’re changing how families eat.”
FYI . . . • A Tufts University study shows that participants in the StrongWomen Healthy Hearts program lost an average of 4½ pounds during the 12-week session. • StrongWomen Healthy Hearts classes in Alaska will be offered in Palmer, Fairbanks and Nome in 2012. • Extension continues to offer its StrongWomen strength-training classes, too. Since 2005, Extension has trained more than 170 instructors, who lead classes at more than 20 community sites.
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HEALTH
Test kitchen benefits entrepreneurs Michelle Kisselman considered starting a business after a friend encouraged her to sell her habanero garlic sauce. A few months later, the company she worked for outsourced her transcriptionist job. Extension’s Kate Idzorek helped Kisselman navigate the process of developing a foodbased business and connect to other resources, including a university art student who designed a label for “Glacial Heat.” Kisselman started making her hot sauces in the Extension’s test kitchen a year ago, and her sauces and spicy jellies have sold well at farmers markets and food stores in Fairbanks. “I didn’t know how well I was going to do,” she said. “It’s actually a business.” The state requires that certain foods be prepared in a Department of Environmental Conservation-certified facility. Entrepreneurs may rent Extension’s certified kitchen on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus while they get their businesses off the ground. Idzorek, who coordinates the test kitchen, works with entrepreneurs interested in starting a food business. Product development services include nutrition labels, certified food protection manager training, food ph testing and label proofing to meet Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The kitchen is also used for food product development research.
FYI . . . • Extension developed its test kitchen in 2004 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Extension used the kitchen in 2011 to create recipes for school lunch programs, integrating barley into baked goods for Fairbanks schools. • The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently donated a 15-gallon vat pasteurizer that will be tested this winter and made available soon to entrepreneurs interested in making cheese or pasteurizing other products in the test kitchen. • Extension and DEC are preparing checklists for food producers to guide them through the process of becoming a small food-based business. Joint projects in 2011 also included a publication on safe egg handling.
Economic Development
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Program Highlights 2011 — Page 11
Extension Hotlines Publications & Information 1-877-520-5211 Energy & Building 1-800-478-8324 Food Safety & Preservation 1-888-823-3663 Visit us at www.uaf.edu/ces
July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011 (State FY11) Extension Expenditures by Revenue Source Total $8,710,405 State grants $479,586 5%
July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011 (State FY11) Extension Expenditures by Category Total $8,710,405
Federal earmarks and grants $1,108,649 13% Federal formula funds $1,308,262 15%
State General Fund $4,508,100 52%
Services $1,191,773 14%
Supplies $273,376 3%
UA departments $64,500 1%
Travel $409,966 5%
Indirects $281,575 3%
Other grants $131,818 1%
Other UA funds $371,687 4%
Program receipts $403,115 5%
Salary $6,489,291 74%
Other universities $399,188 5%
The Cooperative Extension Service 2011 relies on a variety of federal, state and local sources of funding. These charts show Extension expenditures as a percentage of the total budget and by category. Page 12 — Program Highlights