4-H in the Media

Fire agencies hold annual drill in Weed

By Jamie Gentner Daily News Posted Jul 13, 2010 @ 09:59 AM Weed, Calif. — Over 100 firefighters responded to a mass casualty accident, lightning fires, spot fires Saturday and Sunday. But all the incidents were planned, as they were part of the annual Eric Hall Memorial Interagency Fire Drill. The drill began in 1993 as the Lake Shastina Fire Drill in an attempt to bring the numerous fire agencies in the county together and foster relationships among departments, according to CAL-FIRE Unit Chief and Siskiyou County Fire Warden Bernie Paul. “Our main goal is interagency cooperation and familiarity,” KNF Public Information Officer Kerry Greene said. “We want them to get familiar with each other and build relationships so that when they get to a real fire, having that connection beforehand and the training, they will be more effective in their firefighting efforts. They’ll have gone through all the motions of actual emergencies, so they’ll know what each others’ capabilities are and what their equipment can do.” A few years after the drill began, the event was renamed in honor of Eric Hall, a Lake Shastina Fire Department chief who passed away. “He was a huge supporter for training and really pushed for more interagency trainings,” CAL?FIRE Information and Education Officer Suzi Brady said. Over the years, what has been taught has changed slightly, with drills varying from structure fires, vehicle fires and vehicle crashes to equipment safety and...

4-H kids step up for the community

Murrieta Mustangs raise $5,500 to build a new, covered bus stop By: Jim Rothgeb, 951-676-4315, ext. 2621 North County Times MURRIETA, Calif. -- From her vantage point just inside the front doors of the Murrieta Senior Center, Betty Campos couldn't contain her appreciation. "I don't ride the bus very much, but I think it's pretty neat what those kids did," Campos said Wednesday. "This is something very positive." Those kids are the Murrieta Mustang 4-H Club. In the last 10 months, the 40 youths, ages 5 through 18, raised $5,500 to have a covered bus stop built on Juniper Street, about a half-block from the senior center. Where there was once nothing but a pole with a schedule posted for Riverside Transit Agency's Route 23, there is now a metal bench underneath a metal shelter the blocks the sun's rays. It may not sound like much, but to transit agency officials that bus stop, between Jefferson and Adams avenues, is a pretty big deal. That's why many of them gathered there Wednesday to honor the 4-H club and officially dedicate the new shelter. "This may not be the biggest project we've ever done, but it is certainly the most noteworthy," said Larry Rubio, chief executive officer for Riverside Transit Agency. It's the system's first bus shelter ever built through fundraising efforts of a local youth group. And it's one of only a handful of covered stops along RTA routes in Murrieta. Sheyanne Stewart, a 4-H alumna and current adviser, suggested the idea that club...

4-H'ers delve into hydrogels

Young students study uses of hydrophilic polymers in farming By TIM HEARDENCapital Press YREKA, Calif. -- The next generation of farmers has been studying what may be the next generation of water conservation. Students in 4-H have been experimenting with polymers as a way to reduce the amount of water needed for crops, tapping into an emerging technology that's now in use in some nurseries. As part of a national science project started in 2008, the students are working with hydrogels -- polymers with long molecular chains that grab onto water molecules and help with moisture retention. Led by popular children's science author and teacher Steve Spangler, the project encourages youngsters to use the polymers in common household items, such as diaper linings, to demonstrate how efficiently the chemical compounds absorb water. A handful of 4-H members showed the polymers' potential to younger students during an ag education day here May 20, prompting gasps of amazement among the elementary-school pupils. "So far we've gotten a lot of kids really excited about it and are interested in testing it with their parents," said Zoe Walsh, 16, a homeschooled 4-H member from Klamath River, Calif. Herman McEwen, 13, a seventh-grader in Montague, Calif., said he enjoys teaching younger children how to experiment with polymers. "I learned it, and I always thought science was fun," he said. The youngsters' booth was one of more than a dozen stations at the 17th...

Merced 4-H junk drawer robotics: A great idea goes national

After UC Cooperative Extension 4-H advisor Richard Mahacek’s young son had the opportunity to tinker with robotics, he told his dad, “We need to do this in 4-H.” That was more than a decade ago, but Mahacek never forgot his son’s enthusiasm. After researching and testing ready-made programs and kits, Mahacek decided only a brand new custom program would meet local 4-H needs. “Some kits were expensive, others were hard to get,” Mahacek said.  “Others didn’t challenge kids to innovate and explore, but only to follow instructions.” Mahacek had a completely new concept in mind. The result was a program Mahacek calls junk drawer robotics, heavy on rubber bands, Popsicle sticks, medicine dispensers and bamboo skewers – the kinds of things people already have around the house. By adding some toy motors and plastic gears, Mahacek says, there is no telling what youngsters can invent. The robotics program develops skills that go beyond science and engineering. The children learn communications, teamwork and critical thinking. “Junk drawer robotics is hands-on as well as heads-on,” Mahacek said. “We’re getting kids to be innovative, to come up with ideas themselves. When they come up with their own designs, and then build them, they have internalized the concepts much more than if they are just following directions.” Since 4-H was launched nearly 100 years ago, the program has been about science. 4-H is offered to the community by Cooperative Extension...

California Places 1st at National 4-H Horse Classic in Denver

NEWS RELEASE Submitted by Jeanne George, State 4-H Equine Educational Advisor January 15, 2010 California Places 1st at National 4-H Horse Classic in Denver! Nearly 1000 people attended Western National Roundup, January 7-10, 2010. Six hundred youth competed in fifteen national contests. Thirty states along with Alberta, Canada were represented this year in Denver, CO at the Renaissance Denver Hotel. The conference, in its 90th year, is held annually in early January, coinciding with the start of the National Western Stock Show. Local 4-H horse project members between the ages of 14 and 19 qualified for the conference by winning at the California State 4-H Horse Classic educational contests held last March. The California delegation competed in hippology, team & individual demonstrations, public speaking, horse bowl, and horse judging. As a state team, California placed 1st overall of over twenty states competing in the horse educational contests. The horse bowl team placed third overall high point team. Members were Zach Provchy of Fresno County and Rebecca Riley, Jordan Riley, and Rebecca Tierce, all of Riverside County. Zach placed 2nd overall and Rebecca Tierce was 9th overall. It was a very exciting competition! Riverside County 4-H Leader Lynn Warren served as the team’s coach. California delegates were national winners in the team and individual demonstration contests. Alyssa Perez and Shayla Duncan...