4-H SET Projects in Gardening, Landscaping, Environmental Restoration, and Reforestation Projects

Funded Projects

4-H helps youth develop an understanding and appreciation for the environment. In 4-H, youth learn about the natural ecosystem and become aware of their surroundings through projects in environmental stewardship, gardening, landscaping, forestry, and soil & water conservation.

Through a gift from the California Landscape Contractors’ Association (CLCA) through The California 4-H Foundation, the State 4-H Office is pleased to fund local projects that combine water quality/conservation with landscaping, gardening, environmental restoration, reforestation, and other environmentally-focused activities.

Please address questions to: Steven Worker, 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Coordinator, smworker@ucdavis.edu, 530-754-8519.

Restoring El Rio Villa
CYFAR Putah Creek 4-H Club, Yolo County
Project Contact: Megan Harns, megan.harns@gmail.com, 530-902-0814
Project Focus: Landscaping, Environmental Restoration, Soil and/or Water Conservation
Restoring El Rio Villa is an on-going mission to restore the beauty and environmental vitality of a low-income housing development for the benefit of the people and wildlife that live there. With a six year history of ecological restoration and community development projects, the CYFAR Putah Creek 4-H Club continues its dedication to caring for ALL the residents of Yolo Housing Winters in ways that not only meet real needs, but which also build community pride, leadership, and life skills in youth and adults. The PC 4-H Club is conducting two different, but related, high-priority projects: 1) to re-vegetate a native plant/pollinator restoration area that was decimated by invasive weeds, and 2) to create a flower bed around the community center.

Reforesting San Bruno
Belmont 4H Club, San Mateo - San Francisco Counties
Project Contact: Julien Lévy, joalevy@gmail.com, (650) 637-1898
4-H Staff Contact: Mary Meyer, mgmeyer@ucdavis.edu, 650-726-9059 x 106
Project Focus: Landscaping, Environmental Restoration, Reforestation
My project is about replanting trees in San Bruno that were lost to the fires caused by exploding gas lines. This includes reforestation of the impacted canyon space, an offer of discounted or free trees to homeowners whose homes and yards were lost to the fire, and/or reintroducing trees and landscape together with an educational kiosk to a children’s park which was also lost to the fire as part of the rebuilding process. I hope that the experience of planting the trees, in addition to educating youth about the importance of trees and landscape management for climate and environmental reasons would serve as a healing and rebuilding process for the community as a whole.

4-HEROES
Solano County
Project Contact: Colleen Bohannan, colleenboh@gmail.com, 707-554-2195
4-H Staff Contact: Valerie Williams, vawilliams@ucdavis.edu or (707) 784-1319
Project Focus: Landscaping
The 4-HEROES team is a group of two youth and an adult advisor working together to create Lawson Fallen Soldier Memorial Park, in memory of Sergeant First Class Issac Lawson who sacrificed his life in service to his country. This is an environmentally respectful, youth service-learning project. The project is a landscape development effort that Helps Everyone Respect Our Earth and Service personnel. We are in the process of converting an abandoned ¾ acre lot adjacent to the Fairfield Armory, into a memorial park. Upon its completion, Lawson Fallen Soldier Memorial Park will serve 170 military personnel and their 130 families attached to the 49^th Military Police Brigade.

Vegetable Gardening Education Project
Ventura County
Project Contact: Gwyn Vanoni, gwvanoni@ucdavis.edu, 805-645-1482
Project Focus: Gardening
To share the science-based gardening knowledge of the Ventura County Master Gardeners Program to the Gardening Projects of the Ventura County 4-H program, and inspire additional development of family, club and community vegetable gardens. 4-H members and leaders from throughout the county will come together to go through 5 workshops dedicated to all of the steps involved in a healthy vegetable gardening. They will be building raised beds, planning their gardens, determining the best route for pest resolution, evaluating their outcomes.

Gardens that Give
Humboldt County
Project Contact: Sandy Sathrum, sksathrum@ucdavis.edu, 707-445-7351
Project Focus: Gardening
Five countywide 4-H garden projects will increase youth participation and learning of plant science through inquiry, exploration, questioning and decision making while connecting to real needs in their communities. All projects will be youth driven, working in partnership with their 4-H clubs.

In Trinidad, the 4-H TRAIL therapeutic horseback riding group will maintain a garden that will feed volunteers at their monthly potlucks and provide treats for the horses.
In Eureka, the 4-H project group is teaming up with the community garden and using a raised bed to grow food for the local Food Bank.
In Rio Dell, the 4-H garden will provide food for the local homeless shelter and for the senior resource center.
In Hydesville, the 4-H garden group will be providing a pumpkin patch for the local school children and raising edible pumpkin to donate to the food bank. This group has also been asked to create a garden at the county fairgrounds and will be raising plant starts and maintaining the garden on the fairgrounds site to be shared with the public during the 10 day fair.
In Redway, the garden is part of the 4-H afterschool program and will provide food for the kids in the afterschool program and any excess will be shared with those in need.