Extension
It Starts With Us
Practicing stewardship of local natural resources
Strengthening Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bryant Popham, Pruneda, Hinton
4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests
Home & Consumer Horticulture
Master Gardener
People, animals, and plants are dependent on our Earth’s natural resources. Everything from the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the soil we use for food production– these resources are vital to our existence. Therefore, it’s important that we care for and respect these resources. Understanding how our daily choices affect our environment, we can conserve natural resources and protect our environment for present and future generations. Unsolved worldwide social problems need to be addressed by Kentucky youth and adults, including 1) there is a shortage of scientists and people understanding natural resource stewardship, 2) women and minorities are under-represented in Natural Resource careers, 3) our communities need a diverse pool of trained scientists to frame and solve problems and educate others in natural resource related areas, and 4) finally, the general population in Breckinridge County and throughout the United States, lack a basic understanding of environmental resources in their own backyard.
Breckinridge County community members will use scientific techniques, responsible practices and innovative technologies that will positively sustain the natural resources in the home, community and world. Youth will engage in community projects related to natural resource conservation. Home owners will begin to utilize their knowledge from the Master Gardener Programs to teach others on utilization of natural resources.
Local adults and youth will make decisions in their daily lives that positively impact natural resources, adopt practices to conserve and protect the environment in their home and community, and use problem solving skills and apply them to environmental issues. Home owners work to utilize raised beds in their home vegetable garden program to provide more locally grown produce. Accessible gardens will be used to allow homeowners to gain control of their gardens and begin to increase their mobility and their knowledge of small garden production.
Local adults and youth will develop an interest in environmental sciences and sustainable practices and technologies, gain knowledge of the interrelationship and inter-dependencies with an ecosystem, and identify and gain knowledge of the natural resources that are used within their home and community. Farm and homeowners will break those barriers and begin implementing raised beds as well as increase their knowledge and their use of small accessible gardens with demonstrations in each small community area, such as the senior Citizen Center, and Communicare adult workshop, and the local hospital extended care unit.
Initial Outcome: Adults and youth will identify and gain knowledge of the natural resources that are used within their home and community.
Indicator: Number of individuals who can identify natural resources in the community.
Method: Kentucky 4-H Evaluations
Timeline: Throughout program implementation
Intermediate Outcome: Adults and youth will adopt practices to conserve and protect the environment in their home and community.
Indicator: Number of individuals reporting using their skills to conserve natural resources.
Method: Follow-up surveys, personal interviews, and observations
Timeline: 1-3 month follow-up to program implementation
Long-term Outcome: Adults and youth will use scientific techniques, responsible practices and innovative technologies that will positively sustain the natural resources in the home, community and world.
Indicator: Number of individuals participating in a community service project related to natural resource conservation.
Method: Personal testimonials, follow-up surveys, observations
Timeline: 1-3 month follow-up to program implementation
Audience: Local Youth (4th Grade)
Project or Activity: 4-H Environmental Day Camp
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky 4-H approved curriculum (Project WET, Project WILD, Forensic Entomology, etc.)
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents, Kentucky 4-H Camp staff and facilities, volunteer leadership, community leaders, public schools, curriculum and program resources
Date: Fall 2019
Audience: Local Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Bug Club
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Entomology curriculum, Butterfly WINGS curriculum, and other Kentucky 4-H approved curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents and facilities, volunteer leadership, curriculum and program resources
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Local Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Shooting Sports Club
Content or Curriculum: 4-H shooting sports policies and certification, and other Kentucky 4-H approved curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents and facilities, volunteer leadership, curriculum and program resources
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Local Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Adventurers Club
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Entomology curriculum, Butterfly WINGS curriculum, Outdoor Adventures, and other Kentucky 4-H approved curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents and facilities, volunteer leadership, curriculum and program resources
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Local Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H School Clubs and Afterschool Programs
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky 4-H approved curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents, public school, volunteer leadership, curriculum and program resources
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Local Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Project Workshops and Day Camps
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky 4-H approved curriculum (Geology, Forestry, Entomology, etc.)
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents, public school, volunteer leadership, curriculum and program resources
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Local Farms
Project: Insect Traps set out in key areas, ie., Spotted Winged Drosophilia, and Emerald Ash Borer
Content or Curriculum: Work with specialists in diagnosis and treatment
Inputs: local farms, Entomology specialists
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Local Farms and Farm store equipment operators
Project: Design, build and fund a SPRAY Table.
Content: UK spray guides
Inputs: local businesses, farms, UK Specialists-Plant Pathology, and Tobacco Specialists
Date: 2019-20
Audience: Local Farms
Project: Cover crop meetings and conservation practices meeting.
Content or Curriculum: Work with specialists in analyzing problems and resolution to problems, ie., re-establish grass waterways, improve pasture and hay fields after 3 bad years of mudding.
Inputs: local farms, State and local NRCS office and local SCS, UK Specialists in the field of water management, forage establishment
Date: 2019-2020 program year
Audience: Home owners
Project: Raised bed gardening
Content or Curriculum: Work with Vegetable specialists to design crops for maximum use of raised beds, and other types of gardens in the Detention Center
Inputs: Adult Master Gardener Graduates, Fruit and Vegetable Specialists, Detention Center employees, Ag Agents
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Detention Center participants
Content or Curriculum: Program designed by using Specialists and Publications on gardening on a budget, plus gardening small spaces
Project: Providing fresh fruits and vegetables
Inputs: Local detention center, Graduated Adult Master Gardeners, Extension Agents and UK Specialists
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Detention Center participants
Content or Curriculum: Adult Master Gardener Program
Project: Adult Master Gardener Program
Inputs: Local Detention center, graduated Adult Master gardeners, Extension agents and UK Specialists
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Senior Citizens, Citizens with physical limitations
Content or Curriculum: Accessible gardening through UK Ag Engineering
Project: Develop feasible and accessible garden areas in small communities
Inputs: Master Gardeners, UK Ag Engineering, Extension Agent
Date: Summer and Fall 2019-20
Audience: Beef Producers
Content or Curriculum:
Project: Develop an IRM plan for the farms that meet the standards of the committee. Work through local farmers to implement new feeder calf study
Inputs: Beef Specialists, Ag Agent, Local Veterinarian, and selected producers.
Date: Summer 2017 through Spring 2022
Author: Carol Hinton
Major Program: Woodland Education
Woodland Stewards WebinairWe offered in the county the Woodland Stewards Webinair in 2020. We were apprehensive as we offered a similar class last year and each night that it was planned this year there were competing meetings in the other building. We had a great turn out with about 50% of the crowd attending 75% of the classes. Each night we had a different group of participants. There were landowners that had a range of 15 to 400 acres of forested areas out of the 58
