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John Punches
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May I diverge from my typical focus on trees if I promise to return to it in future articles? You see, something quite extraordinary has been happening in Douglas County over the past 18 months. That’s the amount of time it has taken for a group of very dedicated volunteers, working tirelessly, to organize a successful effort to create a county service district that will specifically support the OSU Extension office. On May 20 voters passed Ballot Measure 10-86 with a decided margin, and in a culminating act on June 11, the County Commissioners officially established the new Douglas County 4-H, Master Gardener and Extension Service District.
Many people asked if we (the Extension faculty and staff) can now breathe easily. The answer is “yes and no.” “Yes” because stable funding will allow us to continue serving in the county we call home, but “no” because there is so much Extension can and should be doing here! The good people of this county stepped forward in support of Extension, and we don’t want to let you down.
To that end we’re working diligently to maintain excellence in traditional programs while enhancing service in some key areas. Here are a few highlights of our vision for the next couple of years:
Our 4-H Youth Development program will be stronger than ever now that it can refill a too-long vacant position that focuses on in-school programs, and we hope to introduce 4-H to younger students through our Cloverbuds program.
The Master Gardeners, working in conjunction with our Horticulture Agent, have recruited grant funding to make improvements to our Horticulture Learning Center (near River Forks Park), that will allow the site to serve as an outdoor laboratory for area schools.
Our Master Food Preservers are gearing up to offer their classes in cities throughout the district, and to enhance cooperative services with area food pantries.
With stable funding in place, we’re working with OSU to bring a new faculty member to our county to expand education in nutrition and family sciences. The position will be funded primarily by state and federal sources — the district’s passage has given us a very strong hand in the negotiation process, and we anticipate success!
Our “traditional” programs in forestry, horticulture and livestock and forages will remain strong and serve even wider audiences. The publicity Extension experienced over the past year and a half has made many more people aware of our services, and we’re scrambling to keep up with demand.
My space here is too limited to give you a complete description of all our upcoming activities, so I encourage you to visit our Web site at extension.oregonstate.edu for class details and a wealth of information. I’ll leave you with this:
“We pledge to live up to our name by “Extending” the knowledge base of Oregon State University to the people of Douglas county, and never forgetting that our name ends in “Service.”
Thanks for keeping the OSU Extension tradition alive in Douglas County!
John Punches is the Extension Forestry Agent and Staff Chair for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at john.punches@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.
Many people asked if we (the Extension faculty and staff) can now breathe easily. The answer is “yes and no.” “Yes” because stable funding will allow us to continue serving in the county we call home, but “no” because there is so much Extension can and should be doing here! The good people of this county stepped forward in support of Extension, and we don’t want to let you down.
To that end we’re working diligently to maintain excellence in traditional programs while enhancing service in some key areas. Here are a few highlights of our vision for the next couple of years:
Our 4-H Youth Development program will be stronger than ever now that it can refill a too-long vacant position that focuses on in-school programs, and we hope to introduce 4-H to younger students through our Cloverbuds program.
The Master Gardeners, working in conjunction with our Horticulture Agent, have recruited grant funding to make improvements to our Horticulture Learning Center (near River Forks Park), that will allow the site to serve as an outdoor laboratory for area schools.
Our Master Food Preservers are gearing up to offer their classes in cities throughout the district, and to enhance cooperative services with area food pantries.
With stable funding in place, we’re working with OSU to bring a new faculty member to our county to expand education in nutrition and family sciences. The position will be funded primarily by state and federal sources — the district’s passage has given us a very strong hand in the negotiation process, and we anticipate success!
Our “traditional” programs in forestry, horticulture and livestock and forages will remain strong and serve even wider audiences. The publicity Extension experienced over the past year and a half has made many more people aware of our services, and we’re scrambling to keep up with demand.
My space here is too limited to give you a complete description of all our upcoming activities, so I encourage you to visit our Web site at extension.oregonstate.edu for class details and a wealth of information. I’ll leave you with this:
“We pledge to live up to our name by “Extending” the knowledge base of Oregon State University to the people of Douglas county, and never forgetting that our name ends in “Service.”
Thanks for keeping the OSU Extension tradition alive in Douglas County!
John Punches is the Extension Forestry Agent and Staff Chair for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at john.punches@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.
