San Bernardino County
4-H Headlines
September 2003  Ì Vol. 7  Ì No. 9

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION/4-H OFFICE
777 E. Rialto Ave.  * San Bernardino, CA 92415 * (909)387-2179 
 Fax: (909)387-3306 E-mail: caeggleston@ucdavis.edu
cesanbernardino.ucdavis.edu

	September 6th		Achievement Night & Leaders Recognition
	September 9th		County Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
					Enrollment due to County Office
	September 12th-28th 	LA County Fair
	September 26th-28th 	Sheriff's Rodeo/4-H Gymkhana
	October 4th 			Leadership Day at County Office
	October 5th-11th 		National 4-H Week

Washington Focus

For those members who are interested in Washington Focus 2005, please come to an informational meeting on October 14th at 6:30 p.m.  at the county 4-H office.  For more information contact Michael Grainger (909) 795-8663.  

Achievement/Leaders Recognition Night

Achievement/Leaders Recognition Night is going to be held on September 6th, at Ruth O' Harris Middle School in Bloomington. The address for the school is 11150 Alder Ave. Bloomington. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the awards program will follow at 7:00 p.m.
Leadership Day
  
Leadership Day is going to be held on Saturday, October 4th at 9:00 a.m.  at the county 4-H office.  Donuts, juice and lunch will be provided.  Topics covered are Team Building, Public Speaking/Building a Demonstration, Best Practices, Community Service, and Beyond our County.  Bring your design for the T.I.C. 2004 Sweatshirt, we will vote on the design; winner will receive a free shirt.  Please RSVP by October 1st, the County Office 909-387-2179 or Russell Champlin 909-877-0692.

California’s Unique Desert Environments

California Deserts are created by the orographic effects of mountains that squeeze most of the moisture out of the air as it is lifted on its way east from the Pacific Ocean across the continent to the Atlantic.  Tropical storms moving northwards up from the Baja Gulf on the other hand have little to impede them.  The recent flooding in 29 Palms is an example of this.  In the case of these monsoons, there can be some lifting (orographic) effect of the local desert landscape but desert heating rather than mountains generally lifts the moist air and creates the thunder heads resulting in thunder storms. 

The unique effects of the orographic rain shadow are what make California desert environments so special.  Domesticated animals have either passively adapted or have been actively bred for characteristics desired by humankind.  In the absence of human interference however, conditions found in local low and high desert environments have worked to influence the local desert biota.  As people move away from congested coastal areas onto the deserts in ever increasing numbers, and as more people are able to reach once remote desert landscapes and to stay longer on recreational trips, issues have arisen.  There are questions about the impact of increased human activity in local desert environments.  Issues involve the question of what the place of people actually should be in California desert areas.  

For questions, comments and information on local environmental issues in California deserts give us a call at the University of California Cooperative Extension Division of Agriculture and natural Resources.

Karl McArthur
Desert Natural Resources Advisor
UC Cooperative Extension
(909) 387-2242
kamcarthur@ucdavis.edu

Child ID Kits

Starting at Achievement Night September 6, 2003 San Bernardino County 4-H will be issuing child ID kits available to all members.  Each kit includes: 
1.  	Reproducible Emergency Medical Information sheet in a waterproof plastic bag 	this comes with Emergency Medical Information fluorescent stickers to place 	on glove compartments in your car, on medicine cabinets, or any place you 	decide to store you medical information for emergency use.
2.  	A San Bernardino County Fingerprint ID kit.  This kit can be used to make two 	sets of fingerprints one to keep and one to give to authorities in case of 	emergencies.  
3.  	Contact Organizations Listings of agencies to contact in case of a missing 	person event.
4.  	The Child Identification packet includes, personal information pages, body 	map, identification information and photographs, family and friends listings, 	instructions and a spare fingerprint card.
5.  	DNA collection kit including, gloves, two types of DNA collection packets, 	desiccant to preserve the DNA samples, a plastic zip bag to seal all DNA in a 	dry air tight environment, instructions for collecting DNA.
This kit is Free to all members of San Bernardino County 4-H.  However if anyone can donate $1.00 per kit we can then produce kits for all 4-H family members.  Our first goal is to have all 4-H members complete an ID kit.  The second goal is to have all 4-H families complete an ID kit.  Our third goal is to make the kits available to anyone wishing to have an ID kit in or out of our county.  Your $1.00 donation will help us do that.  PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DONATE WE STILL WANT YOU TO RECEIVE AND USE ID KITS FOR OUR MEMBERS AND FOR YOUR FAMILY.  Only parents or legal guardians will be able to request a kit for a minor child this is for obvious reasons of privacy.  If you want a kit(s) available on Achievement Night please fill out the attached letter and send, fax or hand deliver it to the San Bernardino County 4-H office.  You may also pick up a kit at the office by signing our ID request book.    These kits should be kept in a dark, moderate temperature, dry, place that is easy to find.

CHILD ID KIT
 PARENT CONSENT

I (print name)                                                                                  wish to obtain a child ID Kit for the following child (children).  I am the parent or legal guardian of this child (or children). 

Child’s name (children’s names)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Parent or legal guardian requesting Child ID Kit(s)
                   
__________________________________  Date __________

San Bernardino County 4-H Office 
777 E. Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0730
FAX: 909-387-3303

"Life after Budget Cuts": A Message from the State Director
August, 2003

Dear 4-H Youth and Volunteers:

Throughout the spring and summer, so many of you have been involved in efforts to let legislators and the public know about the proposed budget cuts and their potential impact on Cooperative Extension and the 4-H Youth Development Program. Your efforts have been phenomenal! You have done a tremendous job of raising public awareness of our program and the impact we make on youth and communities. All over the state, volunteers and youth have conducted powerful letter and fax campaigns.  We’ve also seen many letters to the editor, newspaper articles, and television spots that showcased the wonderful contributions the program makes, and the challenges we face with budget cuts. The cuts to Cooperative Extension and the 4-H YDP could have been much worse, if it hadn’t been for all of your efforts, and the increased visibility of the 4-H YDP.  Thank you so much for your tremendous support and hard work. I am constantly awed and inspired by your commitment and passion for 4-H! 

With the passage of the state budget, we know that Cooperative Extension is faced with a 25% budget cut. There are still many questions that need to be addressed about where those cuts will be made, but we do know that Vice President Reg Gomes has made county-based programs (including the 4-H YDP) a top priority.  While we know that the counties will still face some cuts, we are also encouraged by the fact that the work that happens at the local level has been recognized and valued.

In order to preserve county-based programs as much as possible, administration and statewide units will take a greater share of cuts (this includes the State 4-H Office and the California 4-H Foundation).  The State Office and Foundation will eliminate three positions and assume additional cuts in operating support. However, in spite of these cuts, we plan to continue seeking new ways to support the work that happens locally. We will be doing some strategic planning in early September to address the question, “Given the current reality of our state staff and budget, how can we be of most support to counties, both programmatically and financially?” Our planning will be guided by the Mission and Direction core values and program criteria. We will have to eliminate some of our activities, and possibly add new areas of focus. If you would like to provide input, please share your thoughts with the 4-H Advisor or Program Representative in your county, who can send it along to us.  

We will share the results of this strategic planning with you, when it’s completed, and will disseminate updated contact information for the State 4-H Office and 4-H Foundation.  I am confident that our program will remain strong and effective, and that we will be able to continue “engaging youth in reaching their fullest potential”!

Thank you,
Carole MacNeil,
State Director
University of California 4-H Youth Development Program

2003 Fall Training Series
Promoting Citizenship, Leadership, and Life Skills
The California State 4-H Office is hosting a fall training series in four locations around the state open to both staff and volunteers. The purpose of these workshops is to support leaders and staff members in building a stronger program by modeling activities and providing tools to support our newly launched mission.  The session will last from 10:00am-2:30pm.   
The dates and locations are:
Saturday, October 4, 2003 – Los Angeles County Office
Friday, October 10, 2003—Monterey County Office
Saturday, October 18, 2003 – U.C. Davis; Wellman Hall
Saturday, November 1, 2003—Kern County Office
A nonrefundable registration fee of $8.00 is due.  Lunch will be provided.  A general session will be followed by three break-out sessions that volunteers/staff can choose from:
Learn by Doing the 4-H Way: The Power of Experiential Education - Beginning Workshop
Provided by the Experiential Education Workgroup    
Target Audience: Staff and Volunteers
This fun workshop focuses on the learning cycle of experiential education and provides participants with an opportunity to experience and reflect on positive outcomes of conducting 4-H project meetings in an experiential manner; the workshop also provides specific mechanisms for achieving these outcomes. The workshop will utilize a fun, interactive/experiential format. Hands-on activities and structured opportunities for reflection, along with presentation of some theory, and modeling through practice, will all be used throughout the workshop.
Citizenship in Every Project
Provided by Service Learning Advisory Committee
Target Audience: Volunteers and Staff
The work of the Mission and Direction Committee is clearly illustrated by our new California 4-H Youth Development brand identity.  The focus of our organization is; Citizenship, Leadership, Life Skills.  The California 4-H definition of citizenship:  "acting with informed concern for self and others" with its premise that, "good citizens are made and not born.”   The Citizenship Service Learning Advisory Council is on a mission to help staff and leaders to nurture good citizens in their projects.  Towards that end, the members of the Council have prepared a template to help youth and adult leaders work toward the goal of incorporating citizenship and service learning into their work.  We are eager to share this information across the state. 
4-H Afterschool: Extraordinary Learning Opportunities 
Provided by the National 4-H Afterschool Collaborative
Target Audience: Advisors, Program Representatives, Staff
The 4-H After-school program is a national initiative that provides extraordinary learning opportunities for all youth.  The workshops will provide step-by-step process for building collaborations and bringing the 4H model to the after school settings.   Participants will review the resource guide “Starting 4-H Clubs in After-school”.  This session will provide resources, information, and hands-on activities on how to help after-school staff conduct quality programs by establishing new clubs or working with existing after-school programs.  This workshop offers an innovative and exciting approach for expanding the 4H program in your community. 

State 4-H Office 2003 Fall Training Series
Promoting Citizenship, Leadership, and Life Skills
Registration Form
Deadline: September 22, 2003
Registration Fee: $8.00 (nonrefundable after 9/30/03)

Name:_______________________________________________

County:______________________________________________

Complete Address:_____________________________________

Phone/FAX:__________________________________________

Email:_______________________________________________

Training Date and Location you will attend (check one): Meeting location and address will be identified along with your registration confirmation.

Saturday, October 4th, Los Angeles County Office			
								
Friday, October 10th, UCCE Monterey County Office		

Saturday, October 18th, UC Davis, Wellman Hall			

Saturday, November 1st, UCCE Kern County 			

Session choice: ___ Learn by Doing      ___Citizenship in Every Project   ___4-H After-school

The Statewide 4-H Youth Development Program Office will provide all materials and refreshments.

Please indicate any special dietary restrictions:  none	  vegetarian
Other:  ________________________

Please return all registrations to the attention of Jazz Stables.
Fax number (530) 754-8541.
Or mail to:
California State 4H Office
University of California
One Hopkins Road
Davis, California 95616-8575
**Financial Assistance is available for travel costs.  Please see next page.

                                                     			  Name:_____________________________________ 

Financial Assistance Form
State 4-H Office 2003 Fall Training Series

A limited amount of funds will be available to assist with travel costs. 

If you’d like to apply for these funds, please answer the following questions:

1.  Amount needed:__________________________________________

2.    Please provide a brief statement of need below: