Crawford County Impacts

Report 2013

The four H’s: Head—Make sound decisions, set goals and stick with them, and have practical skills needed to lead a productive, fulfilling life. Heart—Act with integrity and accountability, and help others become their best. Hands—Put the needs of the community before their own while serving others. Health—Actively take care of their minds and bodies.

Operation Military Kids is a 4-H club whose members are from military families. It is an outreach effort sponsored by ARMY Child and Youth Services in collaboration with National 4-H. Youth whose military parents are mobilized have unique stressors and often need special support services. 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp is an award-winning 7 day, 6 night camping experience for ages 13-15 at Camp Chickagami in Presque Isle County. This program greatly increases campers’ interest in the environment and natural resources, while teaching many science curriculum standards. Two youth from Crawford County attended this event in 2013.

MSU Extension helps Michigan’s youth make healthy choicesMSU Extension helps Michigan’s youth make healthy choicesMSU Extension helps Michigan’s youth make healthy choices 4-H Youth are nearly twice as likely as other high school juniors to avoid behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol or drug use.

Proven – 4-H is the largest youth development organization in

Michigan, with nearly 200,000 youth between the ages of 5 and 19

participating. Research shows that youth who participate in 4-H get

better grades, are more likely to go to college, are less likely to use

drugs, cigarettes or alcohol, and are more likely to give back to their

communities.

Relevant – 4-H Target Life Skills are used to increase awareness of

the skills targeted in 4-H programs. It is a way to organize the efforts

of 4-H in promoting positive youth development.

Life Changing – “I can’t believe how much I learned at camp. We

were busy the whole time we were there, and the time just flew by. I

really want to go again next year.” Maggie, Crawford County Great

Lakes Camp participant.

4-H Camps and Recreation Program help youth develop the skills

needed to make good decisions in the future.

4-H Camps are a summer highlight for many youth. Camps provide

youth an opportunity to learn the social skills that are needed to

interact well with others, participate in groups, work cooperatively to

accomplish goals, and much more. These MSUE youth programs give

youth the needed exposure and “hands on” practice in making sound,

well-informed decisions.

Natural Helpers in-school club members are students who are

selected by their peers who have shown a natural skill for helping

others. They are trained to handle a variety of situations and learn

skills to help them take care of themselves. They are a wonderful

resource for other students and they are an asset to the entire school.

The 25 participants learn leadership skills as they take turns

facilitating the monthly trainings.

Creative successes:

Michigan 4Michigan 4Michigan 4---H Contributes to Michigan’s Leadership & Citizenship H Contributes to Michigan’s Leadership & Citizenship H Contributes to Michigan’s Leadership & Citizenship Building tomorrow’s leaders is one of 4-H’s biggest contributions to Michigan at the state, county and

local levels. Creativity and ingenuity will be imperative in solving the issues of the future.

Through MSU Extension 4-H

Youth Development, nearly

223,000 Michigan youth per

year learn lifelong skills,

develop leadership abilities

and discover the value of

community service!

Proven– There is near universal agreement (ninety-nine percent) that teaching 21st century skills is important to our country’s future economic success, and 4-H is a proven leader in teaching these skills.

Relevant– “5-C’s” of Michigan 4-H Global Competencies include: Culture (youth are culturally competent and positively engaged with diverse cultures locally and globally Communication (youth are competent communicators with diverse cultures locally and globally) Character (youth possess qualities of character and ethical practices; Creativity (youth are creative problem solvers and visionary thinkers; Citizenship (youth are citizen leaders in a globalized world).

Life Changing— According to Psychology Today, creative people are

inventors. They invent problems. They invent solutions. Such

invention almost always requires them to draw upon ideas,

techniques, methods, or resources from other disciplines. This

promotes combinations of unexpected elements in novel ways. The

ability to connect these seemingly unrelated items is not an exact

science. To become creative, you must accept the possibility of

failures. When you do witness a youth finding success in solving a

dilemma in a creative way, you will know that you have witnessed a

life changing event.

SPIN Clubs The 4-H club structure has changed little in the first

hundred years, but there is a new model being tested that seems to be

working in Michigan 4-H. It is called a SPIN Club, which is short for

SPecial INterest short term club. It is a creative solution for volunteers

who are not ready or able to commit to leading a year-long club. Basic

4-H rules apply, but the club only plans to meet six to eight times, and

then has the option of transitioning into a traditional 4-H club,

beginning a new SPIN club, or ending their involvement with their club.

We have had three leaders test this new structure, and all of them

have been successful. The first one was a craft/sewing club, followed

by the Artistic Expressions Photography Club, and a science-based

community club. We have also tried to infuse additional creative

options into all of our programs.

Twenty-seven local participants learned about STEM skills through hands-on activities at summer day camps in 2013.

Michigan 4Michigan 4Michigan 4---H Contributes to Michigan’s Technology Future H Contributes to Michigan’s Technology Future H Contributes to Michigan’s Technology Future

Nearly 169,000 youth

explored science, math,

engineering and technology

through 4-H last year.

Proven– Young people in 4-H are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college and are 60 percent more likely to participate in science, engineering or computer technology programs.

Relevant– Experts credit technological innovation with almost half of U.S. economic growth over the past 50 years.

Life Changing -

“After enrolling my students in Michigan 4-H science programming, our

MEAP scores in science proficiency went up 12 percent—thank you!” -

Fourth grade teacher

4-H National Science Experiments Each year, Crawford County youth

have participated with more than 5 million youth across the country, in

the 4-H National Youth Science Day Experiment. Past experiments

have included robotics, agricultural science, rocketry, wind power,

environmental science and alternative energy.

Lego Robotics kits combine sensors, motors, and an

electronic brain with the familiar Lego bricks, so

that even our youngest 4-Hers can successfully build

and program complex robots.

Electric circuits allow a current, or flow of electrons,

through wires. They can be huge power systems utilizing

thousands of miles or nanoelctronics one-billionth of a

meter. Crawford County 4-H youth are mastering these

concepts using plastic Snap Circuits to build FM radios

and burglar alarms, and magnetic littleBits to make

creations that can shake, bend, buzz, light up, and make

music.

Making a burglar alarm

Proven – For more than 100 years, 4-H has been at the forefront of teaching young people about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our hands-on programs empower youth and provide them with opportunities to grown, learn, and become confident kids.

Relevant - 30 fastest-growing occupations in the next decade will require at least some background in STEM.

Life Changing - 93 percent of surveyed youth said they had increased science knowledge and problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making skills.

TechXCite - is a research project partnership with Duke University

and 4 -H Youth Development. There are fifteen sets of TechXcite

kits in Michigan. Crawford County applied for, and received, a

complete set of these materials. These totes have all of the materials

to create TV remotes, solar ovens, solar cars, rainwater harvesting,

Quest for Speed cars, bionic arms, bioimaging, and burglar alarms.

Our twenty-two GPS Units are used by our 4-H clubs and camps,

schools, and other organizations to learn how to find geocaches and

other points of interest. GPS and GIS (graphic information system)

skills are valuable career skills that are increasingly in demand.

Youth STEM Skills are a National Priority Youth STEM Skills are a National Priority Youth STEM Skills are a National Priority In Michigan alone, an estimated 274,000 STEM jobs will need to be filled by 2018 In Michigan alone, an estimated 274,000 STEM jobs will need to be filled by 2018 In Michigan alone, an estimated 274,000 STEM jobs will need to be filled by 2018 (www.stemcon(www.stemcon(www.stemcon---nector.org)nector.org)nector.org)

What is STEM? It is an acronym for Science, Technolo-gy, Engineering, and Math education. The skills and knowledge in these fields are not only essential for individual student success, our nation’s future economic prosperity depends on them as well.

Science Blasts are one-day

workshops that highlight STEM

skills. Nearly 100 youth in

Crawford County participated

in Science Blasts this year.

Elephant Toothpaste

Building a UFO

Healthy Families Create Healthy Communities…

In 2013 MSU Extension’s SNAP-Ed Nutrition and Physical Activity program reached more

Proven

293 adults and seniors and 35 youth in Crawford County received

nutrition and physical activity education in a variety of venues in 2013

Relevant

Crawford County ranks 80th out of 82 in the state based on health

behaviors. These statistics show 30% of Crawford adults are obese and

24% of adults reported no leisure-time physical activity.

www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/michigan/2014/rankings/crawford/county/factors/overall/snapshot

Life Changing

55% of adults who have completed a nutrition education series reported

an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

27% of youth who have completed a nutrition education series have

decreased their intake of sugary drinks and increased their intake of

whole grains.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-ED), provides

nutrition education to Bridge-card eligible adults and children in group settings.

This program aims to create behavior change around dietary quality and

increasing physical activity while stretching food dollars.

Program highlights delivered

by SNAP-Ed:

33 Adults attended Eating

Right is Basic nutrition

education classes at MIWorks.

14 Adults completed a 7 week

Cooking Matters class taught

by a local chef at Grayling

Mercy Hospital.

10 Adults participated in Cook-

ing Matters at the Store, a

guided grocery store tour and

completed a $10 meal

challenge.

15 Adults attended a nutrition

education class at Devereaux

Memorial Library and learned

how to stretch their food dollar.

19 youth attended an

afterschool nutrition education

program, Show Me Nutrition.

143 seniors and 63 WIC

participants attended Project

FRESH nutrition classes.

$5,550 in coupons

redeemable at farmers

markets for produce grown by

local famers were distributed.

.

DID YOU KNOW…..77.4% of Michigan adults do not consume adequate amount of fruits & veggies.

48% of all SNAP participants are in working families.

“I tried so many foods I didn’t think I would like in

this class. It has taught me how to cook healthier

meals and make healthier choices for my family.”

- Cooking Matters for Adults Participant

“I use the exercises we

learned in class and do them

at least once everyday!” - Eat

Healthy, Be Active Participant

The Michigan Governor’s

dashboard 4X4 health plan

encourages all residents in

Michigan to know their health

numbers as a way to

encourage and support

healthy lifestyles. MSUE

program participants report

increased awareness of key

health indicators as a result of

the education provided.

Preventing or managing chronic diseases is the top health challenge of the 21st

century. Leading a healthy lifestyle can greatly reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

Did you know...

The cost of treating diabetes is

expected to triple in Michigan

over the next 25 years. It is

estimated that the state can

save $545 million spent across

all chronic diseases by

investing $10 in preventive

care per person, per year.

Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly, and

preventable of all health issues. Access to high-quality and affordable

prevention measures are essential to saving lives, reducing disability,

and lowering costs of everyone’s medical care.

Personal Action Toward Health (PATH) Educators Linda Cronk and

Carolyn Penniman provide Chronic Pain PATH workshops in Crawford

County in collaboration with the Commission on Aging. The series

provides participants with the skills and tools to manage chronic health

conditions using Stanford University’s Chronic Disease Self-Management

Program.

People who participate in PATH workshops are better equipped to face

the daily challenges of living with one or more chronic conditions.

Participants learn tools to manage symptoms and set goals that help

them reduce stress and feel more confident.

Over 40 percent of participants reported decreased discouragement and

frustration, as well as decreased fatigue and shortness of breath.

Dining With Diabetes

Proven: Dining with Diabetes is an evidence-based five-session course

designed for people at risk of diabetes or who have diabetes, and their

family members. It has been recognized by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention as an effective strategy to support self-

management of diabetes.

Relevant: Michigan ranks 15th nationally for prevalence of diabetes and

fifth nationally for obesity, according to the latest CDC data. An

estimated 10.0% of Michigan adults 18 years and older have been

diagnosed with diabetes — about 758,300 people (Michigan

Department of Community Health 2011).

Life Changing: The eleven participants in the 2013 Dining With

Diabetes class, in partnership with Mercy Hospital Grayling, shared that

they felt better prepared to manage their diabetes in the kitchen, and

felt that they had a greater understanding of how a diabetes friendly

diet impacts their health over time.

Anger Management and Bullying Prevention Programs Lower the Risk of Violence … the total estimated economic cost of mental, emotional and behav-

ioral disorders among youth in the United States is approximately $247 billion per year.

Extension provides

practical information you

can trust to help people,

businesses and

communities solve

problems, develop skills

and build a better future.

Your support of MSU Extension social-emotional programs aimed at

bullying and violence prevention allows participants to learn safer and

healthier ways to interact with others. This benefits community

members through decreased mental, emotional, social and economic

costs associated with violence in communities.

Programs that help parents

and caregivers learn ways

to deal with stressors in

healthy ways are also

strengthening the safety

and health of other family

members.

“This program gives people

a choice; do they want to

continue to be angry and

carry that anger around for

the rest of their lives or do

they want to be free of

situations that occurred in

the past and move

forward. By actively

participating in the RELAX

program you can learn new

ways to think about yourself,

your anger and those

around you and begin to live

an anger-free life

style..”

- Jean Lakin, MSUE

Educator and Co-Author of

RELAX

RELAX: Alternatives to Anger

is designed to actively engage adult learners in a group setting to

increase knowledge and skills around anger management and give

them constructive ways to deal with anger. Aspects of promoting social

emotional health are woven throughout the training and include

expressing emotions, navigating stress, resolving interpersonal conflict,

taking another’s perspective, and building skills for forming and

maintaining healthy and supportive relationships. RELAX is

available as an online class, and Educator Carolyn Penniman offers the

four-session RELAX series. She also offered the one day RELAX Train

-the-Trainer workshop on November 14, 2013 at the Au Sable Park

Nature Center in Grayling for professional audiences. Participants

received 4.5 Social Work CEUs and learned to use the curriculum,

which was developed by MSU Extension.

Consistently, more than half of program participants leave with improved

knowledge or new skills designed to promote social and emotional

well-being with others in their lives and immediate social environments.

Be SAFE: Safe, Affirming and

Fair Environments

is a Michigan State University Extension initiative that offers a variety of

educational resources to help communities reduce and prevent bullying

behaviors while promoting healthy social and emotional learning and

development. Resources include the Be SAFE: Safe, Affirming and Fair

Environments curriculum and face-to-face and online workshops for

adults. During 2013, a series of workshops for parents and caregivers

was also developed and piloted.

MSU Extension

Agriculture Programs

Serving Crawford County

Residents in 2013

————————————

Potato Workshop

Income Tax

Education

Master Gardener

Recertification

New Master Gardener

“Growing Flowers”

Workshop

Cropland leasing

Forage Production

Horse Ownership

Home Horticulture

Hot Line

Deer Management

(See story attached!)

Michigan has 54,700

farms that cultivate

approximately 10

million acres. One

out of every four jobs

in Michigan is related

to agriculture.

Michigan’s Food and Agriculture ….

Contributes $91.4 Billion to the State’s Economy. Crawford’s total income from farm related sources totals $61,0000 (2012 Ag Census)

Supporting Agriculture is Key to a Brighter Future. Michigan State

University Extension works to provide farmers and agribusiness with a

cutting-edge knowledge base that increases the economic viability of their

industry while protecting the environment and ensuring food safety.

Financial Impacts of Oil and Gas Leasing Educational Efforts

Survey SAYS:

After workshops those that attained an attorney increased lease

payments from an average of $42 per acre to $124 per acre.

Royalty offers increased from .125 to .167

56% of those survey reduced potential royalty deductions from post

production costs

Entrepreneurial & Sustainable Farm Tour of Northeast Michigan

Proven: Farm families, in order to be successful and sustainable, need

to utilize the resources at their disposal in ways that are agronomically

productive and economically viable, as well as environmentally friendly,

socially acceptable and community minded. It is easy to understand why

these standards are desirable, but much more difficult to meet them when

faced with the uncertainty and risk of an agricultural enterprise.

Relevant: MSU Extension’s 2013 Entrepreneurial & Sustainable Farm

Tour held September 17th & 18th featured eleven agribusinesses located

throughout Northeast Michigan which have explored and seized opportunities

to enhance the profitability of their operations while being socially and

environmentally responsible.

Life Changing: By seeing and hearing these success stories first hand,

the 40 tour participants will be

better equipped to achieve their

own sustainability goals through

targeted changes that suit them

and their farm operations.

MSU Extension Programs

Crawford Residence

Participated in.

Understanding Food

Systems: 90% of

participants reported

increase in knowledge in

building local food

systems

14th Annual Northern

Michigan Small Farm

Conference: 5 Crawford

County small farmers

attended. Flyer included

in packet

Community and

Leadership: Guiding

Groups to Consensus for

the Michigan Lake and

Stream Leaders

Association

GLRI grant Planning

and Zoning for

Watershed Protection:

Help local officials

understand basic

planning and zoning

function and develop a

detailed approach to

protect water quality

Financial Literacy

Proven: Homeownership and personal finance education from MSU

Extension is designed to provide individuals and families with the tools

necessary to secure their financial future. The Dollar Works II

workshop helps residents...

Make sound financial decisions

Create financial goals

Pay down debt and use credit wisely

Create a spending plan and save more

Relevant:

Foreclosures reduce property values in neighborhoods, crime , social

disorder, and population turnover increase, and puts fiscal stress on

local governments. Not to mention the adverse consequences it has on

families.

1 in every 2000 homes is the rate of foreclosure for Crawford

County with the Frederic area being the highest at 1 in every 600

homes.

Life Changing

18 Crawford county participants said that they have made the following changes after participating in the Dollar Works II training

“ I have learned how to save and manage my money better than I used to “

“I don’t buy stuff I don’t need or that isn’t important”

“I pay car insurance and the phone bill”

Community Vitality

MSUE providing citizens with training that will lead to financially responsible workforce

which will lead to more businesses to locate in Michigan, boosting the tax base and strength-

ening local, state and regional economies.

Extension Provides practical information you can trust to help people,

businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills

and build a better future.

MSU Extension

Forestry Programs

Serving Crawford

County Residents in

2013

Natural Resources and Forest Health

Supporting Natural Resources and Forest Health. MSU Extension provides

education to residents and landowners to preserve and protect their trees

and forest while protecting the environment.

Michigan’s world-class

forests are a vibrant

part of the state. They

teem with plant and

animal life and provide

countless outdoor

recreation

opportunities.

Additionally,

Michigan’s forest

products industry

annually generates

$14 billion and directly

employs 26,000

people. (Michigan

DNR)

Russ Kidd, Extension Educator retired July 1, 2013 after serving residents of north-ern Michigan and Crawford County for over 30 years. Russ was the Extension Forestry Educator and provided services to people of all backgrounds and needs. Some of the people Kidd has provided information for include Christmas tree growers, loggers, wood industry clientele, private forest landowners and master gardeners.

NEW EXTENSION EDUCATOR, JULIE CRICK

Hello! I would like to introduce myself as the new MSU Natural Resources Extension Educator located in Roscommon County. My trade background is forestry. Originally from Indiana, I attended Purdue University for both my Bachelor’s in Forestry as well as my Masters of Science. While at Purdue, I helped teach forestry as well as plant identification classes and participated in data collection for a variety of projects. My research focused on conservation practices used in new housing developments, and my studies focused on collaboration and partnerships among natural resource agencies and organizations. Following the completion of my Master’s Degree, I accepted a job with a non-profit in the Southern California Mountains to help with a landowner assistance program promoting defensible space, called “Forest Care”. The program was a unique partnership between the non-profit and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), while funding came from the U.S. Forest Service. Because I was hired on near the inception of the program, I had the opportunity to be involved in organizing the initial operations, developing community partnerships and collaborating with other agencies to increase the effectiveness of the program’s accomplishments. In addition, while serving as Program Director for the last three and a half years, I was able to develop new partnerships with local agencies and organizations, including the American Red Cross and the County of San Bernardino Fire Hazard Abatement, to ensure residents at all socioeconomic levels had the opportunity to create defensible space on their property at little to no cost. The grants supporting the Forest Care program expired at the end of 2013, and luckily my job search brought me to Roscommon, Michigan! Roscommon is a good spot for me as it caters to the canoe enthusiast as well as the cross country skier. Both activities are my top picks for recreation, along with gardening, exploring new trails with my dog, Coulter, and collecting rocks and minerals. I am delighted to be an Extension Educator here in Roscommon, and look forward to working with landowners, communities, industry professionals and others to provide natural resource related information that will help sustain and improve our Michigan ecosystems. My office is located in the Roscommon County Building (500 Lake Street, Roscommon, MI 48653). I can be reached at 989-275-7179 or at crickjul@msu.edu. Feel free to drop me a note to introduce yourself, or to let me know how I can help!

Crawford County MSUE

200 W. Michigan Avenue

Grayling, MI 49738

(989)344-3264

www.msue.msu.edu

Kristina Brooks SNAP-Ed Instructor 989-344-3274 brook135@anr.msu.edu Julie Crick, Educator, Greening Institute 989-275-7179 crickjul@anr.msu.edu Linda Cronk, Educator Health & Nutrition Institute 989-344-3279 cronkl@anr.msu.edu Kelley Hiemstra District Coordinator 989-345-0692 hiemstra@anr.msu.edu Cathy O’Connor Secretary 989-344-3264 OConnor.Cathy@anr.msu.edu

Nancy Persing 4-H Coordinator 989-344-3266 persingn@anr.msu.edu

County Support

Providing Crawford county citizens and businesses with practical information they can trust

to help them solve problems, develop skills and build a better future.

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer, committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and

inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential. Michigan State University Extension programs and

materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight,

disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status.

The Staff Support existence in this office is a benefit to the public by

providing the following services:

Soil testing for lawn, gardens and field crops: Materials are

provided to the public to get their samples to MSU Campus for

testing so they can receive recommendations to keep their lawns,

gardens and crops growing properly.

Insect and Plant Identification – Specimens are brought in, pictures

are taken and electronically submitted to the “Ask An Expert”

department on campus and a result is sent back to the customer

within 48 hours: https://ask.extension.org

Materials for clients available at www.migarden.msu.edu and the

MSU Gardening Hotline staffed by Advanced Master Gardener

Volunteers at 888-678-3464.

Crawford county provides financial support for a secretary one day per

week in our office. This not only helps county residents, but also

enables our staff to concentrate on their individual programming.

General office duties include banking, ordering office supplies,

maintaining office equipment, coordination of monthly staff meetings,

data entry of 4-H enrollments and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program Education support.