Ulster County 4-H Offers Wind Energy Courses in 2010

Ulster County 4-H Youth Development, through the Cornell Cooperative Extension, will offer a 6-week series of classes about the science and careers of wind energy, for youth 6th to 8th graders. The series will feature great hands-on learning and visits by professionals in the wind industry, and will culminate with a field trip to a wind energy site at the end of the course.

Topics to be covered include:

• How wind energy works

• Residential-scale wind turbines

• Utility-scale wind turbines

• Wind energy and New York State

• Wind energy and the natural environment

• The history of wind energy

• New developments in wind energy

• Careers in wind energy
Classes will be held Thursday evenings, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, beginning January 21 and running through February 25, with a field trip planned. The location is SUNY Ulster (Ulster County Community College) room HAS-201. The cost will be $30 per student ($20 if you are an enrolled 4-H member). Registration and payment is required no later than Thursday, January 14, 2010. Registration forms can be found at http://www.cceulster.org/  in the 4-H Youth Development section menu click on 4-H Wind Energy Program.

The class will be taught by Todd Olinsky-Paul, an energy policy analyst and wind energy specialist with Pace Energy and Climate Center. This program is made possible by a grant received from the New York State 4-H Foundation.

For more information by phone contact Jenny Burkins at Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County at 845-340-3990.

Farm Tour Offers a Closer Look at Farming in 2009 and Beyond

On Thursday September 24, 2009, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County organized a farm tour for government officials and economic development administrators. Among the participants were Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's regional representative, Amy Pollard, New York State Assembly member Clifford Crouch, Ulster County Legislator District 3, Roy Hochberg, Assistant Deputy to the Ulster County Executive, Susanne Holt, Deputy Director of Planning for Economic Development, March Gallagher and Senior Planner for Ulster County Planning, Virginia Craft.
The tour began with a visit to Gill Farms in Hurley and a look at a sweet corn packing facility staffed with 50+ employees that help grow and ship over a thousand acres of fresh market sweet corn. The next stop was Domino Farms in the Town of Rochester that produces up to 8,300 lbs of milk per day (that's about 940 gallons). The group then made its way across the road to Flying Change Horse Farm to hear from owner/trainer Diane Schoonmaker about her family's long history in farming the Rondout Valley and how she got into the horse business.
At the Hudson Valley research Lab in Highland, participants enjoyed lunch that featured all local farm products such as eggs, goat cheese, chicken, butternut squash, apples, and watermelon. Over Lunch, Dr. Dave Rosenberger, a fruit pathologist working out of the lab, gave a presentation about the research and extension activities through Cornell University and how it directly benefits ag producers. The afternoon focused on fruit production. There was a walk through a high density apple orchard that was being harvested at Crist Farms in Milton. The final stop of the tour was an apple packing facility at W.G. Minard and Sons in Clintondale where food safety issues were addressed.

Participants got an insider's view of commercial farming in action and heard first hand from the farmer about issues that impact and shape the future of the industry in Ulster County, Statewide and Nationally. The tour was coordinated by Extension Educators Teresa Rusinek, Mike Fargione and Audrey Reith.

###

Attention Facebook Users!

Would you like to keep up to date on all the great educational programming happening in Ulster County? See photos of events, and learn about one of the oldest non-profit organizations in Ulster County?


Become a fan of Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County on Facebook!

Simply sign in to your account and type Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County in the search field located at the top right corner, once on our page, click on Become a Fan. It’s that easy!

Haven’t joined the world’s largest social media networking website yet? Sign up here at www.facebook.com it’s free and you may just connect with an old friend or two.

*Founded in February 2004, Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people's real-world social connections. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment.

*source www.facebook.com

3rd Annual RAPP Autumn Celebration Coming in November

Our Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) will be hosting a FREE Autumn Celebration for any child who is five years old and up, and who is being raised by a relative residing in Ulster County. The celebration will take place Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Education Center, located at 10 Westbrook Lane in Kingston. This event is free, but pre-registration is required and is limited to the first fifteen children registered.

It will be a fun and exciting day of baking pies and creating fall crafts with the CCEUC staff. Free transportation within the Kingston City limits and the Town of Ulster will be available.

Please call Barbara Grumberg at 845-340-3990 to reserve a space or email bag23@cornell.edu.

For more information about RAPP, call Danielle Garris at 845-340-3990.

Seminar to Focus on Special Education Laws for Relative Caregivers

CCEUC's Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) are inviting kinship caregivers and their families to attend a very special seminar entitled, “The Nuts and Bolts of Special Education Law” on Monday, November 2 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Ulster County BOCES, 175 Route 32 North in New Paltz, NY. This seminar is FREE. Refreshments will be served and children’s activities will be offered.

This informative and interactive seminar will be presented by LSHV Staff Attorneys, Mary Jo Whateley and Lara Burkareff, Esq.

Many topics will be covered including:
- An overview of Federal and State education and other relevant laws and regulations
- Confidentiality issues
- Strategies for accessing Special educational services and supports as mandated by
Federal and State law
- Successful negotiation and conflict resolution with school personnel
- Disciplinary issues
- How LSHV and RAPP can assist relative caregivers.

To pre-register for this seminar please call Barbara Grumberg at 845-340-3990. For more information about RAPP, contact RAPP Coordinator, Erica Smith at 845-340-3990.

Lessons of Life and Leadership Equine Workshop Comes to New Paltz

This informative workshop is for equine professionals and 4-H volunteers to discover new information and acquire skills in equine training. The workshop will be Monday, September 14 from 9:45am to 3:30pm at the Ulster County Fair Grounds located on Libertyville Road in New Paltz and will feature special guest speaker Dr. Lew Sterrett of Leaders by H.E.A.R.T (Human Equine Analogies in Relational Training).

There is a fee of $25 if registered by September 7; $40 thereafter after and at the door the day of the event. Fee includes lunch; no refunds. For questions contact Audrey Reith at 845-344-1234 or email ald5@cornell.edu or to pre-register call Jenny Burkins at 845-340-3990.

Participants will have the opportunity to witness Dr. Sterrett’s unique and entertaining approach to leadership as he addresses key issues through the use of horse training illustrations and interactive dialogue. The horse training presentation will be followed by a time of application and problem solving that will take coaches, trainers and leaders to the next level.

AGENDA

9:45am
Registration
Jane W. Barley Youth Building

10:00am
Session I: Capturing and Correcting the Heart
- See how healthy boundaries establish foundations for respect and security
- Learn how to better evaluate horses and people
- Learn how to communicate more effectively

12:00pm
Lunch

1:00pm
Session II: Horse Training Presentation
- See a 1,100 pound picture of what a healthy relationship looks like
- Experience the mystique of watching a trainer win the heart of a horse
- Insight for successful liberty work
Exercises that increase suppleness

3:30pm
Wrap Up

This event is hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange & Ulster Counties Adult Equine Advisory Committee, and Region 6 of the New York State Association of Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educators.

Ashokan Watershed Internships for Youth Offered this Fall

Our Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program is offering a fall semester Youth Watershed Steward Intern program starting on September 15, 2009 for students in grades 7-12 who either live in the Ashokan Watershed or attend Onteora schools.

Interns will meet every Tuesday from September 15 to December 15 at 2:30pm at the Onteora High School. The sessions will last until 4:00pm or 5:00pm depending on that day’s activity. Occasional outdoor activities will take place on Saturdays. A spring semester program is also planned.

The watershed internship is both fun and educational. Interns will meet environmental professionals, spend time outdoors, and develop hands on skills in environmental science. Specific topics to be covered this fall include watershed science, field biology, Computer Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and working with public media. The project culminates with participants creating their own community service project in the watershed.

Last spring, five Onteora students participated in the program and developed their own community project. Armed with augurs, waders, and plant identification books, the watershed interns set out to identify and map wetlands. With the help of a local NYC Department of Environmental Protection wetland scientist, Frank Parisio, the interns identified the boundary of a wetland on Mink Hollow Road in Lake Hill, NY using plant identification, soil sampling, and hydrology.

Youth Watershed Internship applications are currently available by contacting Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County. For more information or to obtain an application contact Kristen or Colleen at 845-688-3047 or email Kristen at kew67@cornell.edu. The applications can also be downloaded online at www.esopuscreek.org.