Extension
Governor shows off his green thumb
Photo by Gene King
In the first of his inaugural week activities, Governor elect Tim Kaine assisted in planting the first official America's Anniversary Garden at the Jamestown settlement. Local Master Gardeners, volunteers from several local nursery, garden center, and landscape companies, and representatives from the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were on hand to help plant the garden. The event was planned and organized by the Williamsburg Land Conservancy.
America's Anniversary Garden Program Launched
America's Anniversary Garden commemorates the nation's 400th anniversary and boosts the green industry
Red, white, and blue flowers blooming across the commonwealth commemorate the nation's 400th anniversary and provide a boost to Virginia's greenhouse and nursery plant producers and landscapers, as the result of a project developed by Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and Virginia Tech horticulture faculty members.
The project features information on how to plant landscapes in public spaces, such as roadside corridors and around municipal buildings, as well as around homes and businesses. Plans for a container garden are also included. In addition to engaging gardening enthusiasts in commemorating the nation's 400th anniversary, the project, which is supported by a grant from the Jamestown 2007 Foundation, will also give a boost to the green industry in the commonwealth.
"We wanted to participate in America's 400th anniversary in a way that would attract new and experienced gardeners by teaching gardening skills and showing these gardeners how to use community gardening to promote local tourism," said Joyce Latimer, professor of horticulture. These red, white, and blue America's Anniversary Gardens will be part of Virginia's welcome to visitors.
Nearly 60 nurseries have already made a commitment to support the effort by providing the appropriate plant materials and creating marketing materials for America's Anniversary Garden projects. "I'm excited about the positive response from our partners in the green industry, who have been immensely supportive of the effort and are helping us spread the word to communities. I expect even more growers and retailers to participate in the commemoration," said Bonnie Appleton, professor of horticulture and nursery Extension specialist.
Appleton and Latimer worked with growers and garden center owners to get ready, so that residents and tourists alike will have the opportunity to purchase America's Anniversary Garden plants at garden centers. A publication detailing the plants selected, suggested planting designs, and planting care instructions, can be obtained through local Extension offices or at VCE-Master Gardener events.
"The VCE-Master Gardeners are excited to be using the America's Anniversary Garden project and publications to teach good planting and plant maintenance techniques," said Dave Close, state VCE-Master Gardener coordinator. Leanne DuBois, James City County Horticulture Extension agent and one of the four originators of the Anniversary Garden, claims, "The beauty of the idea is found in its simplicity. Every community and citizen can enjoy a colorful reminder of our nation's origin long after the 2007 commemoration ends."
Information on how to plan and plant an America's Anniversary Garden is available at www.ext. vt.edu/americasgarden.
4-H Camp Builds Valuable Life Skills in Virginia's Youth
4-H'ers enjoying canoeing at camp.
"Learning to be responsible for myself" and "treating people who are different from me with respect" are two of the life skills that youth learn through participation in Virginia's 4-H summer camping program, according to a research project conducted Barry A. Garst, assistant professor and Extension specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Garst evaluated the outcomes of Virginia's 4-H camping program, looking at the benefits that individuals and groups can gain from the camping experience. For example, the benefits can be physical skills with immediate rewards such as learning to canoe or long-term life skills such as learning "to manage" or "to care."
Garst asked a random sample of the 26,000 youngsters who attended 4-H camp at one of Virginia's six 4-H educational centers last summer about how they benefited from participation in camp.
The campers' responses suggested that they became "more aware of responsibility and respect ... characteristics that 4-H tries to teach," Garst said. In his study, conducted in 2005 of 840 summer campers, youth reported that some of the most valuable life skills they acquired from the 4-H camp experience were:
- Developing positive friendships with caring teenagers and adults.
- Learning to be a good citizen by contributing to a group effort and helping others.
- Showing concern for other people and treating them with fairness and caring.
- Learning skills that would help them be more successful in the future.
"Attending camp can be a life-changing experience for youth because it requires them to live with other youth in a nature-based setting outside of their comfort zone. The camp experience provides them with valuable skills and knowledge that help them grow immensely in just a few short days," said Garst.
"4-H camps help youth to begin to realize their full potential in the areas of leadership and various skills. Although campers learn traditional camp activities like swimming, archery, and environmental education, the most important things that children learn at 4-H camps are how to take care of themselves and how to develop positive relationships with others," said Garst.
Virginia's 4-H youth development program is committed to the positive individual development of youth through experiential learning to promote life skills - knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that enable youth to become self-motivated leaders and contributing members of society. These educational activities include environmental and aquatic science, performing arts, forestry, outdoor adventures, primitive skills, journalism and broadcasting, horsemanship and animal science, science and technology, and shooting safety and education.
All six Virginia 4-H camps are accredited by the American Camp Association, which provides the highest standards for safety and program quality. A youngster does not need to be a member of 4-H to attend 4-H camp. The six camps are: Southwest Virginia 4-H Educational Center at Abingdon, W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake, Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Conference Center at Front Royal, Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center at Appomattox, Airfield 4-H Educational Center at Wakefield, and Jamestown 4-H Educational Center at Williamsburg.
More information is available at local Virginia Cooperative Extension offices and on the 4-H website.