Phone: 440-350-2582
miller.4209@osu.edu
There were 182 direct contact SNAP-Ed nutrition classes with 1,029 adult participants. Approximately 97 percent of the classes were conducted as a series, ranging from 2-10 or more lessons. In addition, 85 youth nutrition programs were conducted with 1,197 participants. A total of 2,678 adult and youth programs and 2,226 participants were recorded in the OSU SNAP-Ed data system for Lake County.
Lake County 4-H served 402 youth through 22 4-H clubs. Lake County 4-H is led by adults who provide safe, and nurturing environments for youth to determine goals, develop leadership skills, build confidence and learn to work within a team. Members develop organization and life skills as part of being club members and officers. The program encourages youth to work as a team to problem solve and build skills for resiliency. Parents are encouraged to be involved in all 4-H activities. In all, 79 4-H volunteers work directly with our youth, ensuring positive youth development opportunities. The volunteers provide leadership in the 4-H program, and each volunteer provides their time to assist with youth projects, community service, training, fair, organization and skill building to promote youth development.
Each year, approximately 95 youth per year (including 24 teen counselors and three adult volunteers), participate in 4-H camp. Participation in the camp program contributes to youth leadership, resiliency, skill building and improved social and physical development.
The Real Money. Real World. school enrichment program provided financial education to 47 youth in the Lake County Detention facility through hands-on simulation. Participants gained financial knowledge during a real-life simulation of occupation, salary, and budgeting family living expenses. Youth recognized the need for education and “wait” to have children.
Continuing volunteer training provides a safe, caring environment to nurture youth 120 4-H members; parents and volunteers participated in our 4-H regional training. Topics presented by the Lake County educator, educators in the region and state professionals were: new volunteer orientation, risk management, Child Abuse and Neglect 1.50, online enrollment, team-building, equine diseases and colic.
The Peaceful Parenting class series is designed to assist parents to learn skills to deal with day-to-day situations that challenge parenting. The class provides and interactive environment for parents to learn techniques, principles and ask questions. This class was offered every other month to the community, at the Extension office, as well as monthly to parenting residents at county drug rehabilitation facilities, and homeless shelters. Parents receiving parent education was 143.
Budgeting classes were provided at homeless shelters, assisted living sites and drug rehab facilities as well at the Extension office. Classes were offered a minimum of monthly. A total of 93 individuals benefited from the financial literacy lessons.
In Lake County, 100 percent of the 4-H junior fair livestock project exhibitors completed quality assurance training. The five training sessions were a collaborative effort of the Lake County 4-H educator, and advisers/volunteers. Participating youth learned about animal ethics, and raising quality food-chain animals providing a safer food source for consumers.
The Lake County 4-H Advisory Committee raised funds to assist youth in the program. Fundraising provided assistance for eight campers, assistance with training and camping expenses for 24 camp counselors, adult volunteer camping costs, funds for the livestock committee to increase the efficiency of the livestock auction by assisting them in purchasing a software program, American life insurance for all youth in the program, and funds for an awards ceremony for 4-H members and 4-H clubs.
Recycling was promoted through activities and displays at five community events.
Four countywide Special Collection events were held. Tons of tires, computers and electronic equipment, and potentially hazardous material were collected for disposal from residents in 2016. Bookmarks advertising Special Collection dates were distributed countywide.
This year, 341 school and library programs focused on Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle concepts as well as litter prevention with more than 8,700 total contacts.
Three winners of the annual Clean and Green Lake County logo contest were selected among 921 entries, and they were recognized by the county commissioners.
Through research, outreach, and education, Ohio Sea Grant educates coastal stakeholders on the importance of a healthy Lake Erie. With five Extension educators spread along the coast of Lake Erie, and educators and researchers housed on The Ohio State University main campus and at Stone Laboratory located on Gibraltar Island, we are able to engage many people in our research, outreach, and education efforts. A wide focus allows Ohio Sea Grant to work on many different topics of interest for Lake Erie. These topics of interest include marine debris, wetland restoration, harmful algal blooms, dangerous currents, coastal hazards, aquatic invasive species, and development of clean marinas to name a few.
This year was a very busy, but successful year for the Ohio Sea Grant program. It began in January with the mid-America Boat Show located at the I-X Center in Cleveland. With lots of help from our volunteers, we educated 2,000 people on best boating practices, marine debris, and aquatic invasive species. Ohio Sea Grant also helped to organize a dangerous currents conference at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in April to educate beach managers, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft Personnel, Cleveland Metropark Rangers, and the general public on beach swimming and recreating safety tips, beach wave and current forecasting tools, and current safety education programs to promote safe beach recreation for residents and visitors. Throughout the spring and summer, Jill Bartolotta attended many Earth Day events, conservation fairs, and beach or water fests and reached about 2,400 people at these events.
The Clean Marina program has been working to continue to certify marinas across the state so they can be better stewards to the coastal environment. There are several marinas within Lake County moving through the process now, and they should be certified by next summer. Jill and her colleague Scott Hardy are in the data analysis stage of a research project identifying the barriers to reusable water bottles and grocery bags. We sent out a survey across all of coastal Ohio in summer 2016, and have received more than 1,400 responses. This survey will be used to inform a social marketing campaign that will be broadcast throughout Cleveland in summer 2017. Upcoming projects include the piloting of a tool for marinas to prepare for coastal hazards such as ice, large rain events, and lake-level changes and the planning of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Conference which will be held in Cleveland in June 2017. This conference will welcome more than 100 educators, researchers, directors, and communication specialists to Ohio, so we can showcase the great work that has been promoting sustainable development of the Lake Erie coast while continuing to acknowledge the importance of a healthy water body.
In 2016, 23 communities were surveyed about yard waste disposal practices. Auto dealerships and repair facilities were surveyed about the number of scrap tires generated in 2016 and the methods of disposal. This data is included in the Solid Waste District’s 2016 report to the EPA.