Natural Resources

ExploreAg Camps

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ExploreAg introduces high school students to the various careers in science, engineering and technology in the food and fiber industry and engages them in actively pursuing career paths that can help them become a part of the sustainable future of agriculture.

ExploreAg is open to students from varied backgrounds, with diverse skills and interests, and provides them with an opportunity to explore and understand available career paths in the agriculture and food industries. ExploreAg programs are free.

The goal is that a student’s time at ExploreAg will lead them to discover a passion they may not have considered yet.

More Information:
July 9-11th – Central State University
July 16-18th – OSU Main Campus (Columbus, OH)
Ohio State Extension, Franklin County and the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation are excited to offer Explore Ag, a STEM-based career development camp. The ExploreAg program is a FREE weekend experience for 12-17 year old students. During ExploreAg, campers are introduced to various aspects of agriculture, food science, environmental sciences and more, through hands on learning opportunities and presentations. For more information please email mulligan.70@osu.edu or visit exploreag.org

 

Ohio Birds for 4-H Virtual Presentation

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The Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge will be presenting Ohio Birds for 4-H Virtually Saturday May 22 from 10-11 a.m. This program will help those 4-H members who are completing project 621 Ohio Birds or be a beginning for any youth wanting to learn about the birds they may see in their back yard. They will cover attracting and feeding birds, ways to view birds and record sightings along spots to see new birds along the Lake Erie Birding Trail. This presentation will assist with a plan your own learning activity or the Leadership/Citizenship activity of inviting a speaker to a 4-H club. For more information and to register, please visit the Friends of Ottawa NWR website.

Licking County Recycling River Round Up Poster Contest

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The Licking County Health Department (LCHD) encourages participation in Licking County Soil & Water Conservation District’s (LCSWCD) River Round Up Poster Contest. The deadline for submission is April 16, 2021 and the winning individual receives $100 cash with an additional $500 in scholarship money for the student’s school!

The River Round Up Poster Contest is open to all school-aged youth in primary, secondary schools (public, private, and home school; K-12) or school-aged youth living in Licking County. Students can enter individually from home, or teachers are welcome to make it a class assignment or extra credit to encourage participation.

Posters should reflect water pollution awareness and encourage volunteer participation in the River Round Up. Winners will be announced on the River Round Up Facebook Page on Earth Day, April 22, 2021. Prizes then will be awarded to students and their respective schools.

The winning individual will receive $100 in prize money and the winner’s school will receive a $500 scholarship to use for advancing science and art programs. Up to two honorable mentions will receive $50 in prize money and a $250 scholarship each for their school.

The grand prize also includes having the winning poster used as the primary electronic marketing picture for the 2021 River Round Up. Entries will be displayed on the River Round Up Facebook page. Winning posters will be displayed at a River Round Up registration sites on Saturday, September 11, 2021.

Find more details about the poster contest and submit entries here.

2021 National 4-H Beekeeping Essay Contest

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The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees is once again sponsoring the 2021 National 4-H Beekeeping Essay Competition.
The essay competition is open to active 4-H Club members only.
2021 Essay Topic: Immunity: Threats to Bee Colonies and Methods to Defend Against the Threats
Deadline for submission to the Ohio 4-H state office is March 29, 2021. Submit essays to Lisa Jinks, jinks.2@osu.edu by midnight. Each submitted essay will be reviewed by a panel of writing professionals and the top essay selected will be submitted for national competition. Be sure to see important requirements and guidelines on the Foundation’s website. Click here for rules and overview.

Victory Gardens Program Expands In Its First Month

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More than 2,600 Packets Distributed, Four More Counties Added

REYNOLDSBURG, OH (September 10, 2020) – A tremendous response to the just launched Victory Gardens campaign has resulted in an immediate expansion of the program. The program took off immediately and demand was so high for seed packets, four more counties were added: Fairfield, Licking, Mahoning, and Summit. Seed pick-up days and times for each office are available on the Ohio Victory Gardens website. The collaboration between the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Ohio State University (OSU) Extension Offices has delivered more than 2,600 seed packets to ten counties across the state.

Victory Gardens originated during World War I, an answer to a severe food shortage at the time. The idea was wildly successful, growing an army of amateur gardeners and serving to boost morale and patriotism. Although there’s no food shortage now, ODA and OSU Extension are reviving the effort and once again encouraging people to plant seeds, realize the fruits of their labor, and share with others if inspired.

Seed packets were originally distributed through six OSU Extension Offices: Clark, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, and Washington counties.

The Victory Gardens Program will continue and expand with a larger seed distribution across the state in the spring. It also offers a full website with details on seed distribution, advice, and resources on every aspect of planting and harvesting produce.

ODA Asks Ohioans to Send in Unsolicited Seeds

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The Public Should Report the Seeds and Submit the Packages to USDA

After increasing reports of Ohio citizens receiving packages of unsolicited seeds in the mail, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is again urging the public to report and submit any unsolicited seed packets to ODA. In partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine Office, ODA is working to investigate the number of seed packets sent to Ohio, what type of seeds they are, and where they were mailed from.

The USDA-APHIS and ODA are asking Ohioans who have received these unsolicited packages not to open, plant, or throw them away. Instead, citizens should report receiving seeds here and then submit the packages to USDA using one of the following methods:

1. If possible, place the materials including the seeds, original packaging material and your contact information in a resealable plastic bag and mail them to USDA-APHIS at the following address:

Attn: USDA -SITC
8995 East Main Street, Building 23
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

-or-

2. Place the materials including the seeds, original packaging material and your contact information in a resealable plastic bag and drop them off at your county’s OSU Extension Office during business hours. You can find the nearest extension office here: https://extension.osu.edu/lao. Please note that extension facilities may have COVID-19 specific signage detailing procedures such as wearing a facial covering that must be followed.

Unsolicited seeds could be invasive species, contain noxious weeds, could introduce diseases to local plants, or could be harmful to livestock. Invasive species and noxious weeds can displace native plants and increase costs of food production. All foreign seeds shipped to the United States should have a phytosanitary certificate which guarantees the seeds meet important requirements.

We will have the latest information regarding this investigation on our website.

Ohio 4-H Small Garden Virtual SPIN Club

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Have fun in this virtual 4-H Special Interest SPIN Club learning how to make small gardens from easy to find items. Activities include seed starting, seed bombs, repurposing containers for the garden, herb and pizza gardens, terrariums, succulents, garden art, imagination gardens, and more!

Every Tuesday at 3:30-4:30pm from May 28 to July 9

Location: ONLNE! Register at go.osu.edu/gardenspinclub

Cost: FREE!

Details: Open to ANY youth grades 3-12. Limited to the first 25 to enroll

Contact information: Sue Hogan, Franklin County, Hogan.239@osu.edu

2019 Forestry and Wildlife Camp

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The Fourth Annual Forestry and Wildlife Camp will be held at Canter’s Cave in Jackson, Ohio October 11-13, 2019. This camp is for youth ages 12-16 who are interested in environmental education. Camp participants will get to try new and exciting challenges, learn about and appreciate the natural world around them, while meeting experts in the field of Forestry and Wildlife Conservation. There is a discounted rate for the first 40 registrants, so don’t delay in signing up! Registration information can be found here.