An Educational Youth & Families, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Newsletter for Residents of York County

January - February 2005

Articles     Programs     Resources

Articles
 

Nancy Beaulieu named Outstanding Teacher of the Year
Nancy Beaulieu, Nutrition Aide in the York County Extension Eat Well Program received the  "Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award" at the Maine Adult Education Association annual meeting in October. Nancy was nominated by Biddeford Adult Education for her creative work with students in Life Skills Classes. There are two levels of classes offered for 15 weeks each fall and spring. Here are just a few of the words Anita Findlen, Director of Biddeford Adult and Community Education uses to describe Nancy and her work:

"Nancy is an incredible teacher. She strives to meet learners' needs as she teaches them the food guide pyramid, food safety, nutrition, buying on a shoestring, meal planning, cooking quick, but nutritious meals, cooking from scratch, and much, much more. When students arrive, many have never been taught any nutrition skills, let alone how to cook anything that does not come out of a box and go into the microwave.

Sadly, many of these folks have not sat at a dinner table to enjoy a family dinner together either. Therefore, Nancy has students work in teams, each preparing a part of the meal. Once the food has been prepared, the students sit together, family style, and eat together before the class ends. It is awesome to watch the students change their views and attitudes from the 1^st class to the ending class. Many find it sad to have the class end for in it they have discovered much about themselves, their peers, and have made positive changes in their own family lives.

Nancy models for her students how being alert and keeping an eye open for dollar savings and good buys really help a strained budget. She recently purchased a microwave for the program - it is like new - for only $3.00- at a yard sale! She tells students that she never pays full price for anything and she teaches them how to look for bargains and how to dress "like a million" on a shoe string, using places like Good Will and Salvation Army. She is a genius at getting the "Ah Ha" (s) from students! She teaches them day-to-day living skills so that they and their families can live better for less. By the end of Nancy's classes, students are bringing in their own bargains for which they are very proud!

She is totally committed to helping students learn. She is a great role model for students because she is an Adult Education success story in her own right and she has the ability to instill in her learners the thirst for life-long learning.

Thank you Nancy for all you do! We are proud of you and honored to have you as a colleague in the York County office of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension!

Reducing Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Children
Food marketing aimed at children makes a parent’s job much harder.  We must become more and more vigilant as we try to foster healthy eating habits, develop media literacy skills and protect children from the influence of those who stand to profit from increasing their consumption of unhealthy foods.

 Actions You Can Take

• Reflect on your own vulnerabilities to food marketing and teach your children to make healthy food purchasing choices.

• Keep babies and toddlers completely away from television and limit the screen time of older children to two hours or less each day.

• Make media literacy a priority in your home.  Develop critical thinking skills about the messages we all see and hear every day through television, movies, music and advertising.  This is the ability to be conscious about what is going on around us and not be passive or vulnerable.

• Avoid buying for babies and children any clothing, toys, diapers and other items decorated with media characters that are used to advertise fast/junk food.

• Be active in your community. Join school committees to develop standards and policies that prohibit advertising unhealthy choices and products to children.

• Advocate to school boards, parks and recreation departments and others to stop accepting sponsorship funds from companies that sell unhealthy foods.

• Talk to managers at local grocery stores about not placing unhealthy foods within easy reach of children.

(Adapted from resources from the Maine Center for Public Health)

4-H Youth Celebrate Accomplishments at Annual Fallfest
Nearly 100 York County youth celebrated their accomplishments November 20 at the annual 4-H Fallfest and Recognition in Sanford.

Fallfest is an annual event at which 4-H members and other youth spend a fall afternoon taking a variety of classes and workshops that highlight "heads, hearts, hands and health".  It also is a time of celebration for the past 4-H year ending September 30. Parents, leaders, members and staff participate in a dinner celebration and awards ceremony.

2004 Fallfest was a terrific success and saw nearly 100 4-H youth participating in afternoon workshops including:

Some highlights of this year's awards ceremony:

Hazel Goodwin was honored for her 50 years of serving as a 4-H leader in the Four Leaf Clovers!

Crystal Stack, of Little Farmers 4-H Club, received the annual York County 4-H Community Service Award presented each year to recognize a 4-H youth who contributed to the community through volunteer service during the previous year.

The Llama Brigade 4-H Club received the annual York County 4-H Community Service Award presented each year to recognize a 4-H Club that contributed to the community through volunteer service during the previous year.

Maine 4-Hers Bring Home Awards at the BigE

The Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, may be the mother of New England's agricultural fairs. For the 82 Maine 4-H members who competed at the BigE last September, it was the chance to put finishing touches on months of hard work. Their efforts paid off with awards and first and second place finishes in dairy, horse, beef, sheep and working steer categories.

"The kids work for this all year long," says York County Extension Educator Jon Prichard.  Eastern States is the culmination of a process that starts with projects in local 4-H clubs." BigE ran from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3 with entertainment, parades, carnival rides, food demonstrations, livestock exhibitions and other attractions.

More than one million people went through the gates, the largest attendance since the first event in 1917.

Like candidates for all-star sports teams, members of Maine's 139 4-H clubs must qualify for the opportunity to go to the BigE. They participate in at least one and sometimes multiple tryout sessions in which judges rank their knowledge and their ability to care for and manage animals.

Youths in the working steer competition participated in three tryouts during the summer to win a seat on one of the largest working steer youth competitions in New England. Working steer is a young version of a pair of oxen. Eight members of the Maine team attended the BigE and brought home several first and second place honors. The Maine team placed second overall in collective points.

During two days of 4-H sheep showing, the 17 members of the Maine team competed in breed classes and showed their skills through a knowledge exam, a blocking contest, quiz bowl, an educational exhibit and rigorous showmanship classes. The Maine contestants brought home championship and first place honors.

The 61 beef category participants from all states kept busy in five days of competition in judging, educational exhibits, beef records, a hands-on “skil-a-thon,” a beef breed show and fitting and showmanship. The 20 members of the Maine team brought home four first place finishes in the fitting and showmanship categories, winning Grand Champion, Reserved Grand Champion, Highly Commended and Commended showpersons. The grooming team also ranked first.

Members in the 4-H horse program participated in tryouts June 25 in Skowhegan. While twenty-two girls and one boy took a chartered bus to West Springfield, their horses arrived in two vans that hold ten horses each. The show consisted of fitting and showmanship, an equitation class, pleasure class and one other class of the kids' choice. The extra classes included a command class, hunter over fences, hunter under saddle, trail class or Western handiness. The kids also took a knowledge test and judging class and competed in a quiz bowl.

The Interstate Drill Team, a group of riders from all New England States who perform riding patterns to music, was coached by two Maine volunteers from Houlton.

The Maine 4-H dairy team consisted of 20 members who participated in quiz bowl, clipping, fitting, judging and showmanship competitions. They brought home first place finishes in clipping and judging for Ayrshire cattle. The Maine team also had the second-place State Jersey Herd.

Financial support for the 4-H members' participation comes from the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation, the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs, the Maine Extension Homemakers Council and the Eastern States Exposition, the non-profit organization that hosts the BigE.

Sanford, Wells, and Kennebunk Get a Guide
for Reducing and Preventing Non-Point Source Pollution
A plan has been prepared for managing non-point source pollution in the Merriland River, Branch Brook, and Little River (MBLR) watershed, which covers over 31 square miles in the towns of Wells, Kennebunk, and Sanford. The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve led development of the plan in cooperation with Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Sea Grant, AmeriCorps and an active community-based steering committee.

The freshwater Merriland River and Branch Brook combine to form the largely tidal Little River, which flows through the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and into the Gulf of Maine. The MBLR watershed ranks high in value for drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreation, and as a place to live.

While the MBLR watershed is in good condition overall, large population increases and intense development pressure threaten to degrade water quality and health due to non-point source pollution.

Non-point source pollution, or polluted runoff, results when rainfall or snowmelt carry pollutants off the landscape and into bodies of water. Fertilizers and nutrients from lawns and gardens, petroleum products from automobiles, bacteria from livestock, garbage, and soil erosion are among the non-point sources of pollution that can reduce water quality.

The project staff and volunteers surveyed the MBLR watershed for signs of non-point source pollution. By walking along the banks of the three rivers, the survey team found land surface erosion and road runoff to be the leading sources of non-point source pollution. The surveyors found 50 non-point source pollution sites in the watershed. Four were rated high in severity and 27 were ranked moderately severe.

The MBLR watershed management plan identifies pollution sources and presents best management practices to remedy them. The plan also describes how to prevent additional pollution sources from forming. By following a step-by-step action plan, pollution sites within the watershed can be minimized and water quality can be improved.

Following guidelines below will help to promote the ecological integrity of the MBLR as well as numerous other threatened watersheds in southern Maine.

• Maintain an undisturbed buffer of trees, shrubs and/or dense, tall grasses along all surface water shorelines of at least 100 feet in width.

• Minimize the amount of land clearing at building sites.

• Use native trees, saplings, shrubs and tall grasses for landscaping.

• Keep the lawn footprint to a minimum and keep grass height as tall as possible.

• Avoid pesticides and fertilizers

• Orient roads, drives, and parking areas (both paved and unpaved) to minimize runoff into nearby surface waters. Drives oriented downslope and perpendicular to stream banks are to be avoided.

• Construct drainage swales to receive runoff from large areas of hardened surfaces (pavement, unpaved fill, lawns, roofs).

Residents in Sanford, Wells, and Kennebunk live in rapidly growing communities, but community action can help to minimize non-point source pollution and improve the health of the MBLR watershed for generations to come. This is your chance to change the fate of your watershed.

Please see the “Resources for You” section to learn how to receive a bound or electronic copy of the Merriland River, Branch Brook, and Little River Watershed Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Plan.

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Resources for You!

Merriland River, Branch Brook, and Little River Watershed Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Plan: 
The plan provides a description of the watershed, water quality assessment, pollution source assessment and recommendations for remediation. Bound copies can be received by contacting Tin Smith at the Wells Reserve 646-1555 x119 or tsmith@wellsnerr.org. The plan is also available for download at www.wellsreserve.org.

Starting Seeds Indoors - Info packet
Start spring early by growing your own seedlings indoors.  Call the Extension office to request a free packet of information including seed starting tips, growing medium, and plans for building your own inexpensive light stand for seedlings.  See programs section for seedlings workshop.

Diabetes, Carbohydrates and You Fact Sheet Series
This 4-part series may be ordered for free by calling the Extension office or accessed on line at www.umext.maine.edu

Healthy Habits to Live by With Diabetes
Two page fact sheet describes the five good habits for staying healthy with diabetes. Bulletin #4371

Paying Attention to Carbohydrate
Four page fact sheet explains why people with diabetes need to be concerned about carbohydrate intake, as well as how to make healthy carbohydrate choices. While designed with diabetics in mind, this fact sheet provides excellent information on carbohydrates for anyone.  Bulletin  #4369

Preventing Diabetes With Pre-Diabetes Screening
Two page fact sheet explains how to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through pre-diabetes screening. Bulletin #4368

Using Foods Labels With Diabetes 
Two page fact sheet clarifies how to use the information on nutrition labels to count carbohydrates. Bulletin #4370

Best Ways to Wash Fruits & Vegetables
Help prevent food-borne illness from striking you and your family. Wash fruits and vegetables before you eat them. This 2 page fact sheet presents the results of the testing of several fruit & vegetable wash treatment products versus distilled water when washing lowbush blueberries. It also outlines the best ways to keep fruits and vegetables safe. Bulletin #4336

Free from the Extension off ice and soon to be on-line at www.umext.maine.edu

Programs for You!

Grow Your Own Seedlings at Home
Thursday, February 23, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
York County Extension Office
Fee and Open to the Public
Pre-registration is required by February 23

This hands-on workshop will prepare you to grow your own garden seedlings at home successfully.  Learn about lighting, temperatures, containers and potting mixes.  We will demonstrate building two different models of an inexpensive light stand you can make for yourself at home.

Workshop presented by Frank Wertheim, Extension Educator

York County Extension Homemakers Meeting
Wednesday, February 19th, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
York County Extension Office, 41 Shaw Ridge Road, Sanford
Club Officers will meet to review the new reporting forms for use in reporting activities from January 1, 2004 - December 31, 2004.  The business meeting will be followed by a presentation by Jere Scola, a VISTA Volunteer with the Southern Maine Agency on Aging. His topic will be Disaster Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors with slides, followed by a question and answer period.

This is a pot luck lunch. Please bring a dish to share as well as information on your club's activities.

Maine Garden Day
Saturday, April 16
Central Maine Community College
Registration fee:  $37
Call 1-800-287-1482 for a full brochure
Space is limited to 550 persons.
Pre-registration is required.

12th Annual Maine Garden Day – This premier gardening event will feature 35+ dynamic workshops from many of Maine’s renowned horticulturists, and educational displays.  Maine Garden Day is the largest one-day educational home gardening event sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Note: brochures will not be mailed until February.

Brochures will also be available via our county Extension web page: http://www.umaine.edu/umext/york/

8th Annual Get It Together 2005 Fashion Show
Friday, May 13, 2005, 8AM - 12:30 pm
J. Richard Martin Community Center
189 Alfred Street, Biddeford, ME
Save the date! Details  and registration will be forthcoming!

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