OSU’s Extension Service: Oregon’s Best-Kept Secret?
Extension programs are primarily focused on areas such as healthy living, sustainable gardening, food systems, resilient forests, agriculture, and youth development.
“I had no idea the Extension Service did that!”
Master Gardeners teach community gardening lessons on Saturdays during the summer at The Dalles Imagination Garden. Good friend and neighbor Bill Marick, above, leads a Master Gardener group. He also volunteered his fruit trees for a pruning clinic last spring.
From OSU Extension, Wasco County:
By Susan Coleman, OSU Extension, Wasco County
The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 19, 2024 — The Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service has been a cornerstone of Oregon communities since 1911, thanks to the Smith-Lever Act which established Cooperative Extension. While many might associate Extension with 4-H or agriculture, our scope extends far beyond these well-known programs.
Strong People™ Program Participants
Despite our longstanding history and broad impact, the OSU Extension Service seems to be one of Oregon’s best-kept secrets, our full range of services often going unnoticed. This might be due to the vast array of programs it offers across the state or that the Extension Service, in its commitment to providing research-based knowledge and educational opportunities, has not always been adept at publicizing its local achievements.
As the outreach arm of OSU, Extension serves communities across Oregon, including 35 out of 36 counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our mission is to bring valuable educational resources to people in rural, urban, and suburban areas alike.
Extension programs are primarily focused on areas such as healthy living, sustainable gardening, food systems, resilient forests, agriculture, and youth development. When community members discover the breadth of Extension’s offerings, they are often surprised. Many exclaim, “I had no idea the Extension Service did that!”
Dr. Ashley Thompson, OSU Commercial Tree Fruit Horticulturalist, diagnosing plant diseases
The programs Extension offers are many, diverse and are driven by and tailored to the specific needs of the county or reservation they are in. A combination of funding from county taxes, grants, and resources from OSU keep these programs available to the Wasco County Community.
In Wasco County, the Extension Service offers a wide range of programs including 4-H Youth Clubs and Camps, 4-H STEM Learning, Juntos, Master Gardeners, Small Farms, Strong People™, K-12 Nutrition Education, and expertise for Commercial Agriculture and Horticulture producers. And this is just a glimpse of the diverse programs available from Extension statewide which are tailored to meet local needs.
STEM Teen Leaders from The Dalles High School assist elementary students in the 4-H STEM Elementary Maker Club. STEM Teen leaders are hired to assist clubs under a grant from the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub.
Wasco County’s 4-H program alone partners with area schools to provide lots of in-school programming—supplementing the needs of classroom teachers in STEM education, natural science, or any other area where teachers need additional support. In addition, 4-H educators provide youth teen leadership training; lead afterschool clubs like Robotics, Digital Arts, and Garden Clubs; facilitate traditional clubs to teach youth the responsible breeding, raising and care of animals as well as art, photography, food and nutrition, and more; educate youth via short-term special interest learning such as sewing, leathercraft, babysitting, soap and candle making; and offer low-cost summer learning camps for youth each year with a wide variety of topics!
Additionally, the Juntos Juntos Programs at the middle and high school (and soon to be at Chenowith Elementary!) help youth be college ready through mentoring and college visits; Nutrition Education at the elementary schools teaches youth about healthy eating; the Master Gardener Program trains gardeners and hosts public plant clinics and learning opportunities at The Dalles Imagination Garden; Strong People™ strength-training exercise programs taught throughout the county keep seniors mobile and strong; Ag in the Classroom lessons in schools help youth better understand the importance of agriculture and natural resources to our area; Smoke Ready Gorge Air Quality Monitoring strives to protect health and prepare for future smoke events; First Aid Training for Farmers prepares them to deal with severe, traumatic injuries that have potential to occur in agriculture ; Wildland Fire Training focuses on defensible space education and training throughout the county. ALL of these are Extension Programs in Wasco County!
4-H Member Evie Turner shows her steer, Eric, at the Wasco County Fair.
We encourage you to explore our upcoming events, browse our publications and video resources, and reach out to us if you have any questions or need reliable support. We're also eager to connect with adults who want to share their skills with youth or fellow adults. Join us as a volunteer in one of our many programs—we would love to have you!
Our mission is to partner with individuals, families, communities, business and industry, and organizations to strengthen the lives of all Oregonians. So, what can we at OSU Extension do for you?
