Greensville/Emporia Extension Office

JUL 2020

Sneek Peek

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political

affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in

furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin

J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.

Virginia Cooperative Extension Greensville/Emporia 105 Oak Street Emporia, VA 23847 434-348-4223 Sara Rutherford Associate Extension Agent Agriculture and Natural Resources Unit Coordinator srutherford@vt.edu

Hannah D. Parker Associate Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development hdp2513@vt.edu

Jeff Karow 4-H Program Assistant jkarow16@vt.edu

Kimberly Martin Associate Extension Agent Family and Consumer Sciences-SnapEd kimartin@vt.edu

Jessica Jones Program Assistant Family Nutrition Program -Youth jessicaj19@vt.edu

Tia S. Powell Senior Program Assistant Family Nutrition Program- Adult tia01@vt.edu

Sammi Kent Unit Administrative Assistant sammi@vt.edu

Website:

http://offices.ext.vt.edu/greensville/

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/greensville.emporia.vce

Program Registration:

https://register.ext.vt.edu/

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Contacts 1

Events 1

Recipe 1

Agriculture

and Natural

Resources

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4-H 3

Family

Nutrition Program

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NOTICE

The Greensville/Emporia Extension office will reopen to the public on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. With the reopening of public offices, we will limit the occupancy of public spaces, ask that all members of the public wear facial covering and adhere to social distancing as required by Governor’s Executive Order 63.

We ask that when visiting our office that you knock before entering the build-ing.

We urge you to take all necessary steps to stay healthy and follow guidelines outlined by local health departments.

Visit https://ext.vt.edu/ for resources on the COVID-19 pandemic.

For further information please visit:

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/greensville.emporia.vce

Website: www.greensville.ext.vt.edu

Instructions: • Combine broccoli, onion, raisins, and bacon in a mixing bowl.

• In a separate mixing bowl, stir mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar until well mixed.

• Incorporate the dressing into the broccoli mix.

• Cover and chill in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour.

Broccoli Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients: 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 2 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

Hello, Greensville/Emporia community members, 4-H families and friends:

I hope that this newsletter finds you safe and well. Although many in-person programs were unable to take place

this spring, we have been able to reach many area youth through exciting, innovative ways.

During the months of March, April and May, Greensville/Emporia 4-H hosted its annual Growing Kids and Hard-

wood Seedlings Project, in which local youth were able to receive free tree seedling kits to plant with their families. The purpose of

this project is to improve water quality by restoring forest cover to residential and

riparian lands. This year, over 100 youth and their families in Greensville/Emporia

participated in the project, learning the importance of trees in our community, how

to properly plant a tree seedling, and how to properly care for them.

Another exciting virtual/at-home kit program that we have been able to offer is the

Gardening 101: Pizza Edition program. Through this program, 30 local families,

consisting of a total of 50 youth, received fully stocked gardening kits for families

to learn how to grow their own pizza garden. The kits included a watering can,

tomato plant, pepper plant, basil plant, oregano plant, parsley plant, garden jour-

nal, pen/pencil, student

workbook and informational

materials. Weekly zoom

sessions are held to con-

nect with the program par-

ticipants, to check-in on the

status of their gardens, and

to learn about new topics

related to the program. So

far, we have learned about

the History of Pizza, Pizza

Styles/Types, Horticulture, Pollination and basic gardening techniques!

Beginning in mid-July, we will be offering another at-home program focused

specifically for teen youth: Teen Cuisine At-Home Cooking kit program. In

this program, 20 families will receive fully stocked cooking kits with all the

necessary food supplies needed for each of the 6 virtual zoom cooking ses-

sions. This program will focus on health and nutrition by teaching teens

healthy recipes, nutrition topics, exercise and more! Contact Hannah at 434-

637-3225 or hdp2513@vt.edu for more information on how you can register!

Greensville/Emporia 4-H Virtual and

At-Home Kit Programs

By Hannah Parker, Associate Agent

4-H Youth Development

Greensville/Emporia Extension Office

Call 434-348-4223 for more information on Teen Club, Animal/Livestock Club, Shooting Sports and Archery Club.

4-H Event Dates:

4-H Congress Across the Commonwealth (Virtual) – July 2020 for ages 14-19

4-H iCongress (Virtual) – July 2020 for ages 11-13

Airfield Virtual Summer Camp – July 13th-17th & July 27th-31st

Gardening 101: Pizza Edition – Zoom Series at 3 PM on July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

4-H Animal Project – Virtual Zoom Series (for all ages) – July 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, August 5th & 12th

Teen Cuisine At-Home Cooking Program (rising 6th-12th graders) – Zoom Sessions – Tuesdays (July 14th, 21st, 28th) at 11:30 AM & Thursdays (July 16th, 23rd, 30th) at 4:00 PM

E.W. Wyatt 21st CCLC Virtual STEAM 4-H Summer Camp Series – Mondays (July 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) & Wednesdays (July 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th) from 4-5PM on Zoom

Teen Ice Cream Social / Walk in the Park (Outdoor/Social Distancing) – July 21, 2020 from 2-4PM

Youth Livestock Webinar Series – Tuesdays at 6PM (July 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, August 4th, 11th, 18th)

Register at: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aQHQd7UZS86bNqqTCwi2HA

Outdoor Archery Sessions – COMING SOON

Outdoor Rifle Sessions – COMING SOON

Teen Club Meeting – July 16th, August 20th, September 17th from 5-7PM at Extension Office

Livestock Club Meeting – TBD

4-H Open House: September 16th @ 6PM

JUL 2020 Page 2

Sara Rutherford, ANR Agent, & Hannah Parker, 4-H Agent, prepare garden kits to

distribute to area youth and their families.

Greensville/Emporia 4-H’s Spring Growing Kids and Trees Annual Hardwood Seedlings Project

provided over 100 Greensville/Emporia youth and their families with tree seedlings to plant together

as a family.

By P. Eric Wiseman- Associate Professor of Urban Forestry, Virginia Tech

People have an innate connection to trees. They provide us with renewable raw materials, clean air, and pure water. We take comfort in the tranquility of their dappled shade, swaying boughs, and rustling leaves. We commemorate notable events and honor special people by planting trees. Virginia has a heritage of bounti-ful forests as well as exceptional people and places. At the intersection of all three, we often find prominently situated in the landscape exceptionally large trees—those whose longevity and physical stature goes beyond the ordinary. Big trees reveal to us the upper bounds of the physical and biological limits of plant growth. They offer a glimpse of primeval forests and provide a living connection to our natural and cultural heritage. Their stalwart presence creates a sense of place while their longevity demonstrates fortitude and persistence. They are also a cornerstone of forest ecosystems (both ru-ral and urban), storing large amounts of carbon and offering niche habitats to numerous species that rely on veteran trees for nourishment and refuge. Of course, a tree does not have to be exceptionally large to benefit people and the environment—we need trees of all sizes and ages to sustain us. But big trees are the ones that most often elicit a sense of awe and respect for nature. The goal of the Virginia Big Tree Program is to discover and document big trees, share their stories, and encourage conservation and stewardship of trees both big and small.

Big trees are natural wonders that inspire people and play important roles in forest ecosystems. The Virginia Big Tree Program documents, curates, and publicizes the largest trees known to exist in Virginia. Trees are scored and ranked us-ing measurements of their physical dimensions. Records of past and present big trees are curated in the Virginia Big Tree Register, which is accessible as an online database at bigtree. cnre.vt.edu. Each year the Virginia Big Tree program accepts nominations for newly discovered trees and recertifies trees that were registered 10 or more years prior. Program staff and volunteers also host seminars and workshops about big tree conservation and their documentation of big trees for posterity.

The Virginia Big Tree Program traces its origins to the spring of 1970 when Virginia Forests, Inc. (today known as the Virginia Forestry Association) partnered with Virginia Cooperative Extension to launch a new project known as the ‘Big Tree Search’. Charles Finley with Virginia Forests handled the record-keeping while William McElfresh with Virginia Coop-erative Extension led 4-H youth education on how to locate, identify, measure, and nominate big trees. Foresters with the Vir-ginia Department of Forestry verified the identity and measurements of the big tree nominees before they were proclaimed champions and placed in the ‘Register of Big Trees’. Over time, the pursuit of big trees spread to amateur naturalists, conser-vationists, and natural resource professionals. The big tree register was published annually in Virginia Forests magazine throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, administration of the big tree register transitioned from the Virginia Forestry Association to Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Dr. Jeffrey Kirwan, professor emeritus of forestry in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech and Extension specialist for natural resources education became state coordinator of the program at that time. As state coordinator of the revived Virginia Big Tree Program, Jeff incorporated big trees into his youth education activities across the state. He also established a web presence for the program in the early 2000s when he created an online register of Virginia’s big trees.

Upon Dr. Kirwan’s retirement, his colleague in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, associate profes-sor of urban forestry Dr. Eric Wiseman, became state coordinator of the program. Since that time, Eric has made improve-ments to the program website to enhance the user experience and share broader information about not only documenting big trees, but also promoting their conservation and care. The Virginia Big Tree Program has endured for fifty years and remains popular as a source of credible and up-to-date information about champion big trees in Virginia.

The Virginia Big Tree Register documents the largest specimens—past and present—of tree species found in Virgin-ia. The state coordinator of the Virginia Big Tree Program maintains the register—archiving historical documentation of big trees, reviewing nominations of big trees, and orchestrating 10-year recertifications of big trees. The state coordinator works closely with diverse stakeholders to maintain the register and fulfill the outreach mission of the program. Discovering big trees and keeping the big tree register accurate and up-to-date would not be possible without numerous volunteers around the state whom work closely with the big tree program and its partners. For many of them, big tree ‘hunting’ has become a favor-ite past-time that allows them to enjoy the outdoors and hone their skills in tree identification, measurements, and orienteer-ing.

*To read more information on Virginia’s Champion Big Tree Program, please visit http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu and search CNRE-104. *Excerpts and tables taken from VCE publication CNRE-104.

By Sara Rutherford, Associate Agent

And Unit Coordinator

Agriculture and Natural Resources Virginia’s Champion Trees

Greensville/Emporia Extension Office JUL 2020

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By Amber Kohl, ACE certified personal trainer for VT Rec Sports What is stress? Stress is how the brain and body respond to a challenge or demand. It is a feeling of physical or emotional pressure. Some stress can be good as it allows you to avoid danger or grow and become stronger. However, high levels of stress can impact your physical, men-tal, and emotional well-being. It may seem like there’s nothing you can do about stress, whether it’s never having enough hours in a day or having a demanding work and family schedule. But knowing how to manage stress can make you happier, healthier, and more pro-ductive. It’s important to learn and practice different ways you can cope with stress. Having multiple “tools” for your stress toolbox allows you to pick the one that best fits the situation and what you need at that time. Talk to someone Talking to someone can help you build healthy relationships and provide you with support. Talking to someone can also help you understand the feelings you are experiencing, which helps you process your emotions and gain an outside perspective on the situation. Do a physical activity you enjoy When you’re stressed, you may not feel like getting up and exercising. But physical activity can be a great stress reliever as it produces “feel good” hormones and boosts energy. There are plenty of resources on how to move more your way or get moving for your mental health. Deep breaths Deep breathing is one of the best ways to reduce stress. When you breathe deeply, your brain and body get the message to calm down and relax. There are lots of phone apps that can help you with deep breathing such as Prana Breath, Breathe2Relax, and Breathe+. Get enough sleep Sleep is important for stress management. Getting the recommended amount might be hard, but there are ways to improve your quality of sleep. A great place to start is to create a bedtime routine. Write it out Writing can also be a wonderful way to reduce stress as it can help you process your thoughts and emotions. It can also be a terrific way to cope and problem solve. If you’re having a hard time knowing what to journal about, just put down the first thing that comes to mind. Re-member there’s no right or wrong way to journal!

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Greensville/Emporia Extension Office

Five Tools for your Stress Toolbox By Jessica Jones,

Program Assistant - Youth

Family Nutrition Program

JUL 2020

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