Valley County extension and community programs expand trainings, local-food and pollinator work

Valley County community and extension staff told commissioners on March 10 about a slate of outreach, training and local-food initiatives aimed at conservation, workforce and public education.

Director Hamilton reported that regional communication efforts organized by the Community Educators Alliance are entering a fifth year and continue to help onboard new local partners. She described a scheduled "chef talk" at Pika Bakery to explore links between restaurants and local farms; the session will be recorded for a Food Coalition podcast series. Hamilton also described a pollinator-education series for sixth graders in partnership with master gardeners, a farm-planning class, a victory-garden series and a proposed chainsaw-safety class for homeowners.

Hamilton said she is bringing a SEAP (stormwater and erosion control) two-day certification course to the county in May in partnership with Valley Soil and Water and that the class could offer pesticide-recertification credits to increase local participation. "Multiple positive adult interactions, particularly those characterized by warmth, responsiveness [and] support, significantly contribute to a child's positive development and well-being," Hamilton told the board, framing prevention and education as upstream investments that reduce future social-service costs.

Staff emphasized practical, locally focused programming: targeted trainings for contractors, planners and public-works staff; a chainsaw-safety session for homeowners; and expanded outreach to help restaurants source local food. Hamilton said a recorded podcast and a flyer for the SEAP class would be published after final logistics are set.

Ending

Hamilton asked commissioners to support outreach and targeted marketing for the new trainings and agreed to circulate the SEAP course flyer and podcast details when available.