October 2007
Volume 45 Number 5

Ideas at Work

Engagement in English Language Learner (ELL) Latino, Hmong, and Somali Communities

Debby Newman
Program Coordinator
dlnewman@umn.edu

Pa Nhia Yang
Graduate Student
pnyang@umn.edu

Extension INFO-U Program
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota

Introduction

Changing demographics give Extension opportunities to serve new audiences, including non-English speakers. The 2000 Census shows that 47 million people over 5 do not speak English at home (Census 2000). Between 23% and 37% of students in Minnesota's two largest cities don't speak English as their first language at home (MN Department of Education, 2005). This high English Language Learner population (ELL) prompted the University of Minnesota Extension INFO-U program to provide community, family, and environment information through pre-recorded, multiple-language phone messages.

Congruent with national trends, Spanish is Minnesota's dominant non-English language. Hence, INFO-U partnered first with Hispanic/Latinos. Whereas nationally Chinese is the next most prevalent language, Minnesota has many Hmong and Somali immigrants (Census.gov, 2003). In 2001, the Dean provided a $150,000 grant to bring INFO-U content to Minnesota's top three ELL communities. The Center for Urban and Rural Affairs (CURA) funded students' community engagement activities.

Addressing critical issues by developing interpersonal relationships between students, staff, and communities is documented by CURA (Robillos, 2001), Robert Bringle, Julie Hatcher (Bringle & Hatcher, 2002), and others (Hassel, 2005; Guion, 2004). Similarly, INFO-U's Community engagement through interactions with students who shared cultural characteristics of communities added depth to the grant's goal of providing usable, inexpensive, and reliable resources for new audiences. By hiring bi-lingual Hmong, Hispanic/Latino, and Somali students, Extension gained cultural understanding for future programs. By helping to develop culturally appropriate materials, students built trust with audiences. Finally, student engagement increased and sustained interest in Extension throughout the project's duration.

Community Engagement

The coordinator used referrals from educators to contact leaders within the communities and people who served these populations. Task forces were formed. Hmong and Hispanic/Latino meetings were held at Extension offices, whereas the Somali group chose to meet at Somali community centers. Groups discussed INFO-U's 600 topics and chose topics for their communities. New topics, such as Immigration and Preparing for Winter, were added. Participants listened to messages for cultural appropriateness, and we made changes before translating them.

Task groups and the university's multicultural student centers referred students to the coordinator. She interviewed and hired community program assistants to work in their communities up to 20 hours a week. For one third of their hours, they translated documents, wrote reports, and conducted focus groups. For the balance, they visited community sites and participated in community events. Most outreach was conducted in the St. Paul/Minneapolis metropolitan area. Each student spent 1 to 4 days in greater Minnesota. Each visited 20-25 sites a week, emphasizing that the services were:

• Free


• Available 24-hours a day on the phone or via the Internet


• Available in four languages (English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali).

From 2001 to 2005, the students and coordinator visited approximately 800 agencies to promote Extension programs and offer hands-on demonstration of how to use INFO-U.

Focus Groups

Students worked with respected agencies and Extension workers to recruit focus group participants. Twenty groups were conducted by the trained students in the language that the community spoke. The students played 60 Spanish, 39 Hmong, and 34 Somali messages about food, health, education, parenting, community, money, and housing. Groups heard four to six topics and evaluated them. They responded to questions:

• Is the speaker's voice clear with good volume? (Yes/No comment)


• Do you understand the information? (Yes/No comment)


• Is it helpful? (Yes/No comment)


• Will you call to learn additional information? (Yes/No)


• Are there additional topics that you would like? (Comment)

Participants received $25 gift certificates to local stores.

There were 111 focus group participants. In respect to cultures, most groups were segmented by gender (Detzner, Senyurekli, Yang, & Sheikh, 2005). For Spanish, nine groups were conducted and 51 participants. Groups ranged from low-income, rural women, to women over 40 who had been here several years, to young adults in the U.S. less than 6 months, to professionals who spoke Spanish as their first language. In all groups, Immigration, Where to Get Medical Services, and Employment emerged as most needed topics.

There were seven Hmong groups and 40 participants. They included women between 25-45, teens, and a group of men and women who had lived in the U.S. less than one year. Many participants were interested in Parenting and Education, and wanted more information on how to parent the American way but still maintain Hmong traditions. New refugees were interested in Renter's Rights.

There were four Somali groups and 20 participants. They ranged from leaders, to elderly men, to women and young mothers. Women were more interested than men in Parenting and requested information about raising Teenagers in the U.S. Somalis had high interest in Immigration, Housing, and Nutrition (Newman & Smith, 2003).

Content Delivery

The coordinator responded to requests, like revoicing Breastfeeding with a female speaker in Spanish, improving sound quality, and adding topics. Figure one shows a revision that starts in familiar ground for cross-cultural audiences.

Once content additions and revisions were complete, bilingual brochures--with graphics to help readers navigate--were produced. The brochures explained how to use INFO-U. One four-language brochure was produced. The students brought brochures to government offices, non-profit organizations, libraries, schools, and health clinics.

Because some people were not functionally literate in their own language, Spanish and Somali CDs were produced. CDs were public service announcements and paid ads on non-English radio. Production and airtime costs were significant compared to print materials, without increasing numbers of callers. Therefore, Hmong CDs weren't produced. Bilingual releases were sent to newspapers in all communities.

Finally, the students and coordinator brought displays to community events. Whenever possible, displays were staffed. Students responded to many questions and made referrals to other U of M programs. Thus, events were gateways to other programs.

Summary

From 2000 to 2005, students, professors, Extension professionals, and outside collaborators produced 120 culturally appropriate phone messages and Web documents. INFO-U processed 8,750 non-English calls and experienced an estimated 100,000 Web visits. Results are applicable to others considering ELL engagement.

• Most people appreciated information in their language.


• Daily living topics like housing, immigration, nutrition, and parenting garnered high interest in all communities.


• Professionals who worked in the communities were enthusiastic about content, because it was culturally sensitive.


• Community engagement and promotion resulted in more calls (Figure 2).

Figure 2.
Hours of Engagement Compared to Number of Calls

Quantitative data was congruent with focus group findings (Figure 3). Latinos verbalized the highest interest in using INFO-U, and they had the most calls. They produced 6,200 calls, which is equivalent to 4% of the MN's Latino population. There were 1,800 Somali calls, about 14% of Minnesota's Somalis (Census 2000). The Hmong indicated the least interest in an automated system, and they produced 750 calls, just 2% of Minnesota's Hmong population (MN State Demographic Center, 2006).

Figure 3.
Total Hours of Engagement in Target Communities vs. Number of Requests for Information 2000-2005

During the introductory year there were three calls per contact hour. Once people were familiar with INFO-U, calls per student-contact hour rose to five in 2003 and to eight in 2005. Perhaps the increase occurred because later visits were repeat visits or reminders that INFO-U was still present. It's assumed some people called more than once. As time moved on and funding decreased, contact hours decreased along with the number of calls. When participants became more versed in English, they may have migrated to the Web, similar to their English speaking counter parts, as indicated by data analysis of INFO-U's Web visits in a separate report (Newman, 2007).

Based on INFO-U's experiences, suggestions for others who plan to work in ELL communities include:

• Hire people from these communities.


• Develop partnerships with stakeholders.


• Assess the needs of the intended audiences with advisory and focus groups.


• Adapt Extension materials so that they are culturally appropriate.


• Stay engaged in the community for longer-term effects.


• Speak the community's language.

References

Bringle, R. D., & Hatcher, J. (2002). Campus-community partnerships: The terms of engagement. Journal of Social Sciences [On-line], 58 (3). Pp 503-516. Available at: http://www.spssi.org/jsi.html

Detzner, D., Senyurekli, A., Yang, P., & Sheikh, K. (2005 November). Immigrant family strengths: A qualitative study of Somali and Hmong families. Paper presented at the 67th Annual National Council on Family Relations Conference, Phoenix, AZ.

Guion, L., Chattaraj S., & Lytle, S. (2004). Strengthening programs to reach diverse audiences: A curriculum to planning and implementing Extension programs for ethnically diverse audiences. Journal of Extension [On-line], 42(1). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2004february/tt7.shtml

Hassel, C. A. (2005). The craft of cross cultural engagement. Journal of Extension [On-line], 43(6). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2005december/ent-a.shtml

Minnesota Department of Education (2005). Academic excellence: School report card. [On-line].Available at: http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/

Minnesota State Demographic Center. (2005). Minnesota population projections by race and Hispanic origin 2000-2030. [On-line]. Available at: http://www.demography.state.mn.us/DownloadFiles/PopulationProjectionsRaceHispanicOrigin.pdf

Newman, D. (2007). INFO-U Web statistics comparison 2000 to 2005/2006 (unpublished). Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota.

Newman, D., & Smith, F. W. (2003). Project update: Bringing INFO-U to new audiences. CURA Reporter, 33 (23). Available at: http://www.cura.umn.edu/reporter/03-Summ/INFO-U.pdf

Robillos, M.U. (2001). Somali community needs assessment project. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota. CURA Reporter, 01 (4). Available at: http://www.cura.umn.edu/publications/Robillos_Somali.pdf

US Census (2003). Language use and English speaking ability 2000. (2003). [On-line], Article CKBR-29. Available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-29.pdf

Re-Designing a Master Gardener Training Program to Meet the Changing Needs of Volunteers and Cooperative Extension

Lee Young
County Extension Director and Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Washington County
Washington, Pennsylvania
ljs32@psu.edu

Background:

The Master Gardener program was begun in 1972 in Seattle, Washington, to develop knowledgeable volunteers to support Cooperative Extension's educational programs in consumer horticulture. In Pennsylvania, the first Master Gardeners completed their training in 1982, and counties across the Commonwealth adopted the program during the 1980s and early 1990s (Nuss & Bilik, 2001).

A traditional Master Gardener training program was conducted, relatively unchanged, from 1992 until 2004 in three counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The training consisted of between 17 and 22 weekday evening lecture sessions over the fall and winter. The Extension educator was present at nearly all sessions. Trainings were held at one location that required most people to travel a significant distance at night, sometimes through poor weather conditions.

Although the training program produced many productive and committed Master Gardeners, it also suffered from a poor retention rate, with participants dropping out before the end of the training and often fewer than half finishing their required volunteer hours in their first year. Most participants were employed full-time and could not volunteer during the day. The three county Extension offices served by the training program encountered a consistent problem of Master Gardeners not being available during weekdays to cover "garden line" phone calls, a traditional Master Gardener activity.

In 2004, a number of economic and budgetary factors converged, forcing changes in the training program. The Extension educator in charge of the program retired, and state budget constraints precluded filling the position. During the same time period, Penn State Cooperative Extension adopted a policy of cost recovery and alternative revenue generation to address budget shortfalls. Master Gardener programs were expected to move toward financial sustainability. Large increases in gasoline prices resulted in Extension staff and potential program participants curtailing unnecessary travel, such as numerous training sessions requiring significant driving distances.

I took on the three-county Master Gardener training program. It was agreed that the program would be re-designed to meet the changing needs of both Cooperative Extension and of program participants.

Methods to Meet Changing Needs:

The new training consisted of three mandatory sessions: 2-day-long Fridays and a half-day on a Saturday, and a series of optional sessions. During the mandatory sessions, 20 hours of core topics were taught by Extension staff, guest speakers, and a Master Gardener Coordinator. Interactive, engaging teaching methods were used to build participants' skills, develop participants' identity as Master Gardeners, foster working relationships, and gain horticultural knowledge.

Teaching methods included the use of group problem-solving sessions; hands-on practice of skills such as teaching, plant and pest identification, and effective internet searching; competitive games; and role-playing using a decision case (Jutila & Meyer, 2005). Interspersing these interactive methods with lectures and discussion allowed instructors and participants to remain focused, efficiently build skills, and maintain interest during all-day sessions without feeling overwhelmed or bored.

Trainees were given a choice of ways to fulfill the remaining 10 training hours. A series of evening workshops, taught by current Master Gardeners or guest instructors, was offered to trainees, as well as to the general public and to current Master Gardeners to fulfill advanced training requirements. Trainees could attend a local Extension gardening seminar, and on-site pruning workshops were held for trainees at two locations.

Trainees could also choose to complete two distance-education modules. The first guided participants to several Web sites that reinforced basic concepts of botany, soils, and gardening education. For the second, participants were given a CD with a PowerPoint presentation on wildlife, and guided to several web sites for further information on wildlife/garden interactions. Both modules included a set of open-ended study questions, with participants e-mailing their responses to me for review.

In the re-designed training program that ran from September through March, trainees attended a maximum of 10 sessions. Two sessions were conducted without an Extension educator needing to be present. Session locations were scattered throughout the three counties, so participants could choose based on travel distance as well as topic. Travel miles decreased for all involved, and carpooling to sessions was common. Integrating program offerings across three audiences--Master Gardener trainees, general gardening public, and current Master Gardeners--made more efficient use of Extension staff time and provided more opportunity for current Master Gardeners to teach.

The fee for the training program increased from $65 to $200, with a $50 refund for those who complete the training and 50 volunteer hours during the first year. A $10 fee per evening workshop was also charged to the general public. Through these fees, sufficient funds were generated to cover program costs as well as the Coordinator's hourly wages devoted to the training.

Results

• With assistance from the Master Gardener Coordinator and other Master Gardeners, I was able to add the training to an already full set of program responsibilities through efficient use of time and travel.


• All participants finished the training, although class enrollment was lower during the first year.


• Over half of the class members are available to do volunteer work during weekdays because they are retired, self-employed, or employed part-time. The flexible schedule, with fewer evening meetings, may have made the training program more attractive to retired persons.


• Sixty-two percent of the trainees took advantage of the offerings by participating in more than the required training hours. Eighty percent participated in the distance-education sessions, even those who did not have computers in their homes.


• Trainees had a positive experience in using distance education techniques with this audience. One participant's writing assignment from a distance-education module was used as a Master Gardener newsletter article. We plan to develop this further in the future through video-teleconferencing units and other web-based computer software.

References:

Nuss, J. R., & Bilik A. (2001). The Penn State Master Gardener Manual. Penn State University, University Park, PA.

Julita, S. G., & Meyer, M. H. (2005). Sam's dilemma: A decision case for training horticultural workers. HortTechnology 15(3).

Land Use and Health: What Role for Extension?

Ellen M. Bassett
Assistant Professor
Urban and Regional Planning Program
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
basset10@msu.edu

Michelle Reardon
Extension Land Policy Educator
Tri-County Region
Lansing, Michigan
reardon9@msu.edu

Introduction

An emerging body of research has begun to relate adverse health outcomes to the way we design and build our communities (e.g., Frumkin, 2003; Jackson, 2003). Most prominently, urban sprawl has been correlated with lower levels of physical activity, higher levels of obesity, and the increased prevalence of chronic diseases (e.g., Ewing, Schmid et al., 2003). Less publicized land use and health connections include increased levels of asthma due to deteriorating air quality, increased exposure to waterborne pathogens due to impacted surface waters, and the markedly worse health status of central city residents associated with concentrated poverty (Young, Miller et al., 1998; Frumkin, 2002).

One challenge is determining how to integrate health concerns into planning and development processes (Corburn, 2004). The public health and urban planning literatures have identified ways to bridge this gap. Public health practitioners want public health involved in land use decision-making processes, including scrutinizing the health impacts of projects and policies (Northridge & Sclar, 2003). Public health practitioners also see opportunities for changing land use regulations to take health into account, for instance in the siting of fast food restaurants (Ashe, Jernigan et al., 2003). Planners see potential for addressing health through transportation planning by building communities supportive of walking and bicycling (Handy, Boarnet et al., 2002).

One potential resource that has not been discussed is Extension. Altering development patterns, facilitating transportation options, and broadening understanding of land use impacts are not technocratic exercises. Progress on such issues requires community-based education, on-going technical assistance in land use and design, and inter-agency and inter-community cooperation that have long been the realm of Extension. This article presents an overview of a multi-agency collaboration occurring in the tri-county region encompassing Lansing, Michigan.

The Land Use and Health Resource Team

Begun in 2003, the Land Use and Health Resource Team (LUHRT) is comprised of persons from Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, the Ingham and Clinton County Public Health Departments, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, MSU researchers, planning agencies, environmental organizations, pedestrian/bicycle advocates, and developers. The LUHRT formed with the goal of integrating health into local planning and decision-making. To do so, the LUHRT has a four-pronged strategy: 1) communication, 2) applied research, 3) outreach/education, and 4) technical assistance.

The communication strategy is simple: participants hold monthly meetings hosted by a health department and chaired by the director of the regional planning commission. Initial meetings were information exchanges; they have evolved into work planning sessions with specific tasks and outputs.

The second strategy has been to conduct applied research to better understand local land use and health relationships. Health data on physical activity, safety, early death, and air and water quality were brought together with GIS-based land use data to provide a snapshot of land use-health relationships. Findings include lower levels of physical activity in rural areas, pedestrian fatality rates twice the Surgeon General's 2010 target, and higher years of potential life lost (i.e., poorer health) in the Lansing's urban core. An accessible publication was prepared and disseminated (Capital Area Land Use and Health Resource Team, 2005).

Extension's leadership has been critical in formulating education/outreach actions. In early 2006, a half-day conference convening local leaders, planners, developers, and public health was held. The conference disseminated information on the health-land use connection, demonstrated local best practices, and asked participants to identify areas for action. Participants spoke of the need to expose planning commissioners to research findings regarding community design and health, as well the need for accessible and appropriate health data for planning processes. Other concerns such as ensuring access to healthy foods, facilitating compact development to enhance water quality, and remediating brownfields were identified as subjects important to the communities represented.

The technical assistance strategy focuses on overcoming information gaps. With assistance from MSU's Center for Remote Sensing and GIS services, the LUHRT has developed a GIS-based tool to assist planners in examining potential health impacts prior to development. The health impacts tool uses a user-friendly and affordable GIS interface known as the "Michigan MapImage Viewer" appropriate to local governments without professional planning staff (Figure 1). The tool is based on a checklist disseminated by the National Association of County and City Health Officials and is intended for use during site plan review, which is when a developer comes before a local planning board. The GIS interface enables officials to evaluate site plans in relation to health objectives such as enhancing physical activity, improving water quality, and ensuring access to grocery stores, recreational facilities, and open space.

Figure 1.
Site Plan Review Tool Interface

The LUHRT: Next Steps

The LUHRT is poised to implement a recently developed action plan for community education/outreach and technical assistance. To accomplish this, university Extension is crucial. Most partners in the LUHRT committee are place-bound--working with their particular county, local government, university department, or constituents. Extension was recognized as the appropriate actor to cross jurisdictions, agencies, and even disciplinary bounds.

A land policy educator with an interest in health and planning has been recruited by Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties to work with the regional planning commission and county public health. Community outreach, particularly to planning commissions and leaders, is a priority. The educator is spearheading further work on health impacts, including test applications of the GIS tool. To that end, she has already presented the tool at state and national planning conferences.

Conclusion

Judging from the reception of the LUHRT, land use and health is a subject in which Extension's strengths can be put to good use and its value added proven to a wider audience. Due to its expertise in community mobilization, community-based education, and translating research into practice, Extension is well placed to "bridge the gap" and bring this emerging knowledge-base and innovative practices to increasingly motivated communities.

Take a fundamental first step: call a meeting to initiate dialogue between planners, public health, and local interest groups like walking/biking coalitions, Safe Routes to School committees, neighborhood associations, gardening groups, etc. If the Michigan experience is representative, the response will be positive, and Extension's leadership will be more than welcome.

References

Ashe, M., Jernigan, D. et al. (2003). Land use planning and the control of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and fast food restaurants. American Journal of Public Health 93(9): 1404-1408.

Capital Area Land Use and Health Resource Team (2005). Our environment, our health: Capital Area Land Use and Health Resource Team regional update. Lansing, MI, Ingham County Health Department.

Corburn, J. (2004). Confronting the challenges in reconnecting urban planning and public health. American Journal of Public Health 94(4): 541-545.

Ewing, R., Schmid, T. L. et al. (2003). Relationship between urban sprawl and physical activity, obesity and morbidity. American Journal of Health Promotion 18(1): 47-57.

Frumkin, H. (2002). Urban sprawl and public health. Public Health Reports 117: 201-217.

Frumkin, H. (2003). Healthy places: Exploring the evidence. American Journal of Public Health 93(9): 1451-1456.

Handy, S. L., Boarnet, M. G. et al. (2002). How the built environment affects physical activity: Views from urban planning. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 23(2S): 64-73.

Jackson, R. J. (2003). The impact of the built environment on health: An emerging field. American Journal of Public Health 93(9): 1382-1384.

Northridge, M. E., & Sclar, E. (2003). A joint urban planning and public health framework: Contributions to health impact assessment. American Journal of Public Health 93(1): 118-121.

Young, D. R., Miller, K. et al. (1998). Physical activity patterns of urban African Americans. Journal of Community Health 23(2): 99.

Creating a 4-H Technology Camp for Middle School Youth

Virginia D. Bourdeau
Associate Professor and Extension 4-H Specialist
Oregon State University
Salem, Oregon
mombear@proaxis.com

Erin Taylor
Assistant Professor
4-H Youth Business Information Technology
Jackson County Extension
Central Point, Oregon
erin.taylor@oregonstate.edu

Oregon State University Extension Service

Background

In January 2006 an eclectic group convened for a 4-H Technology Summit on the Oregon State University (OSU) campus. Participants came from the College of Education, the Department of 4-H Youth Development, Crop and Soil Science, and Chemical Engineering, and there was a mix of non-profit education and for profit corporate partners. From one round table discussion between interested partners, 4-H Totally Technology Middle School summer camp emerged!

The 2003 U.S. Department of Education's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showed the following: No measurable changes were detected in the average mathematics and science scores of U.S. fourth-graders between 1995 and 2003. Moreover, the available data suggest that the performance of U.S. fourth-graders in both mathematics and science was lower in 2003 than in 1995 relative to the 14 other countries that participated in both studies.

The fourth graders in the 2003 TIMSS report are now entering middle school. Could a technology education program, in a camp setting, build skills and motivate learners to consider further education and careers in a technology field?

Program Design

Our vision was to have real scientists and professionals volunteer their time to come to the Oregon 4-H Center, 50 miles from the OSU campus, for multiple days to instruct small groups of middle school campers. The 4-H Totally Technology camp program was designed to meet the unique developmental needs of middle school youth and offer an education program very different from traditional 4-H camp.

All classes, called "Tech Topics," were taught by OSU faculty or by professionals from the local community. Campers indicated their choices of Tech Topics on the registration form. Eight Tech Topics were offered. In Electrical Engineering, campers made LED lighted picture frames. Forensic Science included fingerprints at a "crime scene" and working with search and rescue cadaver dogs. The GIS/GPS class included map and compass skills. In Kitchen Science, learners explored chemistry and assisted with meals. Medical Technology demonstrated prosthetics design and the inner workings of an ambulance. In Radical Robotics, learners built a "Bot" to compete in a maze challenge. In Rockets, they calculated the distance rockets could travel with differing fuels and payload weights. Learners in Video Production documented everything.

Beyond the educational focus on technology, we kept many aspects of a traditional 4-H camp. Campers selected their afternoon recreations, had responsibility for chores, made crafts, participated in cabin group activities, sang songs, performed skits, and made snacks around the camp fire.

Outputs and Outcomes

Thirty-one campers came to camp from 14 of Oregon's 36 counties. There were 11 female and 20 male campers. Eleven campers were entering grade 6, 12 entering grade 7, and 7 entering grade 8, and 1 was unreported.

Tech Topics were offered 4 camp days. Campers attended one Tech Topic each day, with 2 hours of instruction in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. Class size was kept small; no class had more than 12 campers, Kitchen Science was limited to four campers.

Campers were asked to complete an evaluation at the end of each Tech Topic class and also a post camp evaluation on the last day of camp. A retrospective pre-test methodology was used on the Tech Topic evaluations (Pratt, McGuigan, & Katsev, 2000). Campers were asked to rate how much they knew about the Tech Topics before and after the class. A 1-5 point scale was used, with 1 being "Nothing" and 5 being "A lot!" (Figure 1).

Figure 1.
Camper Knowledge Before and After Tech Topics

Campers were also asked to respond to statements about each of their Tech Topic classes. These statements were rated on a 1 - 5 scale, with 1 being "Strongly Disagree" and 5 being "Strongly Agree." Figure 2 shows a comparison of responses to the questions "I liked this Tech Topic class," "I want to learn more about this Tech Topic after camp," and "I would like to have a job doing things I learned about in this class." Campers generally liked their classes and were interested in learning more about the topic, but were less interested in getting a job that involved the topic.

Figure 2.
Comparison of Camper's Attitude Responses for Tech Topics

The quality of counselors and staff contributed to creating a positive overall camp experience for campers. In the post-camp evaluation, campers were asked to rate their experience on a three-point scale, with 1 meaning "None of the Time," 2 meaning "Most of the time," and 3 meaning "All of the Time." Table 3 shows the combined average responses for the camp experience questions.

Conclusion

4-H can fill the education gap between school, parents, and communities by harnessing the university's resources to provide non-traditional programs that meet the shift in the educational needs and interests of youth (Schlink, 2000). University and community volunteers joined the vision of providing middle school youth with in-depth science and technology experiences. They planned classes, hauled in (and out) vanloads of equipment, and gave their time.

The small classes and engaged instructors led to positive camper knowledge gains. Campers indicated they were interested in learning more about each subject after camp, but were less interested in a career path in one of the technology fields. We can speculate that additional exposure to a subject might increase understanding and eventually lead to youth selecting science and technology high school and college courses and careers. A longer-term follow-up would be required to document this.

On the post-camp evaluation, campers were asked if they'd like to come to this camp again. Ninety percent "Strongly agreed" and 10% "Agreed" that they would like to come to 4-H Totally Technology Camp again in 2007.

References

Pratt, C. C., McGuigan, W. M., & Katsev, A. R. (2000). Measuring program outcomes: Using retrospective methodology, The American Journal of Evaluation, 21(3), 341-349.

Schlink, K. (2000). Addressing educational needs of youth in today's society. Journal of Extension [On-line], 38(4). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2000august/comm1.html

Thurber, C. (2006). The digital umbilical: How clear missions guide electronic technology policies. Camping Magazine January/February, 44-51.

U.S Department of Education (2003). Trends in international mathematics and science study. National Center for Education Statistics. Available at: http://nces.ed.gov/timss

Rapid Delivery of Regional Pest Alerts Using an Interactive Internet Site

Jerry D. Neufeld
Professor and Extension Educator, Canyon County
University of Idaho
Caldwell, Idaho
jneufeld@uidaho.edu

Steve J. Reddy
Extension Educator
University of Idaho
Weiser, Idaho
sreddy@uidaho.edu

Jeffrey S. Miller
Extension Specialist
University of Idaho
Aberdeen, Idaho
jsmiller@uidaho.edu

Cedric A. Shock
Research Aide
Oregon State University
Ontario, Oregon
clinton.shock@oregonstate.edu

Lynn Jensen
Extension Specialist
Oregon State University
Ontario, Oregon
lynn.jensen@oregonstate.edu

Nora L. Olsen
Extension Specialist
University of Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho
nolsen@uidaho.edu

William Bohl
Extension Educator for Potatoes
University of Idaho
Blackfoot, Idaho
wbohl@uidaho.edu

Bryan Hopkins
Extension Specialist
University of Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho
bhopkins@uidaho.edu

Clinton C. Shock
Professor and Superintendent
Oregon State University
Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, Oregon
clinton.shock@oregonstate.edu

Introduction

One of the largest contiguous irrigated agricultural production regions in the Pacific Northwest is the Treasure Valley of southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. This valley supports the production, processing, and marketing of many crops. The farm gate value of crop production in the Treasure Valley is approximately $772 million annually. Adding the value of farm gate potato sales from all of Idaho to the total crop production sales in the Treasure Valley totals to over 1.33 billion dollars annually.

Delivery of timely crop production information to growers and field representatives in the Treasure Valley is difficult because of distinct geographical divisions, political boundaries, and the wide diversity of crops and cropping systems. Although effective newsletters are published regularly by Extension educators for onions, potatoes, forage seeds, and other crops, growers and field representatives did not previously have timely access to pest outbreak information (pest means insects, diseases, or any other agent adversely affecting crops).

It is impossible for industry field representatives or Extension educators to have knowledge of all the pest conditions that exist over all the crops produced throughout this area. Therefore, the objective of this Extension program was to create an Internet Web site whereby growers, field representatives, and university personnel could rapidly disseminate information to the production agriculture community regarding pest outbreaks.

Beginning in the 1990's, Internet Web sites and email distribution lists were seen as tools that could be used by Extension faculty to disseminate information about agricultural pests. Web sites like the North Central Integrated Pest Management Center <http://ncipmc.org/index.cfm> contain a great deal of production information about crops and a list of pest alerts. However, you must actively seek the information to use it. Another Web site, <http://www.sripm.org/virginia/> uses a process whereby pest updates are compiled and distributed via email on a weekly basis (Malone, Herbert, & Kuhar, 2005). Again, users must actively access the Web site to get pest information or wait for the weekly email to see if information of interest has been posted.

Educational Program

TVPestAlert.net was designed to be a passive system (very little effort required by the user) informing the user about pest outbreaks immediately as information becomes available. The desired outcome of this effort was to increase communication and provide educational information to growers and field representatives for managing pests. The success of TVPestAlert.net was such that crop producers across southern Idaho asked for the service to be expanded to their regions. The URL PNWPestAlert.net (for Pacific Northwest) was added to the site in 2004 to encourage subscribers from outside the Treasure Valley to join. TV/PNWPestAlert.net is a collaborative effort between Extension educators, specialists, and researchers at the University of Idaho and Oregon State University (hereafter referred to as the "administrative team").

New Web site users subscribe to TV/PNWPestAlert.net without cost by choosing the "Join Mail Lists" feature on the home page. New users enter their name and email address and then select crops of interest to them. Subscribers are automatically sent email notices whenever alerts have been posted concerning crops they have chosen. Only then do they need to visit the Web site.

The pest alert process begins when a message about a pest is received by either telephone, facsimile, or email at the Idaho or Oregon Cooperative Extension office of an administrative team member. The message is then routed to the administrative team member responsible for the crop mentioned in the message. Next, the information contained in the message is verified, and, if needed, more information is gathered. Following verification, an alert is written and uploaded to the homepage of the Web site, and email notices are automatically generated and sent to the appropriate subscribers. Alerts are posted on an as needed basis, not on a calendar basis.

The software used for the TV/PNWPestalert Web site is a custom Web-based application written in the PHP programming language. The application utilizes the sendmail functions built into PHP. The program generates a list of email recipients from a back-end database store of user email addresses and preferences (e.g., location, crop selection) that utilizes the MySQL database engine. It uses the Web-server's mail-transfer software (Qmail) to distribute the emails to their end-points. To date, the authors are not aware of any problems with spam filters sending email alerts to "junk mail" folders. However, there is the possibility this could happen depending on the practices for identifying "junk mail" used by each Web site subscriber.

Each alert provides basic information on the pest and may provide short, concise pest management recommendations. For additional management information, the user is referred to reference pages that have been developed for that particular pest. Reference pages contain educational information such as the pest's common name, scientific name, life cycle, identification, and research-based control measures. Reference pages are updated annually by the administrative team to ensure the pages contain the latest management information and links to additional Web pages containing science-based information on pest management.

Alerts can confirm verified pest problems (Figure 1) or provide forecast information on anticipated pest problems (Figure 2). Confirmation alerts list the crop affected, the pest, the general location, and information about the pest problem. Forecasting alerts, based on growing degree-day models inform growers about pest problems that are predicted to occur in the near future.

Figure 1.
Alert Confirming a Pest Outbreak

Figure 2.
Alert Forecasting a Pest Outbreak

Results

During the 2001 growing season, there were 114 Web site subscribers and 5,899 Web site visits. By the end of 2006, there were 465 subscribers and nearly 31,000 Web site visits. Approximately 71% of the Web site's subscribers are either commodity growers or involved in the allied agricultural industry (Figure 3).

Figure 3.
Percentage of TV/PNWPestAlert.net Subscribers by Occupational Category

Following the 2003 growing season, the authors began distributing an annual electronic survey through the Web site. We ask subscribers to describe the impact the Web site has had on their pest management decisions. On average, 10.6% of Web site subscribers were able to reduce the number of sprays applied to their crops (Table 1). In addition, 54.0% of Web site subscribers increased their use of field scouting to document pest levels before implementing control measures. These evaluation numbers indicate TV/PNWPestAlert.net is increasing the number of growers in Idaho and Oregon who are employing IPM practices into their agricultural operations.

Conclusions

Timely awareness of pest outbreaks creates more opportunities for growers to explore the available resources available for pest control. From an environmental, worker safety, and production standpoint, TV/PNWPestAlert.net is creating more judicious use of crop protection chemicals. Overall, Web site subscribers are using more IPM practices, and pesticide stewardship is being enhanced by the implementation of this project.

References

Malone, S., Herbert, D. A., & Kuhar, T. (2005). An online survey process for assessing impact of an email-delivered pest advisory. Journal of Extension [Online], 43(5) Article 5RIB2. Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2005october/rb2.shtml

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