New board for Cooperative Extension

On December 10, participants elected the 2003 slate of officers for the Board of Directors of Cornell Cooperative Extension Wayne County. They also voted to accept a new constitution. The constitution, as required by state law, provides the cornerstone of the agreement of operations between the United States Department of Agriculture, New York State, Cornell University and Wayne County Board of Supervisors.

The 11 at-large members for the Board of Directors for 2003:

• Mike Garlock of Sodus,
• Jackie Schmeer - Macedon,
• Barbara Shipley - North Rose,
• Gerald Friends - Wolcott,
• Barry Myers - Sodus,
• Chris Thayer - Newark,
• James Johnson - Lyons,
• Mike Madison - Sodus,
• Dan DeMarree - Sodus,
• and Tim Kurek - Palmyra.

There is one vacancy. The board will elect officers January 28, 2003.

Each of the professional education staff also gave yearly program reports: Maggie McHugh, Senior Resource Educator for Nutrition and Health, highlighted the successful 'Eat Smart New York' nutrition education program that reaches more than 3500 Wayne County residents each year to improve nutritious eating habits.

A new focus this year is educational workshops for diabetics. Mary Lee Bourbeau, Resource Educator for Family and Consumer Science, highlighted the Family Budget Counselor program that just completed training of 15 volunteers that can work with the public to increase savings, decrease spending and work to improve their general family budget spending habits.

Bob Eller, Resource Educator for Commercial and Consumer Horticulture, highlighted the large-scale compost project, where livestock, community waste districts, and landscapers are combining resources to reduce the public waste stream and utilize compost in landscaping businesses.

Steve Billings, Team Coordinator for 4-H and Youth Development, highlighted the teen leadership programs building youth capacity for involvement in their local communities.

In 2002, the 100th anniversary of National 4-H, Wayne County kids donated more than 1000 hours of community service across the county. More than 2600 youths participated in 4-H activities this past year.

Elizabeth Claypoole, Executive Director and Agriculture Issue Leader, highlighted the regional agriculture programs available through Wayne County. There are 13 specialists that work in all areas of agriculture and work with local farm owners and employees to improve practices for increasing profit as well as protecting the environment. One such program, Integrated Pest Management Teams, works with small groups of farms and shows them how to search crop fields for pests that can damage the crop. This year, one participant eliminated a whole application of chemical spray and saved the farm more than $5000, as well as reduced unneeded chemical usage.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Wayne County enables people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships that put experience and research knowledge to work.

If you would like a copy of the annual report and the new constitution, call 331.8415.

top of page

Copyright © 2002
Courier-Gazette, 613 S. Main St. Newark, N.Y. 14513 - 315-331-1000
All Rights Reserved