Michigan State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

Mission

Michigan State University helps people

improve their lives through an educational

process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and

opportunities.

Staff housed in

Contact Us

www.msue.msu.edu/

2011 Participation Numbers 4-H Children & Youth program ........................................................... ...... 1187 4-H Members (Traditional Club Enrollment) ................... 695 4-H Adult Volunteers ................................................................. 176 Short Term/Special Interest Participants ............................. 176 School Enrichment ...................................................................... 140 4-H Clubs ......................................................................................... 38 Agriculture & Agribusiness programs ..................................................... 1074

Greening Michigan programs ...................................................................... 1515

Health & Nutrition programs .................................................................... 2425

Safe Kids North Shore programs ............................................................... 7864

Total .................................................................................................... 14,065

Grand Traverse County

2011-2012 Annual Report

Message From the District Coordinator MSU Extension in Grand Traverse County continues to provide local educational

programming and impacts to meet Grand Traverse County and Michigan’s needs. Extension staff members have worked diligently to maintain programming and reach as many residents as possible each year. Educators and paraprofessionals have worked hard to supplement programs with creative and inventive ways of providing pro-gramming at reduced costs.

MSUE is striving to have specialized professional staff members in each area of the state who engage in multi-county collaborative efforts. Our goal is to reaffirm our commitment to providing educational programming that enhances and improves the overall quality of lives for residents in Grand Traverse County and across the state. As this report shows, we are delivering well in our new programmatic and administrative structure.

I am very pleased to provide you with this annual report which gives a “snapshot” of the many transformative educational programs and resources MSU Extension pro-vided in your community over the past year. As we look towards the future, I look for-ward to continuing the strong relationship with Grand Traverse County and through-out District 3.

Sincerely,

Patrick I Cudney, District 3 Coordinator

Michigan State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

Mission Michigan State

University helps people improve their lives

through an educational process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and

opportunities.

Staff housed in Grand Traverse County

Erwin ‘Duke’ Elsner Small Fruit & Viticulture

Jennifer Berkey Nutrition & Food Safety

Mark Breederland Michigan Sea Grant

John Amrhein Govt & Public Policy

Roxanne Johnson 4-H & Youth

Michelle Smith Health & Nutrition

Jennifer Ritter Safe Kids North Shore

Suzanne Rinckey Office Manager

Patricia Swanson Office Support

Jenny McKellar Office Support

Liz Durfee NOAA Fellow

Contact Us 520 W Front Street

Traverse City, MI 49684

(231) 922-4620 www.msue.msu.edu/

» Grand Traverse County 4-H — In 4-H, youth learn through opportunities in which they master life challenges, cultivate independence with guidance from caring adults, gain a sense of belonging within a positive group, and share a spirit of generosity with others. 4-H programs look to volunteers to help our young people learn the life skills they need to help them succeed in the 21st century while also having fun! In 2011, 176 adult volunteers and 695 youth aged 5-19 were involved in 43 4-H clubs, 4 of the clubs being brand new. Project areas included Animal Science, Archery, Arts & Crafts, Cook-ing, Gardening, Outdoor Adventure Challenge, Textile Arts, Robotics and more.

» 4-H Exploration Days — Exploration Days is a three day, two night event that takes place on Michigan State University’s campus each June. The youth and adults attending learn new life skills and explore career opportunities during the hands-on sessions they attend, all while living on campus during the event. In 2011, 8 youth and 7 adults attended this event.

» 4-H Science Blast — The purpose of a 4-H Science Blast is to expose youth to fun, hands-on science activities in an effort to increase science literacy and awareness. Approximately 175 youth participated in the activities held over two days during the Cherry Festival’s Cherry Connection event held at the MSU Horticultural Research Station.

» 4-H Food Booth — During the Northwestern Michigan Fair, approximately 105 youth and 56 adults volunteered for a shift in the Grand Traverse County 4-H Food Booth. Each year participants learn about customer service, entre-preneurship, money handling, food service and food safety. This fundraiser helps the 4-H Council pay for new curriculum, scholarships, volunteer recog-nition and more.

Volunteer Art Canfield gets help building a fence from one of his 4-H club youth members.

4-H Children & Youth Educational Programs 2

» 4-H Differently Abled Program — The Differently Abled program offers youth with special needs a way to feel empowered to showcase what they have learned through their 4-H experience in a non-competitive way that emphasiz-es their abilities rather than their disabilities. The program is run by volunteer advocates who work with the families from start to finish. In 2011, 12 youth from Grand Traverse County participated.

» National Cherry Festival - 4-H’s entry was more than a block long when over 250 members and volunteers from the area marched in the festival’s Chil-dren’s Parade! During the five-day Cherry Connection at the NW Michigan Hort Research Station, ten 4-H clubs brought their project animals and shared with the public what is involved in raising and caring for an animal.

» MSUE / 4-H Helps Teens Understand that Education Pays - Teens who know basic money management skills have an advantage over their peers. Students in the Upward Bound program at Northwestern Michigan College had that edge in life after participating in MSU Extension / 4-H-sponsored fi-nancial literacy classes last summer. Upward Bound is a college-prep program for high school students from limited-income families where neither parent graduated from college; the purpose of the program is to prepare the teens for a college education which increases their employment opportunities and earning potential. Thirty-eight students from Grand Traverse County studied the keys to being financially fit --- pay yourself first (save regularly), spend wisely, don’t incur debt. Topics included needs versus wants, budgeting, compound inter-est, credit and debit cards, credit score, investing and more. When asked what they will do differently as a result of their participation in the classes, 71% said they would start saving a portion of their income now and continue to save. Nearly 40% commented that they would create a budget and only spend money on what they actually need. Based on the positive response, MSU Extension 4-H was invited back during the winter to meet specifically with eleven seniors to review the concepts and role play financial situations they will likely en-counter once out on their own. These high school students understand that education pays for a lifetime.

4-H Children & Youth Educational Programs 3

Agriculture & Agribusiness Educational Programs

Supporting agriculture—Michigan’s second-largest industry—is key to a

brighter future. Michigan State University Extension works to increase farmers’

success while protecting the environment, ensuring food safety, reaching new

markets and advancing agriculture through applied research.

» Vineyard Sprayer Workshop – over twenty local growers were in attend-ance for this July 13 workshop, receiving hands-on training in the design, set-up and adjustment of spraying equipment to maximize pesticide use efficiency while reducing off-target spray deposition.

» Vineyard Research Plots – studies at the Northwest Michigan Horticul-tural Research Station generated valuable information on the productivity and fruit quality of over twenty wine grape cultivars under northwest Michigan conditions. Novice growers and viticulture students gained experience in vineyard management by assisting with the maintenance and data collection in these plots.

» 2011 Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference — held in Grayling, MI on January 22, 2011. This attracts producers from across Michigan with over 700 in attendance.

» Canola Production Program — programs held February 14, 2011 in Bruce Township Hall in the Eastern UP and February 15th in Escanaba. The program helped canola production acres to continue to grow in northern Michigan.

» Saskatoon Grower Support – MSUE educators, working with campus specialists, assisted Saskatoon growers in the district through on-site visits to discuss management issues, conduct a variety trial at the NW Michigan Hor-ticultural Research Station, and provide pesticide recommendations.

4

Checking sprayer output and application

pattern

» New FARM Program—Participants of the program were actively involved in developing the program goals, planning the sessions and tours, and seeking funds for the program. These are tried-and-tested skills that translate into sustained future efforts. Now that this group has been working together over several years, they have learned how to target resources that fit their goals and interests. The program members also recognize the benefits of diverse funding, including support from local grant funders, to achieve their collective or re-gional goals. The best parts of the New FARM program, especially sessions/workshops/tours that show significant outcomes and impacts in reaching pro-gram goals, will be continued on an annual basis in the region by the program coordinators and their partners. The grantees and current project coordina-tors remain committed to the long-term goals of the New FARM program. Also, community support remains high for the New FARM program and its members. Media, local stakeholders, elected officials, and the public at-large have expressed an interest in future New FARM efforts. Members of the New FARM comprise a diverse subset of the farming community in North-west Michigan. As a result of the Rotary Charities funding, our New FARM members and thus agricultural interests in northwest Michigan are better po-sitioned to serve community needs. As this program focused on building lead-ership, communication, and problem-solving skills, the New FARM partici-pants possess an improved skill set to draw on for leadership positions on community boards, local and state offices to affect agricultural policy, for com-munication with media outlets, to facilitate on and off-farm controversies, and to take a more active role as community members.

» Evaluation at Tree Fruit IPM Updates results — Forty-three partici-pants out of 111 attendees completed surveys. All participants self-identified as growers except for one manager and one consultant. Respondents to the survey represented 15,055 acres of fruit production in Michigan, including tart cherry (10,232 acres), sweet cherry (2,609 acres), apple (2,011 acres), plum (10 acres), peach (37 acres), and winegrape (19 acres). The majority of the acreage is located in northwest Michigan with 43% of respondents managing acreage in Grand Traverse County, 31% in Leelanau County, 21% in Benzie County, 19% in Antrim County, 9% in Manistee; 1 respondent reported holdings in Van Buren County.

New FARM group travelling to New

Zeeland to experi-ence other forms

of farming

“While traveling to New

Zeeland we got to learn a lot about other forms of farming and other commodities. Since we are cherry farmers we have known a lot about the cherry industry, since this trip I got to know a lot more about the other industries in our own community such as grapes, wine, and hops as well as others. After being in this group, I have real-ized that there are things that can be done to help us make it in farming. I believe that we need more young people getting into farming for the love of it. I’ve seen this love in

our group as well as our family and business. Maybe now that the housing market has settled, more and more land will get back to farming or at least not losing much more.”

— New FARM participant

Agriculture & Agribusiness Educational Programs 5

Ninety-five percent of respondents reported scouting for insects and dis-eases to determine the need for a pesticide application. Seventy-two per-cent reported scouting for beneficial insects such as lacewings and preda-tory mites. Ninety-one percent use weather and biology based recommen-dation from MSU to determine the need for pesticide management. Based on MSU programming, content respondents reported that 51% utilize a safe mix/load pad to prevent soil and water contamination, 36% have closed a well on their property to prevent groundwater contamination, 45% have built new (or improved existing) pesticide storage facilities, 82% use air gaps to prevent groundwater contamination, and 74% use tree row volume to minimize the quantity of pesticides applied.

» HOPS—Growing appeal with specialty beers, and the desire for organic and locally sourced agricultural products have resulted in increasing interest in local hop production by farmers, brewers, and backyard enthusiasts through-out Michigan. Over the last 5,000 years, hops (Humulus lupulus L.) have been used for medicinal purposes, as a salad ingredient, as a sleep aid in pillows, and perhaps most importantly as an essential ingredient in beer production. The female flower “cones” of the hop plant contain lupulin glands with com-pounds important to the brewing process. These compounds, including alpha acids, beta acids, and essential oils, contribute to beer’s bitterness and aroma. Since hosting the first hop workshop in Michigan in 2008, MSU Extension has provided statewide leadership for hops-related education, outreach, and research. In August 2011, MSU Extension hosted its annual Northwest Michi-gan Summer Hops Tour– which was attended by over 75 people. In addition to providing outreach and education, MSUE conducts on-farm research to de-termine which varieties grow best in our unique climate as well as best man-agement practices. Our efforts and collaborations have resulted in develop-

Hops’ grower Dan

Wiesen and Dr. Rob Sirrine, MSU Educator, lead a group of 60 partici-pants near Empire, MI on growing hops in the Great Lakes Region.

Agriculture & Agribusiness Educational Programs 6

ment of a new agriculture industry in Michigan; the Grand Traverse Region leads the state in hops production and investment in hops picking and pro-cessing. There are currently over 100 acres of hops currently planted in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties and 3 functioning hop picking and processing operations .

» Home Horticulture Assistance—An average of 25-40 clients per week are assisted with questions related to home gardens, soil testing, and fertilizer recommendations. In the past year, the office has received a significant in-crease of questions on Emerald Ash Borer, which has become much more widespread in the region. Other common topics included fertilizer recom-mendations, advice on cleaning up trees after the March 2012 storm, rose chaf-ers, and starting a home garden.

» 2012 Green Garden Series—The Green Garden Series is a set of educa-tional programs designed for the backyard gardener utilizing environmentally sustainable garden practices. This was the fourth year this series was offered, with a total of nine classes (see below) hosted by MSU Extension. The clas-ses targeted backyard food production and were taught by Pam Schmidt Bardenhagen, MSUE Educators, and Master Gardener Volunteers. The pro-grams were attended by over 115 participants, and were well received, espe-cially by new and beginning gardeners!

April 21, Starting a Home Food Garden from Scratch April 21, Composting for the Home Gardener April 28, Open House at the Leelanau Community Garden May 3, Organic Vegetable Gardening May 5, Growing Heirlooms and Saving Seeds May 8, Growing Grapes in the Backyard May 12, Backyard Tree Fruit May 22, Culinary Herbs for the Backyard June 19, 101 Organic Pest & Weed Control for Home Gardeners

» Master Gardener Program—In 2011, 103 Master Gardener Volunteers contributed an astounding 4,030 hours of volunteer service in the three coun-ty region of Leelanau, Grand Traverse, and Benzie. Volunteers assisted and provided leadership to a variety of not-for-profit projects related to the fol-lowing five focus areas: environmental stewardship; food security and hunger;

Agriculture & Agribusiness Educational Programs 7

social (improving community); youth gardening; and supporting MSU Exten-sion county offices. Some of the notable projects in the past year include lead-ership work with: native plant gardens at the Leelanau County Government Center and Boardman River Nature Center; designing and installing a new garden along the TART trail; raising thousands of pounds of vegetables at community gardens in Leelanau (Leelanau Community Garden); Grand Trav-erse (Central Methodist Church) and Benzie Counties (Grow Benzie), donat-ed to area food pantries. Volunteers work to increase public awareness of key topics such as water quality and fertilizer use by staffing informational tables at events such as the Sleeping Bear Lakeshore Port Oneida Heritage Fair, Northwestern Michigan Fair, and Cherry Festival Cherry Connection. A number of volunteers also provided mentoring to adults and youth at school garden projects at a number of area schools. In 2011, the 12-week long, 40-hour Master Gardener Volunteer Training program was offered twice, once in the spring, and a second time in the fall. A total of 46 people were trained, most of whom are now actively volunteering in their communities. In 2012, due to changes being made within the Master Gardener program at the statewide level, no winter training was offered. However, MSUE-District 3 is currently one of eight locations in Michigan offering a Fall 2012 Master Gar-dener training class, and the only location north of Grand Rapids. This new class will be taught entirely by MSUE Consumer Horticultural Educators, and MSUE staff. Participants and instructors alike are looking forward to using the new, updated Master Gardener manual. Also new this year, the class has been expanded to provide 45 hours of instructional time and now includes sessions on Water Quality and Diagnostics. In 2013, plans are to offering the class in both the spring and fall.

» Ag Labor and Farm Safety—MSU Extension worked with the U.S. Citi-zenship and Immigration Services Department on making E-Verify training materials available for Agriculture Labor programs in Michigan. One meeting was held in the Grand Rapids area and one at the NW Michigan Hort Re-search Station. The program also included speakers from the Michigan Work-force Development Agency, ICE, Farm Bureau and a local labor attorney. After a morning session focusing on labor laws and labor availability, producers par-ticipated in a Farm Safety update in the afternoon (TC location only). Over 80 people attended the Grand Rapids session and 25 in Traverse City.

Agriculture & Agribusiness Educational Programs 8

Greening Michigan Educational Programs

MSU Extension has been focusing education efforts on community food systems,

financial, housing and energy resources, community prosperity and natural re-

sources appreciation and stewardship.

» Michigan Northern Counties Association—Bringing county commission-ers together from 33 counties in northern lower Michigan to learn about issues important to county government, and to share information and learn from the experiences of others has long been the goal of the Michigan Northern Counties Association (MNCA). Recent topics include: law enforcement, state revenue sharing history and changes, community mental health, substance abuse and the impacts of these issues on county government services. Current discussions are focused on shared services. Monthly meetings are coordinated by MSU Ex-tension Government & Public Policy Educator John Amrhein, and also include a legislative update from the Michigan Association of Counties.

» Michigan Firewise Communities Project is a collaborative effort between MSU Extension and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), funded primarily by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Forest Service grants. Extension educator Elaine Bush provides leadership for the pro-gram statewide.

» The Grand Traverse Regional Market Initiative—MSU Extension is chair of the Grand Traverse Regional Market Initiative. The Grand Traverse Regional Market (GTRM) Initiative seeks to redevelop Building 58, the 55,000 sq. ft. former commissary of the Northern Michigan Asylum, into a regional food hub providing a central location for agriculture production, aggregation, value-added processing, packaging, storage and distribution. Located at the Grand Traverse Village Commons, an historic mixed-use redevelopment, Build-ing 58 had 3 kitchens, 28 walk-in refrigerators and freezers, 24,000 sq. ft. of dry storage and office space, and served 3,500 residents before its decommissioning in the 1980s. To meet increasing demand for regionally grown products, the GTRM goals are to: 1) Operationalize the Grand Traverse Regional Market and 2) Set a trajectory for long-term sustained GTRM growth. Based upon recom-mendations from the recent GTRM feasibility study, we recently applied for a $200,000 MDARD grant for phased redevelopment of Building 58. Phase I (10/1/12-1/1/14) involves infrastructure improvements of 7,125 sq. ft. The infra-

Grand Traverse Commons, Traverse City, Michigan

9

structure improvement will enable a commercial kitchen, 5 temperature-controlled storage units, a distribution loading dock, and purchase of vegeta-ble processing and packaging equipment to meet current institutional de-mand. Anticipated outcomes include: job creation and retention, increased farmer revenue, increased GTRM revenue, increased institutional buyer ex-penditures, new business development, and increased community investment.

» New Economy — MSU Extension has been focusing educational efforts on preparing Michigan counties and municipalities for the global or new econo-my. The goal is for local officials to have: (1) an increased core competency in global, or new economy: how Michigan got to where it is, old and new econo-my comparison, global competition, knowledge economy, possible actions for prosperity, barriers to success; (2) regional economic development, planning principles and best practices, asset assessment, placemaking and place-based strategies; (3) relevant data and analysis, Greening Michigan, entrepreneur-ship, science of place in the new economy, and regional "asks"; and (4) to put those concepts into practice.

Based on surveys for other NW Michigan and Upper Peninsula programs local government preparedness for the new economy has started: two out of three local governments have started cooperative planning regionally, everyone in-dicated confidence in asset-based economic planning and to incorporate eco-nomic planning in the master plan.

Yet others have already made tangible changes, actions on the ground, as a re-

sult of this program:

Creating a non-government placemaking group

Regional way finding signs

Survey of assets

Zoning changes

An asset inventory was adopted in one community, and three more intend to do so. Asset-based strategies for economic planning have been adopted by one community, and three more intend to do so. Two communities have an eco-nomic section in their master plan, and two more intend to do so.

“The New

Economy is already here. This over-simplifies, but those local governments that incorporate new economic principles into its thinking, planning, and community de-velopment will thrive in the coming years. Those that do not, will not do as well or will not do well at all.” — Kurt L. Schindler,

AICP,

Land Use Educator

10 Greening Michigan Educational Programs

» Michigan Sea Grant — Coastal Aquatic Habitat/Healthy Coastal Ecosys-

tems (MI Sea Grant Work Plan): Mark Breederland continued to conduct field research on waterfowl botulism kills in Leelanau County utilizing a $5,000 grant for travel from the US Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Grant. Overall, lower kill numbers were observed in 2011.

» Waterfront Smart Growth – In June, 2011, Michigan Sea Grant Extension and MSU Extension facilitated use of the MSU-developed Waterfront Smart Growth Readiness Assessment Tool at the Acme Township Hall. This tool is designed to allow waterfront communities to “compare” their work to nation-al best practices for smart growth and access in waterfront communities. Working with Supervisor Wayne Kladder and Township Manager Sharon Vreeland to gather a key audience, Greening Michigan Institute Extension Educators Kurt Schindler and Mark Breederland ran through a 37 question multiple-choice self-audit to a diverse audience of waterfront citizens. The session was conducted at no direct charge to the community and was sup-ported by Department of Commerce/NOAA National Sea Grant funds. Groups represented at the meeting included the harbor study team, boaters and private marina members, planning commissioners, interested citizens and township council members. Some comments shared at the session indicated a strong desire to re-test Acme Township in about 2014 as much progress is be-ing made toward implementation of some best practices for smart growth and a repeated test should show significant improvement from the 2011 bench-mark score.

» Acme Township Shoreline Park—Educator Mark Breederland has been working on various aspects of the new Acme Township Shoreline Park, con-tributing expertise on numerous occasions in 2010-2012. He was a featured

11 Greening Michigan Educational Programs

speaker at a session on changing lake levels held at the Shoreline Park in Au-gust 2011. He facilitated some discussions and assisted Acme Township in applying for and successfully receiving a $20,000 Michigan Coastal Zone Management grant to help with coastal planning for Acme Township. He also was an active participant with the Township’s Marina Opportunity Commit-tee and with the marina consultant team which conducted a feasibility study for a township marina / boat launch. Most recently, he was asked by the township to review a seawall in the Shoreline Park area where an old motel is to be demolished.

» Sea Grant in Grand Traverse County is host of the 2011-2013 NOAA Coastal Management Fellow for Michigan, Ms. Liz Durfee, for the second year of her fellowship. Ms. Durfee, a recent dual-masters degree graduate of The University of Michigan, was selected out of a national competition by the Michigan DEQ Coastal Zone Management Program / Michigan Sea Grant and is compiling information and needs on coastal working waterfront issues across Michigan. During the first year of her fellowship, she was housed in the Michigan DEQ Office of the Great Lakes, offering a statewide policy per-spective; her second year she is now housed at the Grand Traverse MSU Ex-tension office, offering more direct exposure to coastal communities and coastal issues across our state.

» Citizen Planner program – The Art of Community Planning module Educational presentation included discussion and practical information and tools related to models of public-policy decision-making, encouraging public participation in the planning process, conducting effective meetings and pub-lic hearings, making and documenting decisions, communicating effectively through speaking, listening, writing and nonverbal communication and re-solving conflict.

» Building Strong Sovereign Nations—MSU Extension staff (Elaine Bush, John Amrhein, Emily Proctor, and Beth Prykucki) collaborated with Indian tribes of Michigan to offer a one-half day training to elected and appointed tribal leaders during the fall 2011 meeting of “United Tribes of Michigan.” The 2012 program will be October 9 at the Pokagon Band Four Winds Casino Re-sort.

Greening Michigan Educational Programs 12

» The MSUE Ties to the Land program is a broad overview of the interper-sonal, financial and legal issues involved in successfully planning a transfer of forest property from one generation to the next. It is designed to inform land-owners of what they need to consider and plan for in this transition pro-cess. The Ties to the Land program is a DVD-driven curriculum developed by Oregon State University that is coupled with interactive discussion and plan-ning activities. The MSUE version has been adapted for Michigan. Additional resource materials as well as a panel of local professionals are incorporated into the Michigan program to offer general advice on estate planning to partic-ipants. A follow-up survey was recently conducted of 40 participants who took part in the late 2010 Ties to the Land program. Participants are taking action as a result of participating in the Ties to the land program. Highlights include:

83% of respondents indicated that they have used the Ties to the Land re-source workbook, with 100% finding it somewhat or very useful. 72% of respondents indicated that they discussed goals for their property within the last year, an additional 22% said that they intend to within the next 6-12 months. 44% have taken steps to increase family involvement in the property, with 17% indicating that they intend to within the next 6-12 months. 39% have explored options for a legal structure for estate planning purpos-es, and 28% said that they intend to within the next 6-12 months.

Greening Michigan Educational Programs 13

There are still significant barriers to succession planning for forest families:

61% haven’t figured out fairness issues

47% indicated that lack of time prevents them from progressing on suc-cession planning

44% said that their heirs are too dispersed

38% indicated that one or more heirs are disinterested

35% have difficulty finding qualifying advisors

Many participants commented about the difference the Ties to the Land Pro-gram planning process made to their family and how they see the future of their property. Said one, “[The program] clarified differences in viewpoints and future goals of owners. Put spotlight on need to work through these issues sooner rather than later.” Another commented, “[The program] was the starting gun for taking action to preserve our forest [and] added the human element to our thought process.” Participants in this survey represented 11,828 forest acres.

Greening Michigan Educational Programs 14

The Health and Nutrition Institute provides education for families around sev-

eral areas: Disease Prevention and Management, Social/Emotional and Health,

Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity, and Food Safety.

» Chronic Disease Self-Management (PATH) - Participants of the MSU Extension PATH (Personal Action Toward Health) programs report improved symptom management including decreased worry, decreased fearfulness about future health, and fewer frustrations about health problems. At the end of the series, PATH participants show decreased symptoms of fatigue, decreased shortness of breath, and decreased self-reported pain. Other program benefits show increased physical activity and improved communication with physi-cians including preparing a list of questions to ask during a healthcare visit. Participants report higher self-efficacy after attending the program and show improved self-rated health scores. PATH is an evidence-based, 6-week pro-gram that delivers health information to empower people to assume an active role in managing their chronic conditions. During 2011, there were 42 PATH series held by MSUE reaching 406 adults. The prevalence of chronic disease is high in Michigan. Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health issues. Education and information allow Michigan residents to manage their disease and make efficient use of the healthcare sys-tem, as well as, lead healthy lifestyles.

» Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity—The Supplemental Nutri-tion Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) provides nutrition education to Bridge card eligible adults and children. This program focuses on improv-ing dietary quality, increasing physical activity while stretching food dollars. The ultimate goal of these programs is to promote healthy weight mainte-nance and obesity prevention. During the past year in Grand Traverse County,

Health & Nutrition Educational Programs

Children playing at least an hour a day reduce their risk for diabetes

later in life.

15

Health & Nutrition Educational Programs

204 adults and 113 youth were reached through nutrition education classes at various venues in the county.

Adult Impacts: 90% of adults who participated in the nutrition education classes im-proved the dietary quality of their daily food consumption. 54% of adults followed safe food handling practices. 79% of adults reported an improvement in their food resource practices. 90% of adults learned new ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their meals and snacks 92% of adults reported that they will eat more fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

Youth who participated in MSUE Nutrition Education classes were more like ly to:

Read the nutrition information on food labels. Chose a healthy snack when they have the choice. Increase in choosing foods from all five food groups. Consume fruits or vegetables.

» By MSUE providing nutrition education on the benefits of including fruits and vegetables in their diet, these participants increased the quality of their diet by purchasing locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables from Grand Traverse County farmer’s markets though Project FRESH. These coupons are redeemed at the farm market for over $10,080 in funds for produce grown by local farm-ers.

» Food Safety—Residents in Grand Traverse County participated in food preservation classes as well as received telephone support to answer their can-ning questions. Ninety-seven percent of participants reported increased knowledge of how to properly process their home canned foods. Ninety-four percent of participants reported that they will use research based recipes when canning food at home.

16

Safe Kids North Shore Educational Programs 17

Unintentional injuries are the number one killer of children between the ages

of one and fourteen. Safe Kids North Shore and the Grand Traverse Region Injury

Prevention Coalition works to prevent unintentional injuries across the lifespan.

Focus areas include but are not limited to: child passenger safety, distracted driv-

ing, vehicle safety, helmet safety, winter safety, water safety, pedestrian safety,

and changes for the driving senior citizen. In 2011 a total of 67 events were held/

participated in providing direct contact and safety education to a total of 7,864

persons. In addition indirect contact safety messages through doctor office,

health departments, local businesses and the hospital reached over 24,000 per-

sons. This does not include the reach of numerous media stories.

» Car Seat Inspections – Safe Kids North Shore oversees all twenty of the certified child passenger safety technicians (CPST) within Benzie, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. All CPST’s rotate through twice monthly car seat inspection stations where the public can come have their child’s seat in-spected for safety, recalls, proper use and proper installation. 300 car seat in-spections were conducted this year. In addition, CPST’s attended a Continu-ing Education taught by two local Child Passenger Safety Technician Instruc-tors allowing these technicians the ability to complete their mandatory 6 con-tinuing education credits free of charge.

» 3D (Diminish Distracted Driving) – In partnership the local Sheriff’s Of-fice and the Michigan State Police, 867 high school students participated in the 3D program which heightens awareness about the outcomes of distracted driving. Students experienced hands on the dangers of distracted driving while driving a simulator and the effects of driving while impaired by riding a tricycle through an obstacle course while wearing fatal vision goggles.

Distracted Driving simulator. Not as easy as it looks!

Vehicle seat belts are designed to fit an average-sized adult

Safe Kids North Shore Educational Programs 18

» KOHL’S 4 Season Safety – In a unique partnership with Munson Hospi-tal, Safe Kids North Shore provides programming to reduce head injuries in children through our KOHL’S 4 Season Safety program. The winter portion of this effort uses a curriculum called CHILL OUT for Winter Safety. This program was delivered in local elementary schools to 1734 students and highlights many areas of Winter Safety. 300 ski/snow helmets were provided to participating schools to utilize on their sledding hills and for students participating in winter sports in need of a helmet. The CHILL OUT for Winter Safety curriculum that was delivered was born locally through the joint efforts of three of the safety coalition experts. The authors of the cur-riculum were presented the 2011 Michigan Governor’s Hometown Hero Safety Award for this effort. During the other seasons, bike and wheeled sports safety programming was offered. Over 800 children were fitted for and given bike helmets.

» Walk this Way/Photovoice – Walk this Way and Photovoice are pedes-trian safety programs that were developed by Safe Kids USA and used local-ly. Walk this Way Pedestrian safety programs were offered in the fall coin-ciding with International Walk to School Day and Halloween. Photovoice is a program that empowers students with the safety education and photog-raphy skills to document areas around their school that they identify as un-safe. The student’s assessments/pictures were then submitted to Safe Kids Worldwide and they were awarded a $2000 grant to make the pedestrian safety improvements needed around their school. 953 students participated in pedestrian safety lessons, walking school buses and safe walking assess-ments.

Helmet use can reduce risk of head

injury by 85% and severe brain injury

by 88%.

Children or objects can be up to 17’ behind a vehicle

and not be seen.

Extension Educators Serving Grand Traverse County John Amrhein – Government & Public Policy Education amrhein@msu.edu Renee Applegate - Leadership/Civic Engagement applega1@msu.edu Jennifer Berkey - Food Safety berkeyj@msu.edu Mark Breederland - Coastal Communities Development breederl@msu.edu Elaine Bush - Firewise bushe@msu.edu Bill Cook - Natural Resources cookwi@msu.edu Christina Curell - Environmental Quality curellc@msu.edu Joanne Davidhizar - Product Development davidhiz@msu.edu Thomas Dudek - Greenhouse dudek@msu.edu Barbara Duvall – Career and Workforce Preparation duvall@msu.edu Erwin Elsner - Small Fruit elsner@msu.edu Elizabeth Ferry - Swine franzeli@msu.edu Kevin Gould - Beef gouldk@msu.edu Merrill Gould - Livestock gouldm@msu.edu Thomas Guthrie - Pork and Equine guthri19@msu.edu Philip Kaatz - Forage kaatz@msu.edu Russell Kidd - Natural Resources kidd@msu.edu Gerald Lindquist - Grazing Management lindquis@msu.edu Erin Lizotte - Pest educator taylo548@msu.edu Jackelyn Martin - Leadership/Civic Engagement marti623@msu.edu Gerald May - Air quality mayg@msu.edu Michael Metzger - Small ruminant metzgerm@msu.edu Stanley Moore - Dairy moorest@msu.edu Norm Myers - Vegetable myersn@msu.edu Martin Nagelkirk - Wheat/Crops nagelkir@msu.edu Michelle Neff - Academic success hydemich@msu.edu Jill O'Donnell - Christmas tree odonne10@msu.edu Dennis Pennington - Biomass pennin34@msu.edu Emily Proctor - Tribal Educator proctor8@msu.edu Natalie Rector - Nutrient Mgmt rector@msu.edu Daniel Rossman - Field crops rossman@msu.edu Nikki Rothwell - Commercial Fruit rothwel3@msu.edu Kurt Schindler - Government & Public Policy schindl9@msu.edu Jeannine Schweihofer - Meat quality grobbelj@msu.edu Robert Sirrine – Community Food Systems sirrine@msu.edu Dean Solomon - Land Use solomon@msu.edu Michael Staton - Soybean staton@msu.edu Curtis Talley, Jr - Business Mgmt talleycu@msu.edu Marilyn Thelen - Agriculture systems thelen22@msu.edu Nancy Thelen - Agriculture literacy thelenn@msu.edu Roxanne Turner - Leadership/Civic Engagement turnerr@msu.edu Christine Venema - Family Financial Literacy venema@msu.edu Brian Wibby - Leadership/Civic Engagement wibby@msu.edu Mary Wilson - Master Gardener wilsonm1@msu.edu