Our Impact
Making A Difference in Our County
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is working hard for its constituents. The following are examples of Extension’s impact in the county over the past year.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Boosting Georgia's Arborist Workforce: The health of our community's urban forests relies on trained professionals, but the rigorous ISA Certified Arborist credential often creates a significant barrier to entry for aspiring arborists. To address this critical need for accessible specialized training, the Columbia County agent collaborated with the Georgia Arborist Association and the Georgia Forestry Commission to host a comprehensive, three-day ISA Certified Arborist Exam Prep Course. Led by expert certified arborists, the course delivered in-depth curriculum across a wide range of essential topics, from Tree Biology to Tree Assessment, and importantly, offered eight scholarships totaling $1,400 to eliminate financial obstacles. This effort successfully engaged 24 individuals, who collectively earned over 500 total hours of continuing education credits. As a direct result, these participants are now better equipped to advance their careers, leading to safer, more effective tree management practices and a substantial, positive impact on the environment and economy of our communities.
2025 Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Class: 25 new master gardener extension volunteer trainees participated in the 11-week training program. Classes being held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 5:30 to 8. For many years, the Augusta Area Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program was only offered in the mornings every other year. Although our enrollment per class was usually about 25-30 people per class, there were certain demographics that could not participate. Morning classes traditionally were convenient for retirees and non-working parents. Individuals with daytime jobs could not participate in the class because of their employment status. By hosting an evening class, the Augusta Area Master Gardener program was able to graduate new demographics to our program. Young working adults employed professionals and active school teachers were able to participate. These volunteers have been an asset in helping view our program from a different perspective by adding new technologies, up to date information on volunteer opportunities and a lot of positive energy.
The Augusta area Master Gardeners, totaling 122 active MGEV's, have logged an impressive 3,611 hours of community service, resulting in an estimated volunteer impact of $90,275.00. Additionally, they have responded to over inquiries, including 2,262 in-person contacts, 1574 telephone/email contacts, and have traveled over 16,655 miles. To maintain their expertise, Master Gardeners have also participated in over 432 hours of continuing education classes and 6 hours of advanced training hours.
4-H Youth Development
In Columbia County 4-H, one program that is encouraging students to find their sparks and create meaningful connections is LifeSmarts. LifeSmarts was created by the National Consumers League, and is a quiz-bowl style competition. Students study and become ready to compete in five different categories: Personal Finance; Technology and Workforce Preparation; Consumer Rights and Responsibilities; Environment; and Health and Safety. Columbia County 4-H has two active teams- junior varsity for middle schoolers and varsity for high schoolers and are coached by a program assistant and a volunteer. Students meet every other month to go over new material and take benchmark quizzes. Every month, a national TeamSmarts competition offers monetary prizes to teams, and Columbia County 4-H teams performed well enough to receive two of these prizes, as well as a Child Life award from META. In order to advance to the State Competition for Georgia 4-H LifeSmarts, teams must complete capstone quizzes, and score high enough to be one of six teams invited to compete in their age divisions. For the past few years, the junior varsity team has earned high enough marks to be invited to the state competition. This past February, they earned 2nd place in the state for the second consecutive year. The varsity team submitted an application to META for a wildcard to the National LifeSmarts competition, and scored well enough to receive a bid. The varsity team will travel to Orlando, Florida in April to represent Columbia County and Georgia 4-H.
Family and Consumer Sciences
A wide variety of free UGA Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) publications are available at the county office. Questions relating to FACS topics can be outsourced to neighboring counties with FACS agents as needed.