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
Master Gardener Program Strengthens Columbia County Community
The Columbia County UGA Extension office, led by County Extension Coordinator Tripp Williams, played a key role in coordinating the successful Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program in 2023. The program attracted 27 enthusiastic trainees who dedicated themselves to 50 hours of in-depth classroom instruction focused on horticulture. This valuable knowledge equips them to volunteer and share their expertise with the broader community.
Upon program completion, the newly minted Master Gardeners joined forces with established Master Gardeners in the Augusta area. Together, they've logged an impressive 2,950 hours of community service, contributing an estimated $87,866 worth of volunteer impact. Their dedication extends beyond physical labor; they've also served as a valuable resource by receiving and answering a remarkable 6,000 contacts, including 2,100 in-person and 3,900 written inquiries. Their commitment goes the extra mile, as evidenced by the 11,650 miles traveled, valued at an additional $1,630.
The Master Gardeners' commitment to excellence doesn't stop there. They've collectively invested over 800 hours in continuing education classes, ensuring they stay abreast of the latest advancements in horticulture. This dedication allows them to provide the most up-to-date and reliable information to the community.
Extension Agent Provides Convenient Recertification Training for Green Industry Professionals
Green industry personnel in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) hold pesticide applicator licenses and International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certifications. These licenses and certifications require ongoing education to ensure professionals stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and best practices. Recognizing this need, the County Extension Agent took the initiative to offer a comprehensive training seminar. The Columbia County Extension Coordinator, Tripp Williams, implemented a strategic promotional plan utilizing industry listservs, online calendars, green industry associations, direct mailers, and media. This targeted approach ensured the training reached the intended audience, primarily expiring licensed applicators in the Augusta metropolitan area. Mr. Williams tailored trainings for multiple licenses with hosting a full-day seminar provided valuable recertification credits for various licenses:
Pesticide Applicators: Five credits in all 15 Georgia Department of Agriculture categories for commercial applicators (10 hrs renewal) and three credits for private applicators (3 hrs renewal).
ISA Certified Arborists: Three recertification credits.
South Carolina Department of Pesticide Regulation: Three credits in category (3).
The success of this training program demonstrates the valuable role County Extension Agents play in supporting the Green Industry. By providing convenient, high-quality educational opportunities to empower professionals to maintain their licenses, adopt best practices, and ultimately contribute to a safer and healthier environment for all.
4-H Youth Development
Summary: After the COVID-19 pandemic left middle school numbers low, a renewed interest in county middle school programming led to higher participation in camps geared towards grades 6-8.
Situation: For several years, beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Columbia County 4-H middle school 4-H club struggled. Low club attendance numbers led to the middle and high school clubs being combined, leaving students feeling as though they were not being invested in.
Response: At the start of the 2023 school year, it was decided that, no matter the numbers, there would be separate middle and high school clubs, each with material more suited to their respective age groups. With a big group of mixed ages, it was difficult to cater to the needs of everyone, but the smaller groups led to us being able to hold more interactive meetings about things they were interested in. The middle schoolers responded with enthusiasm, enjoying lessons such as food safety, where they then made ice cream in a bag, and non-Newtonian liquids, where they made slime and oobleck. Students stepped out of their comfort zones with a session on active listening and communication, and learned how to apply these lessons to real life. A big part of 4-H is about offering experiential and life lessons, and with a dedicated Middle School group, these were able to be more relevant and age-appropriate. Post meeting conversations often delved beyond what was covered that day, with students talking about friendship and classes and life, and making plans to meet up with club members who didn’t attend their school. Watching the relationships build between the students was truly rewarding. In addition, club members invited friends to special events, like the Murder Mystery dinner, and two seventh graders decided to participate in DPA for the very first time. Slowly, the middle school club was growing, and more students were expressing interest in special programming.
Results: Summer camp though, is where the efforts truly came into fruition. Across three different camping experiences, 35 of those campers were in grades 6-8. Thirteen 6th graders attended Cloverleaf Camp Rock Eagle, thirteen 7th and 8th graders attended Junior Camp Burton, and nine 6th-8th graders attended Wilderness Challenge Camp at Wahsega. These numbers were competitive at the district level as well, with Columbia County having the second highest amount of Cloverleaf campers, third highest Junior Camp participants, and the most Wilderness Challenge attendees, for the most participation in all junior camping opportunities. More middle schoolers were also able to attend camp with the help of a DPA scholarship. After collaborating with Jefferson Energy Cooperative, they agreed too fund a scholarship for middle and high school campers who also attended DPA. Through there generous support, eight middle school campers were able to attend summer camp at an automatic reduced cost thanks to their participation in DPA. After camp, we surveyed the participants about their participation and interest. Sixteen of the youth had not previously attended 4-H summer camp, and were encouraged to attend after attending club meetings and other outside activities. Many cited activities such as the annual Murder Mystery Dinner and spring and fall STEM days as being what especially piqued their interest. Five of the first timers had also not attended 4-H activities throughout the year, but were encouraged to attend by their friends. All of those students have since joined the Middle School Club and attended other summer activities post camping season. Twelve of the students who had attended Cloverleaf Camp previously indicated that they had been unsure about attending 4-H camp in middle school, with many citing sports and other clubs as things they thought would interfere with their 4-H activities. However, their continued involvement throughout the year had contributed to their want to attend camp. Every single student who participated in the survey (twenty-tine), indicated that they wanted to return to camp in future years, and listed reasons such as new friends and experiences, fun, and potentially wanting to be a camp counselor. Five of the rising ninth graders who attended middle school camps subsequently signed up for Teen Leader training so they can attend Cloverleaf Camp as a teen leader this upcoming summer. Twenty-six of the students who attended middle school camp signed up to be a part of Middle School Club or High School Club this year, and they majority of that number have attended meetings and summer activities, indicating a good chance that they will continue on with 4-H. Six of them have attended their first portfolio workshop, and two of them are also considering running for Junior Board. Without prioritizing middle school programming and events over the past year, it would very much be possible that the number of middle school campers would be much lower. However, through the dedication of staff and volunteers to helping middle schoolers find their sparks, we have seen that translate into high camping numbers for middle school aged 4-H’ers.
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.