A Time to Give Thanks…

A handful of orange-clad OSU Extension Service supporters lingered outside the Lane County courthouse Tuesday afternoon, basking in the warm autumn sunshine and discussing Extension’s future.

I wandered around, eavesdropping on a number of the conversations. All were full of excitement, hope, and gratitude over the Lane County commissioners’ decision to place a five-year local option tax for Extension on the May 2010 ballot.

I am truly happy for our volunteers and want to offer my thanks for your efforts. Not only do you help Extension teach self-sufficiency, citizenship, and sustainable living in each of our program areas, you now have thrust yourselves into the political arena and are working to ensure that Extension is able to continue serving Lane County beyond next summer.  Thank you for your efforts.

I also want to thank our Lane County faculty and staff for all that you do. Budget cuts have forced us to say goodbye to more than one third of our co-workers over the past 18 months. This has created personal and professional challenges for all of us. I want you to know how much I appreciate the endless hours of personal time that you contribute to our organization’s success.

Finally, I want to thank the Lane County commissioners, Lane County staff, OSU Extension Service administration and the citizens of Lane County for standing with us—time and time again—through our budget challenges. I am hopeful about the future and thankful for all of you this Thanksgiving.

Public Hearing Important to Extension’s Future

A public hearing scheduled for November 24 will help determine whether voters have a chance to decide the future of the Oregon State University Extension Service in Lane County.

Extension supporters recently asked Lane County commissioners to place a five-year local option tax on the May 2010 ballot that would stabilize local funding for Extension programs such as 4-H youth development, Master Gardeners, Master Food Preservers, Climate Masters, and Extension study groups. The commissioners would like to hear whether citizens think the tax proposal should appear on the ballot and why they feel that way.

OSU currently invests nearly $830,000 per year into Lane County’s economy through salaries paid to faculty who live and work locally. Its network of more than 600 trained volunteers provided more than $900,000 worth of service to Lane County residents this past year. Without adequate local funding for Extension educational programs, federal laws and OSU policies require that faculty be reassigned to other locations and support staff be released. Extension’s local network of volunteers would have to disband.

The local option tax proposed by Extension supporters would cost 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. That means a taxpayer with a home assessed at $200,000 would pay $10 per year to retain local Extension programs.

The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24 at 1:30 p.m. It will be held in the Lane County Public Service Building, Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue in Eugene. For those of you who have not yet seen the Register-Guard editorial “Extension Levy Has History,” it provides some background on the matter.

Good Luck Robin!

It is a bittersweet day for those of us who work and volunteer for Extension. Our operations manager, Robin White, is moving on to a new career opportunity and today is her last day with our organization.

I have had the pleasure of working with Robin for about 18 months and can’t imagine what the last year and a half would have been like without her knowledge, guidance, and patience. Thank you, Robin. You are a gem.

Others in the office have expressed similar thoughts since learning that she is leaving us. We are all happy for you, Robin, but want you to know how much you are going to be missed.

One of the nice things about a blog is that it provides an opportunity for readers to share their thoughts by leaving comments. I hope those of you who know and have worked with Robin over the years will take this opportunity to leave a comment and wish her well.

Finally, on behalf of the many people you’ve encountered during your years with Extension who may not see this blog post, I want to wish you the best, Robin. Take care and good luck!

Tasting Buffet Scheduled for Sunday

The weather forecast isn’t looking favorable for working out in the yard this weekend, so why not check out the OSU Extension Service Master Food Preserver’s third annual Tasting Buffet?

This fundraiser is a great opportunity to sample a variety of freshly prepared and preserved foods including baked, canned, pickled and dried items. On-site demonstrations will include cheese making, condiments preparation, cider pressing, and how to dry and use herbs.

Most important, this is an opportunity for Lane County residents to thank our dedicated Master Food Preserver volunteers for all that they do. Each year, these trained volunteers share their knowledge with more than 10,000 Lane County residents by teaching classes, staffing question-and-answer booths at farmers markets and fairs, volunteering at food banks, and answering questions on Extension’s Food Safety Hotline. They multiply Extension’s educational outreach far beyond what our faculty and staff could ever do.

I hope you will join me in supporting our Lane County Master Food Preservers this weekend, as a thank you for all that they do for us throughout the year.

Questions, Questions, Questions…

It didn’t take long for my phone to start ringing on Monday morning. The Register-Guard’s front-page article “Seeking an Extension” had people asking a lot of questions.

Many wanted to know why one of the Lane County commissioners, in these trying economic times, is questioning the value of Oregon State University’s $829,000 investment in Lane County jobs and educational programs. Others were asking why OSU faculty salaries and benefits drew considerable attention in the article, when they are not a factor in the current local funding shortfall. Still others were questioning why there was no mention of the value of Extension’s network of more than 600 trained volunteers.

Since the article seems to have created confusion in some people’s minds, I would like to clarify three points:

•Federal and state funding pays for OSU faculty salaries and benefits in Lane County. Local funding pays for support staff salaries and benefits, educational program costs, and general operating expenses.

•Laws that created the Cooperative Extension Service require federal, state, and local funding for county Extension offices to exist. Without sufficient local funding, OSU policies require that Extension faculty be removed from the county and reassigned to other locations.

•Without sufficient local funding to maintain a Lane County office, Extension’s network of trained volunteers would have to disband. In 2008-09, Extension volunteers provided more than $900,000 worth of service to Lane County residents.

If you would like to learn more about OSU Extension Service programs, please visit our Web site.

Extension Funding and Staffing

I’ve had several conversations with Register-Guard reporter Matt Cooper over the past two weeks about Extension’s budget situation in Lane County. He’s working on a story that is likely to appear in the next few days.

Matt covers county budget issues on a regular basis, but the history and complexities of Extension’s budget have required several hours of discussion.

In an effort to help Matt with his story, I’ve worked with our faculty and staff to compile a document that summarizes Extension’s current funding and staffing. I want to share this document publicly, in hopes of answering questions about our budget situation and correcting some misinformation I’ve been hearing and reading lately.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Extension Volunteers Rock!

What an amazing group of volunteers. In just four days, you collected more than 1,200 signatures of support for the Oregon State University Extension Service in Lane County. More than 60 of you took time away from your jobs and daily obligations to share concerns about Extension’s future at Wednesday’s Lane County Commissioner meeting. Still others took the time to write thoughtful letters of support.

OSU Extension Service supporters ask Lane County Commissioners to place a local option tax on the May 2010 ballot that would stabilize local funding for Extension.

I’ve enjoyed hearing stories about your conversations with people across Lane County. You are confirming my hunch that Extension’s support is deeper and broader than many of us imagined.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each of our volunteers for the time and effort you give to our organization. We would not be able to serve Lane County in the ways we do, if it weren’t for you, our dedicated volunteers.

Looking for a Way to Help?

There is an urgent need for Oregon State University Extension Service supporters to attend the Lane County Commissioner’s meeting on Wednesday, September 23 at 9 a.m. While the meeting begins at 9 a.m., it would be best if you can arrive around 8:30 a.m. The location is the Lane County Public Service Building, Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue in Eugene.

Why are Extension supporters needed at Wednesday’s meeting?  Well, a group of Extension volunteers has gotten together and wants to help stabilize Extension’s funding by placing a local option tax on the May 2010 ballot. Initially, it was thought that this could be achieved with an initiative petition circulated by citizens, but the Lane County Elections office clarified this week that the Lane County Commissioners are currently the only ones who have the legal authority to send such a measure to the ballot.

If you, as an Extension supporter, want to see such a measure referred to the ballot, it is important that you attend Wednesday’s meeting and help Lane County Commissioners understand your commitment to the cause.

Another way you can help in the next few days is by asking your family, neighbors, and friends to sign the Extension Support Sign-Up Sheet. This is not a petition to place a measure on the ballot. It is simply a statement of support for the continuation of Extension programs in Lane County. The more signatures you can gather between now and next week’s meeting, the better.

The signature sheets should be returned to the OSU Extension Service office no later than Tuesday, September 22, at 5 p.m. They will be presented to the Lane County Commissioners on Wednesday morning. Thank you for your support and all that you do for Extension. It is truly appreciated!

KEZI Expands Focus on Local Foods

This month, KEZI-TV will expand its focus on sustainability and local foods with a new feature segment called Preserving Your Harvest. These video features will air Wednesdays during KEZI’s 5 p.m. newscast and feature food preservation and food safety tips from Susan Busler of the Oregon State University Extension Service.

Many of you are already following Extension’s Ross Penhallegon through KEZI’s In the Garden video segments. You can continue to catch Ross on Tuesdays and Thursdays, through the gardening season, during KEZI’s 5 p.m. newscast.

Past segments of "In the Garden" can be found on KEZI's Web site.

We are excited about KEZI’s ongoing commitment to helping viewers learn to safely grow and preserve their own food. This is an important focus for the OSU Extension Service and we appreciate the opportunity to extend objective, research-based education to greater numbers of people in Lane County.

Go Green with Orange

Imagine a world in which Ducks and Beavers work together to help Lane County residents reduce consumption, waste, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s about to happen.

Lane County Commissioners today approved a waste reduction grant that facilitates a partnership between the University of Oregon’s Climate Leadership Initiative and the Oregon State University Extension Service. In early 2010, the OSU Extension Service will begin delivering Climate Masters at Home, an award winning educational program developed by the UO’s Climate Leadership Initiative.

Climate Masters at Home is modeled after Extension’s popular Master Gardener, Master Food Preserver and Master Woodland Manager programs. It provides 30 hours of research-based education that teaches participants how to reduce consumption, waste and greenhouse gas emissions at home, in their yards and through smart transportation choices. Participants complete the program with 30 hours of volunteer outreach and education in their local communities.

We appreciate the county’s financial support in helping us launch Climate Masters at Home and look forward to the groundbreaking work that will occur as Lane County residents “Go Green with Orange.”