Program Impacts
4-H Northern Nye
The Northern Nye 4-H program had four regular projects; Cloverbuds with 12 regular attendees; Science Exploration/geology with 10 regular attendees; Legos club with 12 regular attendees and Visual Arts with 9 regular attendees. Our 4-H group as a whole participated in numerous family activities such as decorating a haunted house for Halloween 2019 and monthly family bingo night. During the holiday season for our community service project 24 of our kids braved the freezing temperatures to deliver 28 gifts baskets to local seniors who lived over a 30 mile area. After the Covid-19 shutdown our kids participated in a virtual Photography group with members being given an assignment and posting the results on the Northern Nye 4-H Facebook page. The members also participated in a 4-H poster contest with posters to be displayed at the local library. We also had 12 participants for a 2 day horse camp hosted by 4-H Coordinator, Carol Shilling in Round Mountain, NV. We are looking forward to the future.
4-H Southern Nye
This year, 863 youth participated in 4-H educational programming in Southern Nye County primarily served through short-term community-based programming focused on topics like healthy living (community garden, mental health and mindfulness, CPR and First Aid) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) (alternative energy sources, engineering, robotics). Most activities take place at our Pahrump site. Our staff has been working on expanding to areas outside the population-dense Pahrump; Beatty and Amargosa. In 2019-2020 there were 105 members in organized 4-H clubs led by 23 leaders in Pahrump. Despite this year's challenges with staffing and the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to continue offering quality programs with new, innovative delivery methods.
Community Club has projects for youth to learn about livestock, reptiles, creative writing, gardening, computer coding and film making through Minecraft, LEGO League, homeschool classes in public speaking, dance, flower arranging, woodworking, sewing, and biology. We introduce STEM concepts to our youngest members, the Cloverbuds, through monthly activities. The Community Club participates in local events such as Fall Festival with the parade and high school rodeo, and Christmas in the Park. The members of this club complete service projects like sewing fabric masks, donating school supplies for 600 students, maintaining the Little Free Library on our property, and a food drive for The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US (VFW) Food Bank. In this way, these youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they are an important part of the community today.
Dog Den canine club remained active via Zoom even during the shutdown, providing youth not only a chance to work on their canine project but a connection to supports and leadership skill development. The club frequently hosts Canine Good Citizen certifications for the community and participates in a community frisbee league. Additionally, the club cleared a trailer load of dumped garbage from the desert as a service project giving back to their community. They held their first County-level meet and are looking forward to being able to compete at a State level.
Bullseye Shooting Sports had youth compete in Archery and Shotgun at a fun shoot in Logandale, a County level meet in Las Vegas and at the State Expo in Winnemucca NV, and four members qualified for Nationals. They competed and placed well in a quiz bowl organized by National 4-H in June. Three teen leaders and two adults went to Alamo in March to be trained in more shooting sports disciplines, which will allow our program to grow in the coming year to include rifle and black powder training, and have received a grant from the National Rifle Association (NRA) to help purchase supplies for this expansion.
Awkward Silence is our competitive robotics team in the worldwide For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Tech Challenge. Involvement in FIRST encourages teamwork and STEM skills. The team competed in several meet plays, Regionals in Las Vegas, and States in Reno between January-February. They consistently perform well and embody the nature of both FIRST and 4-H. They hosted their third annual Gala to fundraise and showcase what they are working on to the community and stakeholders. This is well attended by community business owners, political figures, media, and interested community members. This year Awkward Silence hosted an Expo for FIRST LEGO League Junior teams, a haunted house fund raiser, and 3D printed and donated "ear savers" for mask-wearing employees in town. The team is well-known in the local and FIRST communities.
Horticulture
Nye County residents rely on Extension for horticulture education. Trained Staff and Pahrump Master Gardeners assist clientele by distributing pertinent research-based Extension Fact Sheets and Special Publications, and recommending actions homeowners can take to establish successful gardens, while addressing plant, weed, and insect challenges.
- In FY 2019-2020, thirty-five Pahrump Master Gardeners logged 5,174 public interactions and volunteered 3,978 hours at a financial value of $106, 968.
2019-2020 Extension Master Gardener Activities & Events:
- Master Gardener Training Class and Monthly Meetings
- Gardening Workshops and Demonstration Garden
- Floyd School Garden and Discovery Park
- Weather Station Data Collection and Hummingbird Education
- Pahrump Fall Festival Fair & Parade Float, Goodies in the Garden, Cookies with Santa
- Pine Tree Recycling, Composting, and Adopt-A-Highway
Pahrump Master Gardeners host and manage all aspects of the Pahrump Saturday Farmers’ Market year-round, with an average participation of 30 vendor booths, including the Master Gardener Host Booth offering gardening advice with Extension Fact Sheets and Special Publications freely available. The Market managers ensure that Produce Vendors obtain and display a current Nevada Producers’ certificate, and that Cottage Foods vendors register with the Nevada Department of Health to follow safe recommended preparation, handling, packaging and labeling practices. The Market is currently located in the parking lot of the Tractor Supply Company at 900 E. NV Highway 372, Pahrump. With an average of 200 visitors each week, upwards of 10, 000 visits to the Market occur annually. The Market closed due to Covid-19 regulations effective March 18, 2020 and re-opened Saturday June 6, 2020 observing Nevada Health Response Phase 2 guidelines, with a reduction to 15 booth spaces featuring essential produce, eggs, honey, cottage foods, hand-made soaps and home-sewn masks, and a maximum of 50 persons at any one-time including vendors, volunteers, and shoppers.
2019-2020 Nye Extension facilitated meetings (in-person and virtual)
- Hemp Advisory Council
- Nevada Department of Agriculture Round-Table Discussion
- Pesticide Safety Training Classes
- Radon Education (Distributed 39 kits)
- Grow Your Own, Nevada! Classes (virtual 2020)
Fiscal Year 2019 – 2020
County Funds Summary
$949,119 - Total Revenue
$178,125 - Total Expenses
$154,650 - Total Balance
