As the largest county, by area, in the State of Nevada, Nye County is vast, diverse and unique.  To best reflect the work of Northern and Southern Nye Extension offices, this annual report is divided into two sections:  Program Impacts of Northern Nye County and Program Impacts of Southern Nye County.

PROGRAM IMPACTS OF NORTHERN NYE COUNTY

Personal & Family Development:  4-H Community Groups

All children face risks as they grow and develop, and most children can benefit greatly from positive interactions with caring adults. Children who have strong interpersonal skills and support are less likely to participate in risky behaviors.

COVID pandemic restrictions, and school/classroom closures, challenged our traditional ways in serving youth and families.  So, we responded by creatively problem-solving solutions and serving our community in novel and non-traditional ways. 

• 200+ STEAM KITS created and delivered!  In Round Mountain, 4-H implemented STEAM kits in response to COVID restrictions.  The kits reached a total 25 individual children, with 10 kits created and delivered through the school year - resulting in over 200 occurrences of programming! 

• 12 youth participated in our annual HORSE CAMP.
• 24 youth in (3) 4-H CLUBS, facilitated by volunteer leaders.

• The Leader’s Council annually sponsors one attendee to the Youth Range Camp, which was ultimately cancelled due to COVID restrictions.  The Council remains hopeful that next year will allow participation in this highly valued camp.
• The Northern Nye County Leader’s Council spent the summer preparing for the FALL HARVEST DAY CAMP, which will occur in the next reporting cycle.

Community & Economic Development:  Extension Office, Tonopah

Northern Nye County Extension Office, in Tonopah, complied with all state mandated COVID restrictions and provided free PPE to visitors.  Anna Whiteside was recruited as the new Administrative Assistant for Northern Nye Extension Office, maintaining our community presence and office hours in Tonopah.  The search committee’s recruitment efforts for Extension Educator were ongoing.

• From August 2020 to April 2021 the office remained open 8am-3:30p, Monday through Thursday, for phone inquiries and by appointment for in-person services. 
• Beginning April 2021, the office reopened for walk-in services and has remained open Monday through Thursday, 8am – 3:30pm.
• A conference room with technology, to allow for video conferencing, was available for agencies to schedule and use for free.  Compliance with COVID State Mandates were required.  Our location hosted:

• Alzheimer’s Association “Engage Your Brain” Series
• NyE Community Coalition monthly community partner meetings

Health & Nutrition

Less than 15% of seniors exercise regularly, despite the fact that regular exercise can help prevent chronic diseases and falls. In addition, many seniors report that traditional exercise programs aren’t enjoyable.  Bingocize, mixes exercise, health education, and bingo to get seniors moving, socializing and having fun.

• Offered at the Tonopah Senior Center, as a partnership with NyECC and UNR Extension.
• UNR provides the curriculum and monthly Technical Support meetings to NyECC, who implements the program at the Senior Center.
• This grant-funded SNAP-Ed program is in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno Extension.

Personal & Family Development:  4-H Community Groups

Helping just one child stay healthy and be successful in school can save well over $20,000 in estimated educational, medical and incarceration costs.  Despite this year's challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to continue offering quality programs with new, innovative delivery methods.

• 432 youth participated in 4-H educational programming.
• In response to COVID restrictions, virtual instructional programs were innovatively created to continue offering quality programming.  Activities also conducted in Pahrump’s Extension office, local schools and libraries.
• 348 youth in Special Interest/Short-Term STEM Projects.
• 84 members in 4-H clubs facilitated by 15 volunteer leaders.

Community Club has projects for youth to learn about livestock, reptile, creative writing, gardening, and LEGO League.  The Community Club participates in local events such as Fall Festival with the parade and high school rodeo, and Wild West Extravaganza. The members of this club complete service projects 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 projects but a connection to supports and leadership skill development. Club members also participated in an after-school program to demonstrate tricks and obedience training they learned in this club. Dog Den hosted its first County Level competition at Simkins Park Pahrump where members demonstrated their dog handling, showmanship, agility and rally skills. The club is still going strong as they prepare to participate in the Fall Festival & Parade.

Bullseye Shooting Sports had youth compete in State Expo in October 2020 and did very well. Two of their club members qualified to compete in the Annual National Shooting Sports Competition held in Nebraska in June 2021. Both team members did very well in the shotgun division, showing their skills not only as marksmen, but also with sportsman like conduct, working as a team with other kids from across the US and jumping in to help staff members and volunteers with anything they could. State Expo is coming up again in Winnemucca and they have two more members that have qualified to compete in the archery event.

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 scrimmages and then at Regional and State Levels. They scored the highest in the State for their robot game, and were looking forward to competing at a National Level, before the competition was canceled related to COVID-19. As they continue to demonstrate strong teamwork, engineering and building skills, they consistently perform well and embody the nature of both FIRST and 4-H. They adapted to changes and ran fundraisers and secured sponsors. Awkward Silence recruited new team members, as the majority graduated May 2021. They are excited for the upcoming FIRST year with new challenges, builds and team members.

Community & Economic Development:  Extension Office, Pahrump

Southern Nye County Extension Office, in Pahrump, complied with all state mandated COVID restrictions and provided free PPE to visitors.  The search committee’s recruitment efforts for Extension Educator were ongoing.

• July 2020 through June 2021, the office remained open 9am-3:00p, Monday through Friday, for phone inquiries and by appointment for in-person services. 
• Beginning July 2021, the office reopened for walk-in services and has remained open Monday through Friday, 9am – 3:00pm.
• A conference room with technology, to allow for video conferencing, was available for agencies to schedule and use for free.  Compliance with COVID State Mandates were required.  Our location hosted:

• Alzheimer’s Association “Engage Your Brain” Series
• NyE Community Coalition Collaborative Meetings & Diabetes, Chronic Disease and Caregiving in Uncertain Times Workshops
• Pesticide Safety Training Classes
• Radon Education (distributed 36 kits)
• Grow Your Own, Nevada! Classes (virtual 2021)

Horticulture

The Extension Horticulture program is very important to the residents of Southern Nye County, and Pahrump, that have come to rely on the education and expertise provided by their local help desk. 

• COVID impacted how horticulture assistance was provided, with an expected decrease in walk-in visitors and an increase in telephone inquiries. 

*Office Closed March 2020-July 2020 due to COVID.

Trained Master Gardener staff and volunteers distribute research-based Extension Fact Sheets and Special Publications, provide recommendations to homeowners regarding successful gardening, weed and pest management techniques.

• 26 Pahrump Master Gardeners logged 9,358 public interactions and volunteered 2,607 hours at a financial value of $74,403.78.

• Farmers’ Market is hosted and managed by Pahrump Master Gardeners. 

• Offered year round, with an average of 20 vendor booths weekly
• Averages 200 visitors weekly, with upwards of 10,000 visits annually

The Market managers guide Produce Vendors to obtain and display current Nevada Producers’ certificates, and Cottage Foods vendors register with the NV Dept. of Health to follow safe recommended preparation, handling, packaging and labeling practices. The Market is located in the parking lot of Tractor Supply at 900 E. NV Hwy 372, Pahrump.

The Market observes Nevada Health Response guidelines, featuring essential produce, eggs, honey, cottage foods, hand-made soaps and crafts, ensuring access to fresh local food for area residents, visitors and shoppers.

• Horticulture Education is the foundation of the Master Gardener program and offered the following courses in multiple formats: 

• Master Gardener Training Class (five new certified) and Monthly Meetings (Zoom/Hybrid)
• Gardening Workshops and Demonstration Garden
• Floyd School Garden and Discovery Park 
• Pine Tree Recycling and Composting
• Adopt-A-Highway
• Earth Day Grab-n-Go and Wild West Extravaganza

FISCAL YEAR 2020 – 2021:  FINANCIAL REPORT

Published by: Allen, M., 2021, Nye County Annual Report | Fiscal Year 2020-2021, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, County Reports

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