People in Extension

Jessica JJ Hendrickson joined the team as county coordinator for White Pine and Eureka counties on June 24, 2024. She came from Kenai, Alaska where she was the Chief Animal Control Officer at the Kenai Animal Shelter for almost a decade. In that role, she collaborated with government officials, hospitals and nonprofit organizations to ensure that shelter operations complied with state and federal regulations. She developed, implemented and hosted educational outreach programs and conducted animal safety demonstrations, some of which included a partnership with the local 4-H Youth Program along with other organizations.

Her primary role as Extension County Coordinator is to work with community members to identify community-based educational needs and bring in programming that meets those needs in the areas of agriculture, children, youth and families, horticulture, community development, natural resources, and health and nutrition. Another role of the position is to supervise the White Pine and Eureka Extension offices and staff to ensure programming addresses community needs.   

One of her favorite things about her previous role “was engaging with community members and finding ways to enhance the community she served,” Hendrickson said. “As the county coordinator for White Pine and Eureka counties, I look forward to reaching a broader audience and introducing valuable programs tailored to the unique needs of each community.”

Hendrickson holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and a master’s degree in zoology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Program Impacts

4-H & Youth Development

In 2023-2024 the White Pine Extension office served 87 4-H youth in community clubs with 226 projects. There were eight adults volunteers as project leaders, program leaders and advisors. In August 2023, the White Pine County Fair was held where 73 youth 4-H members exhibited 14 market beef, 34 market lambs and 9 market swine. Members entered 120 projects in static exhibits in areas like Fine Arts, Leathercrafts, Welding, Woodworking and Culinary, to name a few.

4-H members, along with the White Pine Chamber of Commerce held the annual Community Easter Egg Hunt, the Saturday before Easter. Areas were staked out by age groups and plastic eggs filled with goodies were scattered for the kids to gather. There is an egg in each age group that contains a “ticket” for a big prize. 4-H members dressed as a bunny and chick were available for photos.

Events this year included an archery game at the Renaissance Fair, the annual Achievement Night, a 4-H themed decorated tree donated for the annual Festival of Trees, the Cookie Crawl, STEAM night at the Railroad, a STEM windmill project at the Boys & Girls Club, and the David E Normal (DEN) school carnival.

Outreach and Education

Outreach

White Pine Extension promoted and advertised many programs offered by state extension including the Home Horticulture Certifications class offered online, as well as the Master Gardner program. Flyers were distributed promoting and advertising the Cultivating Healthy Plants Webinar series presented by the University of Nevada Reno in conjunction with other Western state Universities. The office also prints and distributes Healthy Living While Aging newsletters.

The White Pine office continues to be a presence for people in the community to field questions about things like crops, growing seasons and questions about home gardens. The office provides resources for where people can find answers as well as connecting them with experts such as Master Gardeners and specialists at the University of Nevada, Reno Extension. The office also provides many fact sheets for the community on gardening and pests.

Radon

February 2024 was designated Radon Awareness Month by both the White Pine County Commission and Ely City Council in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno Extension Radon Program. The White Pine Extension continues to promote awareness that radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas that, at high levels, raises the risk of lung cancer. The White Pine office provided free home radon test kits during the months of January and February and has them available to the public year-round.

Nevada Economic Assessment Project

The Nevada Economic Assessment Project (NEAP) is a statewide program with the mission to develop and maintain an extensive data archive with timely, meaningful, and consistent characteristics and a set of analytical tools used to provide Nevada’s communities with research and analysis of emerging issues through outreach and engagement. NEAP Webpage: https://extension.unr.edu/neap/default.aspx NEAP Contact: EconDev@unr.edu

Rural Housing Baseline Assessments

Housing affordability and availability is an ongoing issue in Nevada. Housing data is often scattered across many sources with varying reliability and consistency, making it challenging to navigate. NEAP and Nevada Rural Housing have worked together since late 2022 with the goal of gathering and analyzing data to present the current housing situation in the counties and communities across the state. These tools are intended to inform decision-making by local leaders and private partners interested in contributing to rural Nevada's housing solutions. Baseline data collection and initial analysis were performed for White Pine County. Reports and fact sheets will be available in FY25 around December 2024.

State Parks Visitor Use Surveying

NEAP has partnered with State Parks since early 2022 for visitor use surveying across all 27 State Park locations in Nevada. State Parks staff recruit visitors at each park to take an online survey. The survey gives an extensive look at the visitors’ experience at the park, preferences for future change, and spending on their travels. The statewide data profile and economic and fiscal impact reports are available online at: https://extension.unr.edu/neap/default.aspx

The State Parks surveyed in White Pine County were Cave Lake and Ward Charcoal Ovens. Park specific infographic fact sheets will be available in FY25 around October 2024.

Foundational Public Health Services

NEAP and NACO conducted a survey of public health infrastructure across Nevada's rural and frontier counties.  A national Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) framework describes the baseline level of services that should be offered through all governmental health departments. The results of the survey will help guide future public health advocacy and investment, including the development of regional public health services. The survey asks participants to provide expertise, capacity, and implementation ratings for each of the Foundational Areas and Capabilities, and also provide free responses on services/programs they know about in each Area and Capability at the county, state, and community partner level. Surveying for White Pine County was conducted. The in-person community review and verification workshop was conducted in FY25. The statewide report will be available in FY25 around October 2024. County fact sheets will be available in FY25 around the end of 2024.