4-H Youth Development

The Washoe County 4-H Youth Development programs empower youth to become thriving members of society through experiential learning and inquiry-based environments offered through several delivery modes. This program reached 9,840 youth in Washoe County in 2023-2024. 4-H youth learn to find their sparks, gain a sense of belonging, form relationships with their peers and caring adults, and demonstrate engagement in their communities. Long-term outcomes include greater academic or vocational education success, civic engagement, employment, economic stability, and increased happiness and well-being. 4-H Youth Development has proven merit in Washoe County with high stakeholder praise and status. A total of 264 volunteers provided direct learning opportunities for youth in Washoe County. Volunteers contributed the equivalent of 1.6 million dollars to the county's well-being. 

• 4674 youth in School Enrichment Programs
• 2939 youth in After School STEM Programs in 23 Washoe County Title I schools
• 78 youth in 4-H overnight Camp Programs
• 811 youth in STEM/STEAM Day Camps
• 365 youth in 4-H clubs facilitated by club volunteers
• 966 youth participated in Stem/Steam-Based Projects
• Seven youth in Individual Study/Mentoring/Family Learning Programs 

Master Gardeners

The Washoe County Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who teach research-based educational workshops, answer community questions, and grow seedlings adapted to Northern Nevada. The Master Gardeners logged a total of 5,324 volunteer hours, which translates to a public value of $178,300, significantly extending the reach of the Extension’s horticulture programs.

The Master Gardener volunteers participated in 1,304 hours of continuing education, expanding their science-based knowledge used to assist our community with horticultural questions and needs. They trained with the Museum of Natural History and the NDA’s State Entomologist to increase accurate insect identification at the help desks.

The Help Desk provided Washoe County residents with horticulture information via 1,378 phone calls, emails, and walk-in assists to community members. They expanded their outreach efforts via mobile Help Desks located at Rancho San Rafael Master Gardener Teaching & Demonstration Garden, Spanish Springs Library, and Soulful Seeds Community outreach days.

Master Gardeners held horticultural talks at Gardening in Nevada, The Bartley Ranch Series. 916 participants attended, and they collected 395 pounds of food to donate to the Northern Nevada Food Bank.

The Master Gardener grew seedlings for the annual plant sale, which generated $14,364 in local sales. They prioritized vegetable and herb seedlings that do well in Northern Nevada’s unique climate. 

Master Gardeners added the Jr. Master Gardener program to their community efforts this year, with drop-in after school classes at the South Valley Library using STEM- and STEAM-based concepts taught with hands-on horticultural activities to 117 participants.

Horticulture - Community Education 

NevadaScapes is a popular hands-on training that teaches homeowners to conserve landscape water and reduce irrigation run-off, keeping pesticides and other pollutants out of the Truckee River. Three workshops were held for 70 community members, who had a self-reported increase in knowledge of 46%.

The Grow Your Own, Nevada program provides practical information on growing food at home, with the goal of reducing the number of food deserts in Nevada and helping residents become more self-sufficient. They taught 8 separate classes in a live, online venue to a total of 850 Nevadans, including 403 Washoe County residents. Over 500 people viewed the recording of this program. Attendees showed an average increase in knowledge of 40% after attending the course.

The Extension partnered with the local chapter of Bee City USA and the Master Gardeners to launch a new Pollinator Garden Tour to observe National Pollinator Week. Over 100 people attended. More than 80% of attendees reported increased knowledge of how to protect pollinators, and 77% plan to use more pollinator plants in their garden.

Horticulture - Workforce Development 

Green Industry Training is a course for professionals new to the nursery and landscape industry, designed to provide the skills they need to be successful. We provided the course for 91 green industry professionals; 30 tested and achieved their certification.

Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper is an EPA WaterSense labeled professional certification program that aims to teach landscape water efficiency to landscape professionals. The Truckee Meadows Water Authority generously sponsored the program this year, allowing the Extension to offer the program for free to 33 landscape professionals; 29 passed the certification exam. These certified QWEL professionals are listed at QWEL.net, where Nevada homeowners can search for and hire them. 

The Urban Integrated Pest Management program collaborated with three neighboring states (ID, UT, MT) to host 8 webinars for professionals and the public. Webinars were attended by 2,020 unique viewers, with 1,285 additional views of the recordings on YouTube. 98% of attendees reported improved knowledge as a result of attendance, and 90% intend to try at least one of the recommended pest management strategies.

The Pesticide Safety Education program provides continuing education units (CEUs) for professionals to achieve and retain their professional certification to safely apply pesticides. Extension partnered with the Nevada Department of Agriculture to provide certified applicator workshops to 110 participants, who showed an average increase in knowledge of 46% after attendance.

The Weed Warriors program, provided in collaboration with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, trains weed management professionals to identify and effectively manage noxious weeds. They trained 33 weed management professionals, providing them with 18.5 professional CEUs to maintain their certification through the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Attendees identified an average of 9 more weeds on a test of 16 weeds after completing the training.

Nevada Bilingual Landscaper Training is a hands-on training taught in English with a Spanish language interpreter. This year’s program reached over 40 participants with information on pruning, landscape management, irrigation, and pest control.

Nevada Radon Education Program 

The Nevada Radon Education Program (NREP) educates Nevadans about the dangers of radon gas, a naturally occurring carcinogen that is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. NREP partners with community leaders, real estate professionals, health professionals, and the Nevada Cancer Coalition to recognize this threat and encourage radon testing across Nevada.

• 2,435 homes tested for radon in Washoe County 
• 1,516 homes tested during home buying process in Nevada
• 153 homes mitigated for radon in Washoe County
• 949 Real estate professionals educated through continuing education classes 

In recognition of its success, NREP was chosen to host an Environmental Protection Agency conference on radon, which attracted over 100 attendees from 13 states and tribal nations.

Health and Nutrition 

Extension’s Health and Nutrition department delivered Supplemental Nutrition Education Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) programming to 2,076 limited-resourced, SNAP-eligible Washoe County residents across the lifespan through nutrition education, health promotion, and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approaches.

The Health and Nutrition team supported early childcare education centers by empowering partners to make achievable and sustainable changes that inspire children to live healthier lives, identify healthy foods, and develop physical literacy skills. To accomplish this goal, they: 

• Used PSE approaches to improve child wellness at four limited-resource preschool centers reaching 93 children ages 3 to 5 years.
• Provided classroom-based nutrition education to 26 preschool-aged children, with 145 total contact interactions, at one preschool center.
• Coordinated four family engagement and wellness events reaching 30 parents of children aged 3 to 5 years; delivered Nevada Registry approved trainings to 141 preschool teachers, administrators, and other early childhood professionals.
• Through indirect efforts, an estimated 198 parents of children aged 3 to 5 years were reached through monthly healthy message boards at ECE centers.

The SNAP-Ed early childhood education team partnered with Minds in Motion, a local preschool, to implement Color Me Healthy nutrition curriculum. The teachers found tremendous success in teaching and sharing this program with the students. They found that even the teachers were trying and liking the new foods! One teacher shared that she enjoyed one of the foods that was offered as a tasting option so much that she now buys it for her daily snacks.

The Health and Nutritional team taught school-aged children about healthy eating and physical activity through evidenced-based curricula and other targeted efforts to reduce and prevent childhood obesity. Efforts included nutrition education, fruit and vegetable exposure through tasting events, and supporting student wellness through lunchroom initiatives. In total, they made direct contact with 3,989 youth in Title 1 elementary schools and community sites. The Health and Nutrition team: 

• Provided classroom-based nutrition education to 572 third and fourth-grade students, with 2,844 total contact interactions, in seven Title 1 Elementary schools.
• Provided summer nutrition education to 228 K-12 youth participants, with 1,145 total contact interactions, at local community sites serving limited-resourced youth audiences.
• Supported student wellness by conducting Smarter Lunchroom assessments to support the School Wellness Policy and lunchroom environments in two Washoe County Title 1 elementary schools, reaching 208 students.
• Held two school-wide tasting events at two Title I elementary schools, which promoted healthy snack options and showcased nutrient-dense tasting portions of spinach and blood oranges to K-5 students, serving 358 students.
• Through indirect efforts, an estimated 116 parents of school-aged children were reached through nutrition flier distribution.

The Health and Nutrition program engaged with SNAP-eligible adults by providing evidence-based nutrition programming to empower adults to make achievable and sustainable changes related to nutrition and physical activity practices, to lead healthier lives. They:

• Provided nutrition education to 175 adults, with 251 total contact interactions, at six community sites serving limited-resourced, SNAP-eligible audiences.
• Participated in and coordinated several community outreach and health promotion events, reaching approximately 70 adults.

Extension supported the Desert Farming Initiative (DFI) team’s efforts to increase access to and awareness of healthy foods for SNAP-eligible Nevadans by encouraging farmers markets across the state to become SNAP-authorized and to create SNAP shopper friendly environments. They launched the second statewide postcard awareness campaign in efforts to increase awareness amongst SNAP shoppers of Nevada farmers markets that accept SNAP/EBT benefits. A total of 15,373 mailers were sent out to SNAP-eligible households across seven priority zip codes in Washoe, Clark and Lyon Counties, supporting seven SNAP-authorized farmers markets in northern Nevada, five of which are in Washoe County. A total of 245 informational flyers on how SNAP shoppers can use their SNAP/EBT benefits at five SNAP authorized farmers markets in Washoe County were distributed to 18 community resource organizations.

They established 23 community partnerships, including Washoe County School District, Northern Nevada Public Health, Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, Women and Children Center of the Sierra, City of Reno Parks & Recreation, A+ Learning Center and various other early childhood education centers, and local farmers markets. This group of partners collaborated together as the Northern Nevada Food Security Coalition. 

Early Childhood Education

The Early Childhood Education program utilized the Preschool Development Grant to provide early childhood workforce development programming to new and experienced early childhood and pre-K educators. Over 125 early childhood professionals in Northern Nevada received more than 500 hours of professional early childhood training and coaching. This “train the trainer” technique is laying the groundwork for a brighter future for Northern Nevada’s youngest learners.  

Living with Fire 

The Living with Fire program provides practical, research-based recommendations on preparing for wildfire and reducing wildfire threats to homes and communities in Northern Nevada. They shared information and resources at 14 community events across Washoe County, where they directly connected with 671 adults and 51 youth. They distributed 1,088 educational publications. They also hosted 14 workshop events, where they shared information with 591 adults and 40 youth. These presentations covered topics including defensible space education for landscape professionals, fire weather and wildfire tracking, and community wildfire defense planning and grant writing. 

They collaborated with many state and national partners to host the Fire Adapted Nevada summit at the University of Nevada, Reno. A total of 106 people attended, including many Washoe community leaders. An interactive grant writing workshop included in this summit showed a 43% increase in attendees who were "moderately confident" in their ability to apply for wildfire preparedness grants. There was also a 28% decrease in those who were "not confident" in their ability to apply for grants. This contributed to the summit’s aim of empowering individuals and communities to prepare for wildfires. 

The Living with Fire team taught 68 classes on fire science at the Academy of Arts Career and Technology. This program is offered in collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, and the Washoe County School District. 14 of these students had the opportunity to train with local wildland firefighters in a “Mock Fire” drill near Hidden Valley.