Program Impacts of Southern Nye

4-H programs offered are based on community interest and rely on volunteer leaders.
4-H is a youth-based organization serving ages 5-19 that utilizes the research-based curriculum and resources provided by Extension. The programming is experiential and youth-driven, facilitated by community volunteers, and supervised by Extension staff.

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. We continue offering quality programs with new, innovative delivery methods.

• 142 youth participated in 4-H educational programming
• 95 group enrollments
• 142 member enrollment in clubs facilitated by 25 volunteer leaders 

Highlighted Clubs

Amargosa Valley

• FIVE new 4-H clubs in Amargosa Valley (Sewing, Dog, Cooking/Baking, Craft, Engineering)
• Craft bag projects were provided to the library for youth to assemble with instructions.
• Summer day camp project materials provided.
• Part-time 4-H Coordinator hired to connect and provide programs to Amargosa youth.
• Recruitment of volunteers to lead clubs.
• Paint and supplies donated from 4-H Pahrump to Amargosa Library for Mural Project.
• Staff and volunteers participated in Amargosa Days.
• Gingerbread house decorating contest for Community Christmas Dinner.

Pahrump

• 4-H Open Enrollment: In person event on Thursday, April 10, 5.30-8 p.m., well attended with new members joining.
• Art Co-Op: Offers hands-on arts and crafts, with creative use of materials and supplies provided. Art Show held in June
• Back to School Event at Pahrump Valley High School: 1500 4-H branded pencils and pens donated, with promotional flyers, to participants who visited 4-H table.
• Beatty: Introductory tour by Hayley in Ql (August) to establish connections and understand community needs and desires for 4-H programming and volunteer opportunities.
• Cloverbuds: Youngest groups of 4-H1ers(age 5-8) enjoy a wide range of separate and shared activities, from Mindfulness to STEAM, often with Community Club members.
• Community Club: Business meetings and support for all other 4-H clubs; host monthly speakers at club meetings. Demonstrate preferred good leadership skills. Donated 1500 4-H branded items for Back to School supply drive Help local worthy causes (Inspirations Senior Living/VFW/Avery's Bicycles) during December holiday season. Service project making 75 Valentine's Day cards for Inspirations Senior Living.
• Dog Den (age 9-19): Club has beginners and advanced to offer deeper focus. Owners and dogs learn on and off leash disciplines including obedience, agility, rally commands, showmanship and improved everyday situations. Many members earned their first certificate in K-9 good citizenship and are working on achieving their second.
• FIRST Lego League Explore (age 6-10): Participated in Submerged season designing and coding their LEGO robot.
• FIRST Lego League Challenge (age 11-14): Focus on fundamentals of engineering and design, whilst learning to code and create unique solutions, through hands-on STEM explorations. Enrollment Open House held in May to recruit new members and meet leaders.
• FIRST Tech Challenge Awkward Silence competitive Robotics Team #12991 (age 15-19) meet regularly, with schedule of presentations including: STEM Summer Camp served 4-H and non-4-H youth (9-13) in Southern Nye County, wrapping up with Expo and Competition, with participants from Pahrump and Beatty. MeetPlay attended in Las Vegas provides opportunity for local outreach and engagement with other Southern area FTC teams. MeetPlay hosted in Pahrump, welcoming other Southern Nevada FTC teams. STEM presentation given in Las Vegas. Participated in League Championships in Las Vegas, to round out the 2024-2025 season Into The Deep. Open House held for recruitment purposes. Participated in Sock Hop dinner party fundraiser held at VFW. 
• Kids in the Garden: Members tend their garden on site with guidance from club leader as they learn about growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Garden related crafts are also enjoyed indoors.
• Life After 18: Life skills club, with focus on resume writing, job interviews, finance knowledge. Military career guest speaker zoom presentation was enjoyed this year.
• Livestock: Teaches safe and healthy care and upkeep of livestock with hands-on learning about a variety of animals including goats, dairy cows, swine, turkeys, ducks, pigeons, doves and rabbits. Built their own obstacle course on site, utilized during goat showmanship practice. Hold their own Livestock Shows where members enjoy wearing their 4-H outfits. Pack goat Cold Creek hike and camp trip. Silent Auction with proceeds going to Wounded Warrior Project. Prize items were donated from local businesses. Participated in Fall Festival Parade 2024 with decorated truck and float.
• Minecraft: Members meet regularly to work as a team, building a club community on their server.
• Sewing: Members develop skills working through 4-H Project Books, with new machines. Designed and created a group quilt as a fundraiser.
• Word Play Cafe Creative Writing: Members enjoyed summer camp, with parents invited to Reveal event, on final day. Members attended regular meetings, with published author as leader, before wrapping up the group in February. Club's Story Walk in Extension Demonstration Garden continues to be enjoyed by visitors.

EXTENSION OFFICE, PAHRUMP

Office open to public walk-in and telephone with staff available to answer Horticulture questions Monday through Friday (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.). A detailed inquiry log is maintained for program outreach purposes. Public inquiries received assistance during FY2024-2025 as follows:

936 office visits and 179 telephone calls.

Horticulture Southern Nye

The Extension Horticulture program is very important to the residents of Southern Nye County, who have come to rely on the education and expertise provided by their local Pahrump help desk. Trained Master Gardener staff and volunteers distribute research-based Extension Publications to advise homeowners on best gardening practices for the unique Mojave Desert climate in Pahrump.

Desert Demonstration Garden is a professionally designed landscape garden, which is maintained by Master Gardener volunteers and provides the opportunity for self-guided tours, with an information kiosk stocked with Extension Horticulture publications and class/event schedules. Guided tours during Wednesday & Friday morning volunteer sessions and/or at other times when volunteers/staff available or by appointment. This is on the 3 acre University owned site in Pahrump.
Demonstration Vegetable Garden maintained by Master Gardener volunteers. Public welcome for Q & A on Wed/Fri mornings. Seasonal vegetables and herbs are grown and offered for donation at Pahrump Farmers' Market. Q3/Q4 produce yield 166 lbs.

Community Events

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

  • Offered year round, with 1352 vendor booths participating
  • Attended by estimate 15,650 visitors including local area residents.
  • Local farms are assisted in obtaining Nevada Producer Certificate
  • Nevada Producer Certificate and/or Cottage Food registration required of vendors who sell home-grown produce, eggs, honey, home-made cottage foods, with hand-made soaps, arts and crafts also available
  • Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Vouchers accepted May 1 to August 15
  • WIC-Soli-Market App accepted July 1 to November 30, 2024
  • Tractor Supply National Farmers' Market event on September 28 swelled attendance
  • Market located in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Co at 900 E. NV Hwy 372, Pahrump, NV 89048.

• Pahrump Fall Festival 2024

  • Food & Horticulture Exhibit hosted and judged by Pahrump Master Gardeners.
  • 22 volunteers contributed 220 hours over 7 days
  • 112 Food/Horticulture entries facilitated
  • 1301 public visitors welcomed into the Exhibit display room; gardening inquiries answered and supported with UNR horticulture publications available.

• Earth Day

  • Bob Ruud Center with Master Gardener information table; free giveaways of seeds and plants grown at home by volunteers.
  • 9 members donated 3 flats of plants, which were shared with visitors; 34 Penstemon seed packs and 57 handouts
  • 100 adults and 15 youth direct contacts
  • 22 hours of volunteer time contributed

• Wild West Extravaganza

  • Master Gardener information table was visited by 60 people, with Extension publications available and hands-on in person gardening advice from Professor ML Robinson, Horticulture Specialist from Extension, Las Vegas.

Other Community Events with Pahrump Master Gardeners in person outreach participation include:

• Giant Pumpkin Contest with 8 pumpkins entered from 1 adult and 6 youth, representing 4 families. Pumpkins were grown from seeds received at the July event, with winning entries weighing in at 46 lbs, 44 lbs, 31lbs.
• Yellow Horn Tree site trials offered to qualifying/interested Pahrump growers, with research led by Professor ML Robinson, Horticultural Specialist from Extension Las Vegas.
• Demonstration Day in The Garden with hands-on volunteers showing how to care for cacti, roses, iris, fall vegetables, composting, irrigation, raised beds, and pruning palm trees by Professor ML Robinson.
• SpookyEye at Calvada Eye estimated 783 attendees (196 adults/587youth) received free seeds, 4-H information, beginning reader books/pencils/treats at combined Extension/PMG/4-H table with 3 volunteers.
• 30 PMGs with guests attended Volunteer Appreciation Potluck BBQ, held at member's home.
• Garden Luminary Stroll & Tree Education. Cookies and cocoa served in festively decorated garden.
• Live-cut tree recycling with 53 trees chipped, providing garden mulch. Partnership with Layton Tree Service.
• Dry Wash on-site cleanup with Scout Troop #444, 3 adults and 4 youth contributed 16 volunteer hours.
• Adopt a Highway Cleanup SR372 one-mile section with combined effort of 17 PMGs and 3 Clean Up Pahrump members, gathering 12 bags trash and contributing 12 volunteer hours.
• Community Presentations and Promotions include:
  • Master Gardener program on KPVM-25 Community Viewpoint and KHWG-100.1 FM radio.
  • Horticulture presentation to Private Well Owners Association, with 35 attendees.

Horticulture Education is the foundation of the Master Gardener program, now delivered in new statewide style via Zoom, as Home Horticulture Level 1 and 2. This year 7 out of 9 Nye County students achieved certification to become active interns.

In-person Workshops attracted 253 attendees, including:

• Native Plants with ML (16)
• Demonstration Days in the Garden (38)
• Winter Season Tree Care (129)
• Pruning with ML (14)
• Gardening Journal with PMG Laura J at PVGC (56)

In-person/Zoom Workshops attracted 56 attendees, including:

• Master Gardener Orientations (12)
• 1 PM webinar series (15)
• Growing Under The Stars series Fall Garden Prep (17)
• Rodent Control (7)
• Creating a Sustainable Landscape (5)

Other Extension Programs available to Nye County residents, hosted by the Pahrump office include: 

• Cattlemen1 s Update (shown via Zoom)
• Radon Education (20) free radon test kits distributed

22 Pahrump Master Gardeners contributed a total of 3,223.25 volunteer hours in Community Projects and Events during FY2024-2025, valued at $112,136.87*. (*based on $34.79 volunteer hourly rate per Independent Sector)

Program Impacts of Northern Nye County

Extension efforts and impacts address four community identified critical needs, with primary efforts on Community & Economic Development and Personal & Family Development program areas, and Agriculture

Northern Nye County Extension Program Reach

TOTAL CONTACTS
4059
 
Youth Contacts
2716
 
Adult Contacts
1165
 
Volunteer Instances
178

Personal & Family Development: 4-H Community Group

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.
2,600+ Contacts with Youth: Our professional staff created and delivered 4-H youth programming, in the form of group and club meetings, community events, special interest activities, and day camps. Below are details regarding the programs Extension delivered to the Round Mountain and Tonopah communities:

Club, Projects & Groups:

2,331 Contacts with Youth with 1021 instances of adult participation and 158 instances of volunteering 

CLOVERBUDS: hands-on activities and discovery
 
KEEPING FIT & HEALTHY: health, nutrition and safety
 
VISUAL ARTS: expression of skill and imagination
 
VET & HORSE SCIENCE: biology and animal science

• Cloverbuds: for our youngest youth ages 5-8 years old. This 4-H program inspires curiosity in our young learners, encouraging exploration, creativity and cultivating a spirit of community service.
• Keeping Fit & Healthy: helping youth understand the importance of eating healthy and being active. Placing the youth on the right path to healthy habits.
• Visual Arts: offers creative outlets for youth to express their feelings and emotions through many mediums. Youth get hands on opportunities to create and display their works.
• 4-H Exploration: focusing on STEM projects, learning the basics of printing process, intermolecular polarity, operating a concession stand and earning money for club projects.
• 4-H Gardening Club: learning the processes of all aspects of gardening in the high desert

Special Interest Programs:

278 Contacts with Youth with 125 instances of adult participation and 0 instances of volunteering

COLLEGE HOUR BABYSITTING TRAINING: post-secondary planning and prep youth workforce development

• College Days and FAFSA Nights: energizing days and FAFSA evening workshops
• Adult College Hour Provided career and education pathway exploration for adults
• Post-Secondary Planning Workshops: inspire possibilities and future planning
• Career Day Fair: large event exposing students to diverse professions and pathways
• Babysitting Training: providing teens with knowledge and skills for babysitting

Day Camps & Events:

107 Contacts with Youth with 8 instances of adult participation and 20 instances of volunteering

COSMIC DAY CAMPS: study of stars & astronomy
ARBOR DAY: planting and caring of trees
FESTIVAL OF TREES: tree decorating, family fun
COMMUNITY CRAFT NIGHT: family time, fun games

• Cosmic Camp Day Camps: providing hands-on activities in Tonopah & Round Mountain
• Festival of Trees: winter wonderland of beautifully decorated trees in Tonopah
• Arbor Day: celebrating the importance of trees in our lives through conservation
• Community Craft Night: bringing family and community together for fun and games
• Volleyball Camp: providing learning skills necessary to play the game

Community & Economic Development

Community development is the foundation for all economic development. The residents in and around Tonopah, through conversations with 125 individuals, including 50 agencies and organizations, collectively identified three critical needs:

1. No Hospital/Lack of medical services
2. No licensed childcare (in-home or center-based)
3. Lack of housing

Meeting these needs is crucial to the stability and future growth of the community. Northern Nye County has been experiencing a reduction in families and working-age people. Creating an action plan to address critical community identified needs, simultaneously serve as both 1) prevention strategy for community trends, societal issues and at-risk behaviors and 2) talent-retention strategy to support recruitment and retention of critical professionals (medical providers, teachers, scientists) and families.
Where appropriate, Extension efforts support the community in addressing these critical needs.

Related Extension Services

HOSPITAL & MEDICAL SERVICES HOUSING: collaboration, represent local needs
CHILDCARE: after-school care, local & state advisory
HOUSING: housing summit, plan development
CAPACITY BUILDING: workforce development & community engagement

• Resources and technical assistance to expansion of medical services, including multiple resource fairs, and healthcare surveys
• Rural Partners Network Member: in partnership with the USDA and Nye County to develop funding proposals and technical support for projects addressing local medical and childcare needs
• Child Development Center Project: in partnership with Nye County and USDA Rural Partner Network, Extension provided technical assistance to the Child Development Center project
• Child Development Champion: provides local advocacy for funding and assistance in "childcare deserts."
• Capacity Building: Child Development Associate, and Building Blocks of Community Sustainability and Resilience

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Every year, the country and state experience a loss of farmers and ranchers. Alarmingly, more producers are leaving the agricultural industry than they are entering it. With agriculture identified as a national security issue, it is growing increasingly important to support and expand industry to meet future demand. This need, to domestically feed our own, is in direct conflict with our limited water resources in Nye County and the state. With over appropriated water basins and water right retirement plans, agricultural producers are faced with the challenge of keeping their land in production with less water.
Concurrently, America is on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050 with solar projects an integral component to federal and state strategies. The Nye County public has expressed opposition to single-priority solar projects for multiple reasons, which include unkept industry promises, lack of land stewardship, loss of social use on public land projects, and lack of direct community benefits, among others. Solar project development, Extension efforts work to address these critical needs.

Related Extension Activities

AGRIVOLTAICS: farming and ranching under solar panels
COMMUNITY BENEFIT AGREEMENTS: on public land use projects 
CO-PRIORITIZED SOLAR: Increasing land use efficiency
CAPACITY BUILDING: addressing obstacles and barriers

• Agrivoltaics: the numerous utility scale solar project permit applications have alarmed citizens and local jurisdictions. Shared land use strategies, such as agrivoltaics, provide potential benefits that may be of interest to Nye County. Agrivoltaics could be leveraged to increase new agricultural production and retain existing producers at the county and state level, while generating electricity. Agrivoltaics in Urban Centers: cultivating local food and energy security sparking curiosity around the science, technology, and benefits of agrivoltaics systems.
• Government Affairs: With Sheila Bray's guidance and support, Misha facilitated a meeting with Assemblyman Watts: Extension led discussion, with multi-agencies, regarding a potential agrivoltaics project, on private land, in Diamond Valley which is of interest to Assemblyman Watts.
  Eureka County, The Nature Conservancy, and UNR Extension Project includes a private landowner, ag producer with water rights retirement, looking to agrivoltaics' water conservation capabilities as a potential solution to retain ag land in production
• Public Land Use Projects & Community Benefit Agreements: federal land use projects do not pay local property tax, and many large-scale projects are receiving state tax abatements, leaving little financial benefit for host communities. Community Benefit Agreements can be co-developed (between the project owner and community members) and ranked during local permitting processes, to ensure direct community benefit to communities impacted by projects.
• Capacity Building Rural-Frontier-Tribal Communities: National and state demand for minerals (lithium, gold, silver, copper) and renewable energy production disproportionately impacts Nevada's rural, frontier, and tribal communities. These communities are asked to shoulder the burden of these large-scale projects in the face of limited social and community infrastructure that negatively impacts community sustainability and capacity to engage in initiatives. With limited technical experts and resources in rural, frontier, and tribal communities, they are dependent on urban center decision makers to deploy the technical knowledge and resources to meet collective goals, highlighting the urban-rural-frontier-tribal connections. Viewing community capacity as a "limiting factor", to economic development and conservation efforts, will help researchers and decision makers develop strategies in deploying urban centered technical knowledge and resources to rural, frontier, and tribal communities to help achieve collective goals and increase success of state-wide initiatives. It is an unrealistic expectation to simply offer the rural-frontier-tribal communities' access to grant money and expect them to have the technical knowledge to develop project proposals. That technical knowledge must be deployed from the urban centers. In turn, minerals and energy production will benefit the urban centers and contribute to state-wide goals. Northern Nye County Extension works to represent and teach these urban-rural-frontier-tribal connections to develop community capacity.

NEAP Information for Nye County

Nye

State Parks Visitor Use Survey

• Berlin-ichthyosaur

Rural Housing Baseline Assessments

• Baseline data collection and analysis

Foundational Public Health Services

• Online surveying and in-person community review and verification workshop

Healthy Living Initiative

• Aging Mastery Program® - Empowering participants to build their own roadmap for aging well through goal setting, sustainable habits, and social engagement.
• Bingocize® - A lively blend of Bingo and exercise that promotes movement, fall prevention, and fun.
• Cooking Matters® - Equipping individuals with the skills to shop smart, understand nutritional labels, and prepare affordable, delicious meals.
• Disrupt Aging - A thought-provoking curriculum that challenges perceptions and trends of aging and explores aging careers and their relevance to personal and professional life.
• Newsletter Distribution: We publish the Healthy LIVING while aging! newsletter monthly, packed with tips, recipes, and insights.

SNAP-Ed

Extension provides SNAP-Ed research-based nutrition education to Nevada's SNAP recipients and those who are eligible. Using the socio-ecological model to prompt behavior change, Extension faculty and staff provide education to children, youth and adults throughout the state of Nevada. • Duckwater SNAP-Ed Recruitment, with Macy Helm's guidance and support, Misha has a Nutrition Educator recruitment open in Duckwater who will bring SNAP-Ed, with our tribal partners, to the Duckwater community

• After multiple presentations and work group meetings, the Duckwater Tribal Council approved and signed a Collaboration Agreement
• We will partner to bring a 19 hr/week SNAP-Ed position to the tribe, to provide nutritional education to their community

Fiscal Overview

FY 25 Expenses Nye County

State: $155,898
Federal: $97,294
County: $202,022
Grants: $206,292
Gifts: $7,266
Other: $21,670
Total: $690,442

FY 25 Nye County Funds Summary

Opening Balance: $211,339
Revenue: $308,956
Expenses: $202,022
Ending Balance: $318,273