Minutes of the
Cooperative Extension Service State Advisory Face to Face Council Meeting
November 10, 2011
Location: Fairbanks District Office
8:30 am
Council members present: Bill Martin, Kyra Wagner, Patrick Smith, Paul McIntosh, Sam Kirstein, Bob
Shumaker, Megan Gregory, Meera Kohler, Lee Hecimovich, Alice Ruby (via audio) and Juella Sparks;
Council Support: Fred Schlutt and Melody Hughes.
Council Members Absent: Judy Klein and Jerry Drake
Guests: Roxie Dinstel, Deb Jones (Program Chairs)
Meeting Convened: Kyra Wagner, Council Chair, opened the meeting at 8:45am. Introductions.
Welcome to New Council Members: Megan Gregory, Southeast region Youth Member and Alice Ruby,
Southwest region, At Large Member.
Roll Call:
Director’s Comments:
If this could have been a two day meeting, we would have interacted with the Tanana District Office and
probably Delta District Office. However, we could not postpone our face to face meeting any longer since
we will meet again in February or March. (see email) This may be one of our most critical meetings. Now
that we are no part of CRCD, and report directly to the Provost we are on a more level playing field. We are
making some transformational changes in programming and staffing. We have some of the best faculty and
staff in Extension. We are making headway by making CES a more recognized unit on campus. The
Provost and the Chancellor’s Office are recognizing us as an asset and continue to call upon us because they
know we follow through with the deliverables.
Minutes from June 9 and September 7, 2011 meetings: Both approved.
Director’s Vision Direction Report (handout - Cooperative Extension Strategic Plan 2010-2015)
Including comment and suggestions by Council Members
We are currently in year two of the five year plan. It is important that we allocate the right resources, human
and financial toward each of these areas. Recently the ELG met and discussed what our staffing patterns will
look like in the next four to five years as it relates to our strategic plan. As positions become open, we will
fill them with people who help meet our plan for the future. Hiring committees include our own CES faculty
who are responsible for writing up the job description. Some of our District Admins have incredible talent
and skills with passion for Extension and love working with people. In a lot of cases they can be a program
aides or program assistants. This is way beyond the current position description of admin. This is the kind
of transformational change we need. We are looking at other ways to afford a program evaluator. One who
can measure the impact of our programs. Western states like Colorado and Idaho are interested in cost
sharing an evaluator.
Food Safety and Security Theme (goals)
1. Promote safe and healthy foods, assist in increasing Alaska’s food security and decrease
imported foods.
We are one of the few states who teach food safety and answer questions from the public. As
example of Roxie Dinstel’s food canning courses and inviting the public to have their pressure cooker
gauges checked at no cost. EFNEP and ANEP and the Food Bank partnership have continued to help
the community. Kate Idzorek who runs our Fairbanks commercial kitchen is federally certified as a
food handler and has trained FCHA as certified monitors to take the certification tests. Other areas
where knowledge of food safety can be shared are with the indigenous people of Alaska on shell fish
poisoning prevention. Food cost survey is another great tool that we use as an economic analysis of
a region. A food pyramid based on foods indigenous to Alaska would be worth looking into. It may
already exist through Alaska Tribal Health Consortium.
2. Enhance agricultural opportunities in Alaska.
Ninety five percent of Alaska’s food comes from outside. Depending on which town you live in, it is
estimated there is only a 7 to 11 day supply of food on hand. Everything is shipped in or flown in to
Alaska. If there was a breakdown of infrastructure, what would we do? We Alaskans have a higher
risk of food security than those in the lower 48. How can we involve more people to grow food in
their region in Alaska? The Master’s Gardner program has been overrun, making it a huge success.
Heidi Rader’s beginning farmer and rancher’s online course is a large area we can be involved in.
We need are own Alaska Master’s Gardner manual and develop the program by area in Alaska.
NRCS is handing out grants funding for the high tunnel and green house projects.
Health Theme (goals)
1. Promote healthy food choices among Alaskans.
Develop and present food pyramid showing food choices readily available in Alaska. Kate Idzorek
has been working on recipes to locally grown barley into breads and cookies consumed by school
children in cafeterias.
2. Increase number of Alaskans engaged in regular physical activity.
Ideas?
3. Reduce burden of living with chronic health conditions.
Obesity and diabetes are the two biggest growing concerns in Alaskans health. Bret Luick has received
funding on research proposals addressing these problems. The Obesity grant is a shared grant between
Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, & the Marianas Islands.
4. Reduce health risks related to unsafe drinking water, waste management and solid waste.
Ideas?
Climate Change Theme
1. Collaborate and communicate with Alaska-related climate change researchers. Maintain and
expand current scientific information and transfer to the public.
Ideas?
2. Facilitate the transfer of up-to-date, relevant, research-based climate change information on
impacts on Alaskan communities.
Ideas?
3. Involve Alaskans in risk assessment and appropriate adaptation to climate change impacts on
systems critical to our communities.
Ideas?
Energy Theme
1. Educate Alaskans on the benefits and methods of increasing energy efficiency.
Ideas?
2. Educate Alaskans on fossil fuels, renewable and alternate energy systems and technologies.
Ideas?
Youth, Family and Community Theme
1. Strengthen positive youth development in Extension’s outreach to families and communities.
Ideas?
2. Teach life skills to adults and families and prepare them for success in home, workplace and
community.
Ideas?
3. Strengthen the health and resiliency of Alaska’s communities.
Ideas?
Economic Development Theme
1. Encourage and support partnerships that increase Alaskans’ ability and access to
entrepreneurial opportunities and connect them with small business resources.
Ideas?
2. Collaborate with industry and business in training and work-force development for youth and
adults.
Ideas?
3. Increase financial literacy for Alaskans.
10:15 am
Expanding Our Role and Mission of 4-H Youth Development
Guests: Deb Jones, and Mara Bacusajkey.
12:00 pm
Working lunch:
Tour of Commercial Kitchen
Council members were shown the commercial kitchen that included the newly installed pasteurizer.
Meet with CES Communications Department
Council members were introduced to communications staff and had their photos taken.
Strategic and Staffing Plans
Review Northwest Member Applicant File
Council members reviewed application from Jon Wehde (pronounced wade) to fill Northwest region seat
vacated by Nancy Mendenhall. At the time of application, Jon has been serving as Director of Career and
Technical Education in Kotzebue, Alaska. Council members voted unanimously to accept Jon as a new
council member.
Council Member updates: Patrick Smith – Also sits on TC
C advisory board. TCC agent, Heidi Rader is starting the Alaska Growers school.
Nancy Mendenhall – Outreach to the Youth detention center is working well. Windmills working-18
smaller ones. They have switches so they can either send or receive electricity. Kodiak 97% oil free.
Kyra Wagner-CES could learn from the Public Health Department’s MAPP (Mobilizing Action through
Planning and Partnerships) program. There are greenhouses in three schools in Homer. Food stamps can
now be used at Farmers Market. They are currently working on establishing an alternative currency. There
are several high tunnels in Homer that will help with food security.
Director’s Update:
Funding: Federal funding: We are currently in FY11 now and budget still being discussed. 67% of
USDA’s budget goes to food stamps. ARS (Ag Research System) and Smith Lever funds may get cut.
Alaska Senators support CES. State budget will probably have a 3.5% -5% increase. Grants and contracts:
We need to be less reliant on State and Federal Funding. Contracts- We can partner with other agencies
(example, IPM). Fund development and philanthropy are untapped resources. Other sources of revenue:
Continuing Education credits - No one claims CEU’s at UAF, this can be a source of revenue. We would be
the delivery system (web based). For example we could create a video/DVD on how to be a water plant
operator, and then sell as a CEU credit. There should be no opposition to CES taking over CEU’s at UAF,
however, UAA may push back.
Staffing – The ELG met in February to discuss staffing. We have 5 vacant faculty positions. 1) HHFD
agent (Sonja Koukels’ position) in Juneau. 2) Rich’s Seifert’s former position in Energy. 3) Kristy Long’s
position—not going to fill as is, instead we will use funding for other positions. 4) Michele Hebert is going to
be a 30% statewide sustainability agent, so her Tanana District Ag-hort agent position is open. 5) Ag-hort
position in Kenai (Tom Jahns’ position.)
The ELG also decided to hire an Extension Program Leader- which would be similar to an Assistant
Director, but would function similar to Deb Jones position (overseeing programs and mentor/guide faculty).
However, we have to find funding for this position.
ELG went through each position on the Org Chart to determine if we are using our resources to their full
potential. The ELG also decided to eliminate program areas and base the organization on issues (from the
strategic plan).
Fred asked the Council what communities need a CES presence that we currently don’t serve? Barrow,
Ketchikan, Kodiak, & Dillingham. CES presence could be established in Anchorage (are we impacting all
the legislative districts in Anchorage?)
4-H & Youth Development Program Update: Deb Jones, the Statewide 4-H program leader provided an
update on CES’s youth programming.
There are several different kinds of youth programs. Traditional club 4-H programs and in-school programs.
Operation Military Kids, is a program for military youth. 4-H can offer consistency in the lives of youth who
move frequently or have dispersed families.
CES is focusing on programming for older youth, since traditionally there has been a decline in 4-H
membership around 7th grade. Youth and Governance is a popular teen program that brings youth to Juneau
to learn about State government. 4-H is also trying to establish more of a presence in villages. Several
interior villages have expressed interest in 4-H clubs. Eagle has 4-H Friday, which is part of the school day.
Agents have also been working with 5-8 year olds in Northway. A Collegiate 4-H member majoring in
graphic design is designing a coloring book to teach the Northway youth about traditional potlatch customs.
Deb Jones has been writing a lot of grants, but wants to make sure that grants are cohesive. CES received a
grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention for creating a mentoring project. The
hope is that the grant will have two-way results (ie. benefit both the youth and adults involved.)
4-H is also partnering with a faculty member from UAF for a NSF grant, the proposal is called the Alaska
Village Informal Science Education. This grant would mesh traditional knowledge with UAF sciences.
Another small grant will support a culture camp with a science base.
4-H is also taking the lead on applying for FRTEP (Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program) agents.
The proposal will be written to place agents in Dillingham and in Juneau. CES wants the communities to be
involved in these hires, they would like the hires to be local hires.
Two positions the 4-H program would like to fill are: Nancy Veal’s position on the Kenai Peninsula and a
position that translates energy and climate change information into curriculum, and information for youth.
Home, Health, and Family Development (HHFD) Program Update: Roxie Rodgers Dinstel, HHFD
Program Chair provided an update on the HHFD program.
There are currently 6 HHFD agents in the field. We are currently in the process of filling the Juneau HHFD
agent position (formerly Sonja Koukel’s position). There are 8 HHFD faculty total and 13 nutrition
educators (from both the ANEP and EFNEP programs.) The Nutrition Programs (ANEP and EFNEP) help
people use their food dollars better. EFNEP spends more time on how to cook, ANEP is mostly focused on
dollars. There has been an increase in the ANEP grant. Instead of hiring new educators, HHFD will offer
additional hours to existing educators. They are also planning an ANEP retreat so educators can learn from
each other. Currently, they do a lot of educating over audio.
HHFD has produced 3 new DVDs in the Preserving Alaska’s bounty series - cold storage, processing game
meat, & fireweed and roses. They also have a new publication on how to use coastal foods (kelp, sea
lettuce, etc.)
HHFD also focuses on Housing and energy consumption. The focus is on how to live efficiently in houses
that already exist, indoor air quality, and mold problems.
CES knows we are going to get an obesity grant, which will be implemented by HHFD faculty. The Obesity
grant is a shared grant between Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, & the Marianas
Islands.
A strong volunteer program that HHFD runs is the Strong Woman program. It is primarily run by
volunteers. Another focus of HHFD is personal finance and financial literacy.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 3:30 pm.