January 19, 2012 I The Lovell Chronicle I 11
County 4-H wants to
reach 250 members
BY KARLA POMEROY
Big Horn County 4-H
set a goal to have 250 mem-
bers this year participate in
the youth organization.
Big Horn County Uni-
versity of Wyoming Coop-
erative Extension Service
educators Gretchen Gasvo-
da-Kelso (4-H), Kristy Mi-
chaels (Cent$isble Nutri-
tion) and Dallen Smith (ag
and county coordinator)
presented future plans for
the year to the Big Horn
County commissioners
Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Kelso said there are 237
current 4-H members and
they have set a goal of get-
ting 250 members for the
2011-2012 year. She said
Big Horn County has 51
leaders, but not all of them
are active• She would like to
see the number at 60 active
leaders this year.
There are 11 active
clubs with a new club on the
north end this year.
Also new this year is
Clover Buds for youth age
5-8• She said they are not
officially enrolled in 4-H
since 4-H is for youth older
than 8 years. Clover Buds
gives the youth an intro-
duction into 4-H, though,
and provides some basic
life skills and teamwork,
She has partnered with
the Greybull after-school
program on Mondays. She
is also working with the
Lovell after-school pro-
gram.
She said there
is an interest for a
Clover Buds pro-
gram in Burling-
ton, as well.
Kelso re-
ported the 4-H
program has re-
ceived verbal
word that they
received a Na-
tional Rifle As-
sociation grant
for $5,000 for the
shooting sports pro-
gram. She said there
is a minor issue to clear
up with the sheriffs depart-
ment's name somehow get-
ting on the grant applica-
tion. She said the funds will
be used to purchase materi-
al and equipment for shoot-
ing sports.
Upcoming dates, Kel-
so said, include tagging in
the north end this Saturday
and in Basin next Sunday.
She said they are trying a
Sunday this year to work
around sports schedules.
Commissioner Keith
Grant asked if problems in
the past between the fair
board and tagging dates
have been addressed, and
Kelso said alternatives
have been provided for 4-H
members that cannot make
it to either tagging event.
Kelso also presented re-
sults of a survey about the
4-H program that was tak-
en during 4-H Achievement
Night. "There were some
concerns about the fair and
fairgrounds. I think it will
take care of itself with time
and communication," Kelso
said, adding that the live-
stock sale is big concern
with parents and 4-H kids.
Kelso said, "So far the
4-H program seems to be
growing; it's exciting. I love
the kids I work with and
the parents. For the most
part it's been great."
Chairman Jerry Ewen
said, "I encourage all of you
to keep a line of communi-
cation with fair board and
new manager•"
Kelso said the new fair
manager, Deb Schnetzmei-
er, "seems to be easy per-
son to work with" and she
is asking lots of questions,
which is good.
"Sometimes it's good if
someone doesn't know how
it's been done; it brings in
new ideas," she said.
Smith said he has ob-
tained a grant to conduct
rangeland monitoring to
begin next summer• He
said he will also be conduct-
ing an enterprise budget
workshop and pesticide ap-
plicator training in March.
Anyone using restricted-
use pesticides must have a
private applicator license,
he said.
He has also applied for
a grant for a small acreage
workshop.
Michaels said she is ex-
cited to be part of UW Coop-
erative Extension and the
Cent$ible Nutrition team.
She said she and Kelso
have teamed up to provide
cooking classes at Greybull
Middle School.
Adults Cent$ible Nu-
trition classes are starting
this month in Lovell and
Greybull.
Michaels said she is
also working with Basin's
after-school program and
making presentations to
elementary classes around
the county.
"My goal is to reach out
and educate as many fami-
lies in the county as I can to
eat better for less," she said.
Local Sage Grouse Working
Group seeks new member
The Big Horn Basin
Sage Grouse Local Work-
ing Group is seeking a
new member to fill a va-
cant "public-at-large" posi-
tion. Any resident of Big
Horn, Hot Springs, Park or
Washakie counties may ap-
ply.
The Big Horn Basin
group is one of seven lo-
cal sage grouse working
groups in the state estab-
lished by the Wyoming
Game and Fish Depart-
ment. The group compris-
es local citizens represent-
ing groups interested in
sage grouse conservation.
The role of the group is to
develop and implement
projects consistent with lo-
cal sage grouse conserva-
tion plans that benefit the
species and reduce the like-
lihood of sage grouse being
listed under the federal
Endangered Species Act.
Tom Easterly, working
group member and wildlife
biologist with the depart-
ment, said the successful
applicant will serve on the
board as a regular member
and will be expected to at-
tend two or more meetings
per year.
"The primary focus of
the group in 2012 will be
drafting an addendum to
the 2007 Big Horn Basin
Sage Grouse Conserva-
tion Plan," he said. "Little
homework or activities out-
side of participation in reg-
ular meetings would be re-
quired, unless the member
is willing to take on added
duties."
Interested persons are
encouraged to submit a
short letter of interest to
Chris Pfister, Sage Grouse
Local Working group, 3900
Gooseberry Road, Worland,
WY 82401 or lasher@wild-
lblue.net. Letters of inter-
est should include general
background information of
the applicant. The "public-
at-large" vacancy is a vol-
unteer position; however,
reimbursement for travel is
available.
To obtain more infor-
mation regarding duties of
a working group member,
contact Easterly at tom.
easterly@wyo.gov or (307)
765-2742.
Yellowstone Weavers and
Spinners Guild meeting
The Yellowstone Weav-
ers and Spinners Guild will
be meeting Jan. 14 at 9:30
a.m. at 2408 Carter Ave. in
Cody. In addition to a busi-
ness meeting, show and
tell and a carry-in lunch,
the day will be spent learn-
ing tapestry weaving from
Vernice Myers.
Some tapestry looms
will be provided, but
please bring your person-
al looms, also. Guests in-
terested in weaving and
spinning are always wel-
come. For questions, call
307-587-6448 or 307-754-
5898.
On Jan. 21, the YWSG
will present weaving and
spinning demonstrations
at the Cody Library Win-
ter Gathering from 1 to 5
p.m. in front of the fire-
place at the main entry.
Lovell senior dance
team member
Tiana O'Tremba
looks like a
ballerina in this
photo, but she and
her teammates
had just completed
a hip-hop dance
routine during
halftime of a recent
Lovell basketball
game.
DAVID PECK
Range, crops, landscaping among topics
at WEST! Ag Days in Worland
Range and livestock
topics, crop issues, pesticide
certification and landscap-
ing are among more than 30
sessions at this yeas Wyo-
ming Extension's Strategical-
ly and Technologically Infor-
mative (WESTI) Ag Days in
Worland.
Specialists and educators
from University of Wyoming
Extension will join other agri-
cultural experts Tuesday and
Wednesday, Feb. 7-8, at the
Worland Community Center
Complex. The theme is Part-
ners in Agriculture.
A full schedule is avail-
able online at http://bit.ly/xX-
VTR6. '
"WESTI Ag Days is one
of the best opportunities
for farmers and ranchers to
learn what is new and help-
ful in the Big Horn Basin and
throughout Wyoming," said
Ron Cunningham, program
coordinator and UW Exten-
sion educator based in Fre-
mont County.
"It was developed by re-
tired UW Extension educator
Jim Gill and has grown and
developed into a first-class
event."
Cunningham will pres-
ent the three-session pes-
ticide certification course,
and the Wyoming Business
Council and Progressive
Farm Marketing Inc. of Ar-
cadia, Neb., is having a five-
session risk-management
marketing workshop.
All programs and lunch-
es are free and sponsored
by the Big Horn Basin Ag
Ambassadors. Each day be-
gins with registration, rolls
and coffee at 8:30 a.m. Ses-
sions start at 9:15 a.m. and
end at approximately 3 p.m.
Seasonal closures
protect wildlife
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Cody
Field Office reminds the
public of seasonal' winte'
closures in the Bald Ridge,
Carter Mountain, Little
Mountain and Twin Creek
Trail areas.
These closures are
meant to limit disturbance
to wildlife and big game in
crucial winter ranges. "Ar-
eas where big game feed
become less and less avail-
able with increasing snow,"
said BLM Wildlife Biolo-
gist Destin Harrell. "These
areas also become more
important to wintering
wildlife as the season ad-
vances. Low elevation win-
ter ranges serve as calving
and fawning grounds where
adults wait to feed on the
first shoots of green grass to
begin raising their young."
The following BLM-
administered lands are in-
cluded in the seasonal clo-
sures:
Bald Ridge: closed
through April 30 to all
use including hunting and
trapping. The Hogan/Luce
Campground remains open
to camping and the Hogan
and Luce Reservoirs re-
main open to fishing.
Carter Mountain:
closed Nov. 15 to June 15
to all motorized travel. The
area remains open to foot
and horseback travel.
Little Mountain: closed
Dec. 1 to April 30 to all mo-
torized travel in the high
country. The area remains
open to foot and horseback
travel. Signs and maps are
posted at key locations to
assist the public. The Lit-
tle Mountain Travel Man-
agement Map can be down-
loaded at www.blm.gov/wy/
st/en/field_offices/Cody/rec.
html.
Twin Creek Trail:
closed Jan. 1 to April 30
to all use where the trail
easement passes through
private land and on BLM-
managed public land. The
trail closure begins on the
west side of the South Fork
of the Shoshone River.
For more information,
or for maps of the season-
ally closed areas, please
contact BLM Outdoor Rec-
reation Planner Shirley
Bye-Jech at 307-578-5900,
or stop by the Cody Field
Office at 1002 Blackburn
Street.
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