Youth Development

Every two years, volunteers, youth and staff gather to learn, explore, and connect at the California 4-H Camping Conference. This year it will be held April 6-8 at Camp Redwood Glen in San Mateo County. The gathering has become an anticipated high-point for those involved in the 4-H camp scene.

In some respects, you could say the seventh annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 17 will be bugged! Lots of insects and other arthropods will be among the scores of attractions. The campuswide event, set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The California 4-H Youth Summits are three day weekend leadership conferences hosted in multiple locations throughout the state. The Southern Youth Summit was held on January 12-14, 2018 at Pathfinder Ranch in Mountain Center, CA.

UC VP Glenda Humiston, 4-H member Melina Granados of Riverside County and UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland gave the UC regents a presentation about UC ANR's community outreach and impact.

During 2017 over 3800 hours of volunteer time were offered at HREC! Our incredible volunteer team helps across all areas from citizen science on our phenology project to working with children and adults at our educational events.

Thanks to the guidance and support of committed adult 4-H volunteers, the California 4-H teams have placed first in the National Avian Bowl 19 times, and second 7 times since 1989. See the full list of results.

(Editor's Note: The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology will showcase three museums or collections on Feb. 17: Bohart Museum of Entomology, Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, and the Nematode Collection.

A praying mantis here. A lady beetle there. A sawtoothed-grain beetle there. Entomologist-artist Karissa Merritt kept busy at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Insects and Art last Sunday, Jan. 21 as she demonstrated how to draw insects.

New leaders for three of the five UC ANR Strategic Initiatives have taken the helm for the three SI leaders who rotated off, effective Jan. 2. Jim Farrar, director of UC Integrated Pest Management Program, succeeds Cheryl Wilen as leader for Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD).

Youths who want to learn beekeeping might want to consider joining the 4-H program. Take, for example, the Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program, part of the UC Cooperative Extension Program. At the countywide annual Project Skills Day, held last Saturday, Jan.