By WESLIE STRATTON
Moapa Valley Progress
Mesquite and Bunkerville residents enjoyed the opportunity to meet and mingle with representatives of the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE), as well as various farm animals, at the organization’s much anticipated new location open house at 155 N. Willow in Mesquite on Saturday, January 5.
Those who participated in the event were able to learn about UNCE programs, 4-H opportunities, and play with farm animals, including goats, rabbits, chickens, and pigs.
According to UNCE Extension Educator Carol Bishop, the new location is part of the Northeast Clark County Office that covers everything from Apex east. “That’s our area,” Bishop said. “This is our satellite office. We did this so we can better serve our Mesquite and Bunkerville clients. We will be offering any of our programs that are offered throughout Clark County at this location.”
Programs available to the general public include health and nutrition, horticulture, agriculture, natural resources, community and economic development, and 4-H. Programs are open to adults as well as youth, but youth are the ones who traditionally participate in 4-H programs.
“We do gardening with youth as well as health and nutrition,” Bishop said. “We have horticulture classes both here and our Logandale office.”
The Cooperative Extension has previously partnered with the Mesquite Library to offer the Ask A Master Gardner program at the library. But with the opening of the new office, the gardening classes will expand to that location as well. “We will still continue our relationship with the library and do that Ask A Master Gardner there,” Bishop said.
Participants of the open house took advantage of the opportunity to ask about youth programs and to participate in an Ozobot demonstration.
“It’s like early robotics,” 4-H representative Diana Walker said. “Each color that they actually draw with is like early coding with colored patterns.”
Youth enjoyed coloring their own designs for the tiny robots to follow with thick black markers making a path and using various color combinations to command the robot to speed up or slow down.
Robotics is one of the many projects available to 4-H members along with animal science, culinary arts, photography, healthy living, sewing, technology, leadership, shooting sports, and more. According to Walker, these programs are available to youth beginning at age five.
“Cloverbuds are ages five to eight,” Walker explained. “They do entry-level 4-H stuff or crafts. They even have like a little contest at the fair.”
Those interested can contact the UNCE staff on Facebook at northeastclarkcounty and e.clarkcounty4h or by phone at (702) 397-2604.
“We have a signup sheet so we can put you in our email list,” said Bishop.
The next scheduled program for UNCE is an outreach emphasizing radon testing, Bishop said.
“During the months of January and February, we’re offering free radon kits so people can test their homes for radon,” Bishop said.
According to Bishop, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer deaths among non-smokers. There will be a speaker who will address the topic at the Mesquite Library in the near future. Those interested in attending can contact the Extension for a date and time.
