Alaska Cooperative Extension Service
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University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service is an outreach-based educational delivery system supported by a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). The UAF Cooperative Extension Service annually serves approximately 80,000 Alaskans, “providing a link between Alaska's diverse people and communities by interpreting and extending relevant university, research-based knowledge in an understandable and usable form to the public.”[1] Since 1930[2] the UAF Extension Service has partnered with many organizations across the state of Alaska in pursuit of fulfilling its land-grant university mission to disseminate agricultural research and other scientific information.
Organization
UAF Cooperative Extension Service is part of the larger
Purpose
UAF Cooperative Extension Service brings research-based information to the public in an understandable and useful form.[3] Its strategic plan identifies food safety and security, health, climate change, energy, economic development, and youth, family and communities as major themes.[4] The faculty and staff of the Extension offices offer research-based expertise to the public on a wide variety of topics to a wide variety of audiences, from farmers and entrepreneurs to rural families and children.[5] In Alaska, experts in agriculture and horticulture, integrated pest management,[6] youth development, foods and nutrition, natural resources, community development,[7][8] energy and more are employed by Extension.[9] In order to make research-based information accessible to the public, UAF Extension offers many publications, from one-page fact sheets to the 482-page Master Gardener manual.[10] More than 300 publications are currently available, and most can be downloaded online.[11]
Experts with UAF Extension offer workshops and practical trainings to citizens in communities around Alaska.
Fishing and hunting are popular in the state, and residents are often looking for information on how to preserve fish and game meat.
History
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Several events before and after the
In addition to the land-grant process, the advent of agricultural research in Alaska contributed significantly to the development of Extension services. Starting at the turn of the century and continuing through 1915, seven federal agriculture experiment stations were established in Alaska. The agriculturalists from the experiment stations established the viability of farm and garden programs in Alaska. Their work was augmented by the addition of Extension agents with funding stemming from the
In 1932 a veterinarian was added to the staff. In 1935, a full-time director was appointed for Extension, the same year that the federal government established the Matanuska Colony.[35] The Matanuska Colony refers to 200 families selected from Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota to settle and farm the Matanuska Valley, building the local economy in Southcentral Alaska.[37] The first Cooperative Extension Service field office in Alaska was established in 1936 in Palmer, located in the Matanuska Valley. Extension's agricultural and home demonstration agents placed there worked closely with colonists and homesteaders to establish viable farming practices in the valley.[35] Lydia Fohn-Hansen was a key figure during this growth period. She worked out of a tent in the valley providing educational services to the colonists. In addition to teaching people how to can salmon and other Alaska resources, Fohn-Hansen was an accomplished weaver and helped women make gloves and other clothes. She was well educated, with a master's in home economics from Iowa State College, and she wrote hundreds of bulletins and circulars during her time with Extension.[36]
The Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines became the University of Alaska in 1935, and in 1937 a new joint director of experiment farms and Extension Service was appointed. With efforts centralized and appropriations to the territory increased, Extension expanded its size and reach over the next decade to include field offices in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. As World War II engulfed the nation, Extension home economists helped Alaskans learn to can food and cultivate vegetables. Over 1,300 Victory gardens were planted in Alaska.[38] The national 4-H slogan during the war was "Food for Freedom."[39] Extension's expansion efforts eventually coincided with military interests as the war brought an inquiry into the use of Alaska sites for defense against Russia. Military officials recognized that infrastructure was needed to address the fact that Alaska would be cut off from food deliveries if under attack; Alaska needed to be able to produce some of its own supplies. Thus, in 1947 as part of the Department of Agriculture Appropriation Act, $20,000 was made available for the study of agricultural development in the territory. However, the legislation also put the USDA back in control of agricultural research programs in Alaska, and the joint director position of the prior decade was dissolved. The experiment stations were put back under federal control, and Extension was directed separately.[35]
In the 1950s, Extension in Alaska focused on bringing educational resources to more remote areas of the northern and western parts of the state. During this decade, Extension collaborated with community members to determine the needs of the growing territory. In a 1956 report to the Secretary of the Interior, Governor
In 1975, a 4-H market livestock auction was established in southern Alaska. It began with community members from the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak and Palmer coming together to plan a show for the sale of seven Hereford steers from Kodiak and Kenai Peninsula. Though there were some delays due to an auctioneer cancellation and a need for more bidders, the auction was a success. The Grand Champion animal, a steer from Homer, went for 95 cents a pound. The first project animal from Palmer was auctioned in 1978, and by 1980 there were 18 animals from the Mat-Su Valley entered in the program. In 1983, youth from the Delta area began participating. 1988 brought the "parade of champions" in which the top two beef, hogs, lambs, veal and goats from Kenai, Delta and Palmer were in contention for state champion.[42] The auction continues to be hosted today on the grounds of the Alaska State Fair and is one of several 4-H market livestock auctions during the fair season.
Extension invested in toll-free hotline numbers in the 1980s, offering one for food safety questions and one for energy and building questions. In the 1990s the first web page for UAF Cooperative Extension went online, providing even more exposure for its programs. Early versions not only featured a calendar of workshops and a directory, but extended to the public online access to many publications and newsletters. Images of UAF Extension's web pages from the late 1990s can be viewed using the digital archive services of the Wayback Machine.[43]
21st century UAF extension
The University of Alaska currently maintains its land-grant endowment as a trust fund that collects various forms of income from its federal land grants.[44] The UAF Cooperative Extension Service resides within the UAF Office of the Provost. UAF's public service and community engagement role is filled in part by Extension educators, faculty and staff located across the state of Alaska. The mission to bring research to the public is pursued in a collaborative fashion, with Extension working to connect Alaskans to the university as well as bringing the issues and challenges of the public to the university. Projects are often client-driven with Extension faculty responding to community needs. In particular, Alaska requires unique attention for its specific cultural, geographic and climatological differences from the rest of the United States. Alaska is known for its mineral deposits and shorelines, and renewable resources like fish and wood, as well as nonrenewable resources like petroleum.[45] Alaska still imports the majority of the food consumed in the state.[46] These are all issues that UAF Cooperative Extension works to examine and address. In a 2012 Plan of Work, UAF Extension describes its commitment to using nonformal education services to build Alaskan communities through programming in agriculture and horticulture, sustainability, natural resources, community development, youth development, global food security, food safety, childhood obesity, climate change, ecosystem management, and sustainable energy.[47] UAF Extension also maintains its commitment to engagement by consulting with multiple advisory councils that include community members from a variety of backgrounds. Farmers, gardeners, miners, foresters, village leaders, parents, teachers and youth representatives meet regularly with Extension leadership to help inform decision making.[48]
Some villages in Alaska are only accessible by plane or boat. Extension agents do make site visits to more remote locations like
The advent of new technologies has allowed Extension agents to interact with the public in ways that were not available in the past. As more Alaskans gain high-speed internet access, agents have investigated how to reach out to citizens through popular sites such as
List of directors
- 1930-1933: Charles Bunnell
- 1933-1935: Ross L. Sheely
- 1935: Lorin T. Oldroyd
- 1951: Lynn O. Hollist
- 1952: Allan H. Mick
- 1961-1971: Arthur Buswell
- 1971-1987: James Matthews
- 1987-1992: Irvin Skelton (acting)
- 1992-1997: Hollis Hall
- 1997-1999: Anthony Nakazawa (interim)
- 1999-2007 Anthony Nakazawa
- 2007-2009: Pete Pinney (interim)
- 2009–2019: Fred Schlutt
- 2019–2021: Milan Shipka (acting)
- 2021: Pete Pinney (interim)
References
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "About", Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ Capital City Weekly, "Cooperative Extension Celebrates 75 Years of Service to Alaskans", September 14, 2005
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Mission Statement" Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Strategic Plan", Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ National Institute of Food and Agriculture, "About Us: Cooperative Extension System Offices" Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ Smith, B., "Weed Wars" Archived 2013-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Peninsula Clarion, June 24, 2012
- ^ Alaska Sea Grant Newsroom, "Business 101 for Kodiak’s Hispanic women aims to inspire entrepreneurship", December 16, 2008
- ^ AK SourceLink, "Resource Directory", Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Directory" Archived 2012-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ Staciokas, L., "Alaska Cooperative Extension Service releases master gardener manual", Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, February 20, 2011
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Publications Catalog", Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ UAF Northwest Campus, "Cooperative Extension" Archived 2010-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ Alaska DEC Division of Environmental Health, "Certified Pesticide Applicators" Archived 2012-06-30 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ Sitka Local Foods Network, "UAF Cooperative Extension Service’s Bob Gorman to teach series of free classes on gardening in Sitka", March 1, 2011
- ^ Delta News Web, "Master Gardener Class Being Offered" Archived 2015-06-28 at the Wayback Machine, January 24, 2012
- ^ Cold Climate Housing Research Center, "Making Houses Work", Retrieved June, 2012
- ^ Sitka Local Foods Network, "SEARHC, UAF Cooperative Extension Service to host ‘Basics of Food Preservation’ classes", August 29, 2011
- ^ Juneau Empire, "Spots available at summer 4-H camp" Archived 2015-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, June 21, 2002
- ^ Sitka Outdoor Recreation Coalition, "Sitka 4H club to offer four new programs this summer", Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ Vandre, W. G., "Urban IPM–Alaska Style!", Journal of Extension 32(1), 1994
- ^ Alaska Department of Fish and Game, "Benefits of Fishing to Alaska", Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ Alaska Department of Fish and Game, "Hunting, Trapping and Shooting", Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Canning Moose and Caribou", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Canning Walrus in Pint Jars", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Fireweed", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Bullwhip Kelp", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Anchorage Daily News, "Mat-Su events calendar" Archived 2012-06-16 at the Wayback Machine, June 12, 2012
- ^ KMXT 100.1 FM, "Cooperative Extension helps preserve the Bounty of the Sea", Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ Library of Congress Digital Reference Section, "Morrill Act: Primary Documents", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Wickersham, James" Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ University of Alaska, "History and Facts, The Cornerstone: Wickersham Selects a Site" Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ University of Alaska, "CES Outreach Began in Matanuska Valley" Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ University of Alaska, "Land Grant History", December 1, 2010
- ^ National Archives, Electronic Code of Regulations, "Title 43: Public Lands, Subpart 2627-Alaska" Archived 2007-11-17 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ a b c d e Buswell, A. S., "Evolution of the Cooperative Extension Service in Alaska"[permanent dead link], 1959
- ^ a b University of Alaska, "Lydia Fohn-Hansen", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Anchorage Daily News, "Thriving at 75: Mat-Su marks Colony anniversary" Archived 2011-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, June 4, 2010
- ^ Durner, F., "Q & A with Jill Shepherd" Archived 2010-07-02 at the Wayback Machine, Anchorage Daily News, December 16, 2009
- ^ Van Horn, B. E., Flanagan, C. A., & Thomson, J.S., "The First Fifty Years of the 4-H Program", Journal of Extension, 36(6), 1998
- ^ Stepovich, M.A., "Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior", 1956
- ^ University of Alaska, "Honorary Degree Recipients 1950-1959", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Veal, N. & Hecimovich, L., "A Short History of 4-H Junior Market Livestock in Alaska", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Internet Archive Wayback Machine, "Alaska Cooperative Extension (1997)", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ University of Alaska Land Management, "Land Grant Trust Fund", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Alaska Department of Natural Resources, "Mining, Land & Water", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Lewis, C. E. & Schlutt, F., "With some help Alaska could produce more" Archived 2011-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, March 19, 2011
- ^ USDA Research, Education, Economics and Information System, "University of Alaska Combined Research and Extension Plan of Work", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension Service, "Advisory Councils" Archived 2013-03-13 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Alaskan Growers School", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Brown, S. C., "Extension Program Marketing and Needs Evaluation Using Craigslist", Journal of Extension Alaska, 47(2), 2009]
- ^ Delta News Web, "Video Conference Classes Offered" Archived 2012-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Master Gardener Program Online", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ United States Department of Agriculture, "Food Preservation Tips and Resources" Archived 2012-08-16 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ UAF Cooperative Extension, "Preserving Alaska's Bounty" Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved August, 2012
- ^ iTunes, "iTunes Preview: Cold Climate Building Course", Released February 29, 2012
- ^ YouTube, "UAFExtension YouTube channel", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Pinterest, "UAF Cooperative Extension", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Facebook, "Alaska 4-H", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Facebook, "Alaska Master Gardeners", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Facebook, "Alaska IPM", Retrieved July, 2012
- ^ Facebook, "UAF CES Kenai District Horticulture", Retrieved July, 2012