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Dear Central Sierra 4-H Family,
Welcome to the new 4-H program year! We hope everyone enjoyed their summers and the return of our beloved county fairs and California State Fair. This year we are looking for more adult volunteers to join Central Sierra 4-H and facilitate new and exciting experiential learning opportunities for the youth in our region. Read on to explore upcoming events, see what's happening in your county, and how you can get involved!
JoLynn Miller
4-H Advisor
UCCE Central Sierra
Central Sierra 4-H members share their 2022 California State Fair experiences
Lilly Himmel
Amador County
4-H Ambassador

The State Fair this year was a really fun event. I originally was only going to spend three days down there, one for the County Best of Competition, one for the poultry show, and one for the goat show, but I ended up spending the whole week at State Fair! While I was down at State Fair for the County Best of, I took a test to see if I could qualify for the Small Animal Challenge of Champions.
Challenge of Champions is an opportunity to demonstrate your small animal knowledge. I took the rabbit test and I got in! We then had to come down to State Fair again for the next round. The semi-finals were really fun. I competed just for rabbits and I had to show the judges I knew how to tattoo a rabbit, what to use in a nest box, what to feed a rabbit, how to cull rabbits, how to identify Angora fiber, and a lot of other things. I then qualified for the finals. Now I had to demonstrate my knowledge of both rabbits and chickens. There was a lot of stuff I didn’t know on the tests, and it was challenging! I ended up getting first place in the 13 and under category and Champion Rabbit Exhibitor. 
Getting to go to State Fair was amazing and very exciting. I was proud to exhibit my Black Langshan chickens, and get Best Large Fowl with one. I also brought my goats and did goat showmanship as well as exhibit them. State Fair was great, I am excited for next year, and I encourage you to join the fun!
Lucas Johnson
El Dorado County 4-H Member

Showing at the State Fair is something I look forward to every summer. I have missed showing the past two years and was excited to be back this year. I spent eight days at the fair showing market eggs, rabbits, cavies, poultry, baked goods, and dairy goats. I qualified to participate in the small animal Champion Challenge with my market eggs and enjoyed my first experience. The questions were definitely challenging with the time limit, but I learned some knew things and plan to study more for next year.

My favorite part of showing at State Fair is watching all the other animals show and interacting with youth and adult exhibitors from all over the state. I learned a lot from this year's dairy goat judge, too. I placed second in dairy goat showmanship and got to compete in Master Showmanship and show dairy cows.
The educational display I made this year was to teach the public about breeds of goats and fun goat facts. I made a Dairy Goat Game Show, which is like Jeopardy, and people at the fair had fun testing their goat knowledge. My display won first place and I received the second place herdsman award for keeping my pens tidy and being there to answer questions. Since I have La Mancha dairy goats I spend a lot of time explaining that their ears are not cut off. I can't wait for next year and I hope more people from my county will participate.
2022 4-H STEM Challenge: Explorers of the Deep
 
Announcing the 2022 4-H STEM Challenge during the month of October--Explorers of the Deep!

Designed by Rutgers University, Explorers of the Deep, focuses on the mysteries and adventures of ocean exploration—with robots! Young people learn how to use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to explore Earth’s Ocean and how it relates to all life on the planet.
The 2022 Challenge helps young people develop observational and critical thinking skills while exploring the interconnected nature between the ocean and humans, regardless of where they live. They will learn about the incredibly complex relationship between Earth’s oceans and the global climate. According to a recent survey, 84% of teens would like to be involved with shaping the future of our environment.
Explorers of the Deep can help empower young people to innovate and take action to drive positive change. Learn More
Host County: Amador | Host Club: Blue Ribbon Up-Country | Project: Beginning 4-H
USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Backyard Flock in Sacramento, CA

Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) unfortunately are on the increase. They are no longer restricted to wild birds, backyard flocks have tested positive as well. I will continue to tell my readers what I have been saying for decades: protect your birds - keep them under a solid cover! 

A message from California State Veterinarian, Dr. Annette Jones:

“This is to notify you that the Eurasian strain H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed by NVSL in a backyard flock in Butte County, California. Last week, a case was confirmed in a backyard flock in Sacramento county, CA. Additional cases have been reported in wild birds in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, and Stanislaus Counties.

Please continue to practice good avian biosecurity protocols according to your plans, and report any unusual, suspicious, sick, or dead domestic, pet, or collection birds immediately via the CDFA Sick Bird Hotline at (866) 922-2473. Report any unusual or suspicious dead wild birds to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife online."
-Dr. Francine Bradley, UC Davis Poultry Health Inspection (PHI) Program
Save The Date: Ironstone Concours
​​September 23-24, 2022 | 9am – 4pm

Traditionally, 4-H youth have been active volunteers are the The Ironstone Concours d'Elegance, an antique and classic car show that takes place each year at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys. Some 300+ antique and classic cars participate, including vintage trailers, motorcycles, and wooden boats.
Resources
UCCE Central Sierra 4-H Contacts
Amador & El Dorado
Angela Johnson, Administrative Assistant
anejohnson@ucanr.edu | (530) 621-5503
Calaveras & Tuolumne
Lauren Griffith, Administrative Assistant
lgriffith@ucanr.edu | (209) 533-5695
Region 6
(Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer & Tuolumne)
Vera M. Bullard, 4-H Regional Program Coordinator
vmbullard@ucanr.edu | 1-209-418-8600
We appreciate your patience as we work to deliver more information to our 4-H families. If you have an event, article or announcement that you would like considered for publication in our monthly newsletter, please email to centralsierrafourh@ucanr.edu by the 20th of the month.