4‑H Foundation Announces 2006 Scholarship Recipients

ORONO, ME – At the Pine Tree State 4‑H Foundation’s recent annual meeting, seven 4‑H members were each awarded a one-thousand-dollar scholarship to help support their educational goals. According to Dr. Fred Schlutt, executive director of the foundation, “post-secondary education scholarships are an important offering of the 4‑H Foundation. They reward the hard work of our graduating 4‑H members and also display the dedication of 4‑H to higher levels of learning.” The Pine Tree State 4‑H Foundation partners with University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s 4‑H youth development program to enrich youth experiences.

Brian J. Pierce of Windham was awarded the Gladys Conant/Farm Credit of Maine Scholarship. Brian was a 4‑H member for nine years; he was president of the Bulls Eyes and Young Farmers Beef Clubs, completed many community service projects, and was very active at Windham High School. Brian will study Animal Science and Agribusiness at the University of Maine at Orono (UMaine).

The recipient of the Parker Lovejoy Scholarship was Elizabeth Hilton of Alfred. For thirteen years, Elizabeth participated at the local, state, and national levels as a 4‑H club member. Elizabeth remarked that her many years in 4‑H taught her that you cannot succeed without self discipline and motivation. She will study Animal and Veterinary Sciences at UMaine.

Colleen Slattery of Gilead received the Claude Clement Scholarship. A 4‑H member for twelve years, Colleen credits her sense of respect, responsibility, and determination to her 4‑H education. She served as secretary to the Tally-Ho 4‑H Horse Club and volunteered at a 4‑H after-school program. Colleen plans to attend the University of Maine at Farmington.

Katherine Pike of Cornish won the Azure Dillon Memorial Scholarship. Katie was a 4‑H member for eleven years and during that time she served as vice president of the Cumberland County All-Star Dairy Club, and participated in National 4‑H Congress and the Maine 4‑H Dairy Fitting and Judging Teams at Eastern States. Katie plans to pursue a degree in Veterinary Science.

Peter Guerin of Glenburn was awarded the Verna Witter Scholarship. Peter was president of the Penobscot Sheep Club, as well as the founder and president of the 4‑H Community Service Club during his eleven-year tenure with 4‑H. Peter participated in National 4‑H Congress and Citizenship Washington Focus, and also completed a 4‑H exchange trip to France. Peter will study studio art at UMaine.

Matt Moseley of Norway garnered the Evelyn Trotsky Scholarship. Matt was a 4‑H member for nine years, participating in Eastern States and Maine 4‑H Days, and he also frequented the Tanglewood 4‑H Camp. Matt dedicated a great amount of time to community service, volunteering at Camp Susan Curtis and the March of Dimes, and fundraising for cystic fibrosis research. Matt plans to study secondary education and Nordic ski coaching.

The recipient of the Doris Roberts, H. Lawrence, and George Lawrence Humphrey 4‑H Scholarship was Erica Heinrich of Albion. Erica was a member of 4‑H for eight years. During this time she served as club president, participated in Eastern States, and completed various community service projects. Erica plans to study elementary education.

The Maine 4‑H program grew out of early 20th-century boys and girls clubs, which were folded into the University of Maine’s Extension work in 1914. Since that date, 4‑H has continued to set the standard in youth development, helping Maine’s young people acquire the knowledge, life skills, leadership abilities, and attitudes necessary for lifelong success. Young people can become involved in 4‑H through school enrichment programs, 4‑H camps, and county UMaine Extension offices.

4‑H is the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s youth development program. The Pine Tree State 4‑H Foundation is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization that provides financial and organizational support to 4‑H clubs throughout Maine.

Contact: Mary Dinsmore, Pine Tree State 4‑H Foundation, phone 207 581-3327, fax 207 581-1387, e-mail mdinsmore@umext.maine.edu

Pushaw Cleanup Grant Funds Lakeside Landing Improvements

ORONO, ME—The eroding shore of Glenburn’s Lakeside Landing has been stabilized as part of a $98,000 grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to address pollution in Pushaw Lake. The grant was awarded to Pushaw Partners—a group comprising University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Greater Pushaw Lake Association, and local residents.

With funding from the grant and labor provided through a UMaine Extension lake education and action project, the group planted a vegetated buffer along the Lakeside Landing shore. In addition to preventing soil erosion, vegetated buffers provide filtering and percolation for runoff, and are designed to capture nutrients such as phosphorous for use by land vegetation rather than by lake algae. The Lakeside Landing buffer was designed by a UMaine Extension Master Gardener, and the installation was coordinated by Grace Nelson, Watershed Coordinator at the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Extension AmeriCorps volunteer Katy Green.

Pushaw Lake, encompassing 4,680 acres and bordering four towns—Glenburn, Hudson, Old Town, and Orono—is a major natural, recreational, and economic resource in the greater Bangor area. However, area residents risk loving Pushaw to death. Fertilizers from carefully manicured lakefront lawns wash directly into the lake. Oil and grease from motor vehicles are washed in from paved roads and driveways. Exposed soil on roads and driveways, along ditches, in new construction, and along eroding shorelines carries phosphorus and other algae-stimulating nutrients into the water.

Watershed monitoring has revealed increasing levels of these nutrients in Pushaw over the past ten years. “In fact, if it weren't for the natural brown color of Pushaw, the levels of phosphorus in the lake would probably be high enough to stimulate an algae bloom,” remarked Extension Assistant Scientist Laura Wilson. Such choking aquatic vegetation disrupts lake ecosystems, decreases the recreational value of the lake, and causes oxygen depletion that can lead to fish kills.

The good news is that the trend is reversible. The grant awarded to Pushaw Partners will help stabilize the phosphorus levels in the lake through projects that will include restoration of erosion-prone roads, technical assistance for landowners with erosion problems, and construction of vegetated buffers on private and public property.

The grant award was the result of years of research and hard work. In 2001, twenty area residents who participated in UMaine Extension’s Watershed Stewards Program joined with the Greater Pushaw Lake Association to improve the water quality of their lake. These dedicated volunteers, with help from UMaine Extension and the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District, found hundreds of sites within Pushaw’s 75-square mile watershed contributing pollution to the lake. Collection of this data, along with expertise from UMaine Extension, was vital to the success of the grant proposal.

Access to the beach remains a primary use of Lakeside Landing, and has been maintained. The vegetated buffer will reduce the phosphorus input from the park, and serve as an attractive landscape for many years.

Contact: Laura Wilson, 207-581-2971, lwilson@umext.maine.edu