IFAS Nassau County
Nassau County Cooperative Extension Service 543350 US Highway 1
Callahan, FL 32011-3122
904-879-1019
904-879-2097 Fax
State of Department Report
University of Florida Nassau County Cooperative Extension Service
WHAT WE DO:
Nassau County Extension faculty, staff, and volunteers conduct pro-active educational programs in:
· 4-H and Youth Development. 4-H is YOUR youth development program, affiliated through the land-grant system and our National 4-H Partners (USDA & National 4-H Council) with the largest positive youth development program in the world. We reach over 5,000 youth in Nassau County through clubs, school enrichment, camps, and special interest programs each year.
· Agriculture & Natural Resources. Agriculture in Nassau County reaches small farmers, pine tree plantations, pond managers, and individuals looking for alternative uses for commercial production land and resources. Land Use and impact of growth are major issues for our suburban county.
· Environmental Horticulture. Consumer and Commercial audiences gain information in safe use of pesticides and other management chemicals, environmentally appropriate best management practices, and restoration techniques.
· Family & Consumer Sciences. Child and Family Development, Family financial management (including private consultations for credit and Medicare Part D customers) and Health and wellness programs help to ensure high quality of life for Nassau County citizens.
· Small Farms. Nassau County is included in the 9-county delivery area for the Suwannee Valley Research and Education Center. Specialists deliver programming in small farm management, marketing strategies and niche cropping and marketing.
· Marine. Nassau County is included in the 4-county delivery area for the Northeast Florida SeaGrant Program. SeaGrant is a federally supported effort to provide research, education and outreach to coastal communities. Topics include sustainable coastal economies and environments.
· Community & Volunteer Development. Extension Community Development programs include support for recycling education, disaster preparedness, volunteer recruitment, screening, and training, and strategic planning support for not-for-profit agencies.
You can find a complete overview of our programming efforts and our relationship to the University of Florida at our website, http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/index.html.
RESOURCES:
The Cooperative Extension Service is nationwide and was established by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. It is a partnership between state land grant universities, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the county governments throughout the nation. All of these groups share in the planning, financing, and operation of extension programs. In Florida, the Cooperative Extension Service is administered by the University of Florida. The attached “Partners for Progress” report provides some detail about the salary matches and the in-kind support provided by the University.
Other resources:
University accounting policies govern an Extension operating account and a 4-H Foundation account. We are able to accept fees for services and programs that include consumable supplies. For example, summer camp fees are set to include contracted transportation, meals and snacks, program supplies, etc. A Pond Management workshop may collect a fee for water testing chemicals to be used in the presentation.
Additionally, the 4-H Foundation can accept charitable donations of cash and in-kind goods to support our program. These gifts are generally designated for the support of a specific program or event. For example, the Florida Poultry Federation donated cash to help support the travel expenses for our Nassau County 4-H team to attend the national event in Kentucky. The Yulee Citrus Center donated $160 worth of fruit for our Public Speaking event.
Volunteers contribute over 10,000 hours annually to the overall Nassau Extension program in a variety of roles. Volunteers are recruited, screened, trained, and managed by Faculty. They may be placed in the 4-H, Master Gardener, Master Food Educator, or Advisory Committee role. Using the Independent Sector value of $18 per hour for trained volunteers, we estimate the value of this effort to be in excess of $180,000 annually.
CONCERNS:
· Proposed budget cuts would effectively eliminate one or more program areas from our portfolio.
· Proposed budget cuts would compromise the match currently supported by state and federal funds.
· Our Callahan location provides a demographic barrier in reaching the larger Nassau County population with valuable programs. We have established a new presence in Yulee with our satellite office, but now need a support person to help staff the space.
· Increasing public concern and liability issues demand that we do thorough background checks on all volunteers working with our programs. This will incur new costs for criminal background checks.
· Vehicles currently assigned to our department are aging, and incurring new costs for maintenance and repairs.
PLANS FOR 2007:
· Transfer of suitable vehicles from other departments to ease our scheduling and high-mileage issues.
· Request for one support staff (office specialist assigned to Yulee Satellite office) for the 2008 budget.
· Two faculty (McAlpine & Jordi) will submit portfolio for university review for promotion and tenure, required for continuing employment by the University.
· Agriculture Agent (Gaul) will complete University orientation training and continue progress towards the completion of his master’s degree, required for continued employment by the University of Florida.
Short Range Department Administrative Goal – Get Memorandum of Understanding approved by both County and University to establish standards for partnership and salary adjustments for faculty. Currently in process, draft is under review by county attorney and interim county administrator.
Long Range Department Administrative Goal– Consolidate our resources by developing a multi-purpose Extension Education Center in Yulee, either at the existing Yulee County Building or adjacent to the courthouse complex and FCCJ campus.
a. Move all agents and staff to a central county location
b. Double our 4-H club enrollment and other current customer base by increasing our accessibility
c. Facilitate car-pool and sharing of other major equipment and resources
d. Reduce cost to customers of long-distance phone access to our Callahan headquarters
e. Estimated cost - $1,000,000. Several scenarios are possible which could impact cost and funding.
i. Build a new Yulee Fire and Rescue Station, then renovate the existing Yulee County Building as an Extension Education Center.
ii. Partner with FCCJ to co-locate on their property and partner in program delivery.
iii. Build a new education center on county-owned property at Miner Road close to A1A. This option would allow us to develop a wetlands demonstration site, planted pine demonstration, outdoor amphitheatre, mini-camp site, etc.
iv. Build the new Sheriff’s office and headquarters, and then renovate some of the vacated facility as an education center.
f. Potential Sources of funding –
i. Florida Department of Agriculture grant funds for agriculture educational facilities and programs. These are matching fund grants &/or reimbursable.
ii. Florida Energy office grant funds for renewable energy construction & demonstration
iii. Florida Department of insurance grant funds for demonstration projects for windstorm mitigation (see http://escambia.ifas.ufl.edu/windmit.htm)
iv. Impact fees? Please study the potential use of development impact fees and see if public education and environmental protection programs might fit into the allowable use.