CSU Extension, Jefferson County strives to meet the needs of our community. We prioritize offerings in the areas of Land, Youth and Community, and welcome people of all backgrounds and identities to participate in our offerings.

Program Assessment Highlights

CSU Extension, Jefferson County Quarter 3, September 2023

Program Highlights Q3:

• Nearly 125 4-H members exhibited at the 2023 Jeffco 4-H Fair in 32 different divisions ranging from animal projects to heritage arts and shooting sports educational displays to beekeeping. Fair Family Fun Day welcomed members and the public alike to the Jeffco Fairgrounds for a day full of activities, including the leader and alumni livestock show, relay races, tie dye, the youth livestock auction and a youth farmer’s market.
• The week of July 10-14 finished out the ENOR camp season. Nature provided many adventures throughout the summer including, rain, hail, moose sightings, and a plethora of wildflowers. All the while campers carried on exploring the woods and hiking to amazing vistas to behold, coming away with new knowledge and connections to the natural world!
• Family and Consumer Science invited to the Korean Cultural Festival in June after kimchi making class opening doors to new partnership and opportunities!
• Colorado Master Gardener received over 50 applications to join the program.  20 apprentices will begin in October; this is the second cohort of apprentices since the pandemic.  We’re growing!
• Family Leadership Training Session is hosting a youth class to over 40 young people, in partnership with the Jefferson County Libraries. 

CSU Extension, Jefferson County Quarter 2, June 2023

Program Highlights Q2

• CSUE, Jeffco welcomed new County Manager, Joe Kirby, alongside Parks and Conservation Director, Tom Hoby, on June 29, 2023 to share about our offerings and staff.
• 4-H switched to a regional format for our cake decorating, creative cooks and speech contests this year, allowing the Front Range counties to come together for larger contests. Eight youth presented speeches and four cake decorators- an increase from three and one youth last year, respectively. In addition to increased in participation, youth reported enjoying the experience and atmosphere much more as they were able to interact with other competitors.
• Natural Resources completed the Low Flammability Extension fact sheet alongside Extension professionals from across the state, and sent to partners.
• Horticulture presented to about 70 participants about soils and how to amend garden soils at Echter’s Open House.
• Colorado Master Garderners:  The Low-Ignition garden at Lookout Mountain Nature Center had it’s first-ever planting day! The garden is based on a list of low ignition plants put out by the University of Idaho, consisting of plants that have been tested for their flammability, or likelihood to catch fire and their BTU output. The planting day had a great turnout and wonderful weather!
• FCS: Two Kimchi making workshops were not only well attended & good evals, it led to working with the Korean Cultural Society. Staff attended their fundraiser and did a kimchi making demo for about 250 people. As a result of the positive feedback, the nutrition food safety & health Extension PRU team will be using our workshop information to train/share the program statewide.
• ENOR:During the month of June, ENOR campers learned important outdoor skills while actually practicing them in real situations. A number of groups sheltered in place during hailstorms. They also built resiliency as they navigated endless rain and shortened camp days. Staff and campers alike found ways to continue learning and having fun to make the best of the situation.

CSU Extension, Jefferson County Quarter 1, April 2023

Highlights from Q1:

• Green School labs have, so far, been a success! In our first set of labs, our Colorado Master Gardener apprentices assessed soil textures, evaluated growth increments on trees, and practiced their plant anatomy terminology in order to identify shrub samples. In our second set of labs, we discussed a number of case studies related to tree and lawn care, as well as management recommendations for homeowners.
• Our fermentation classes are a hit! We had 24 participants that were brand new to our Extension programs join us to make kimchi, yum!
• Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI) is diligently working with community partners, like Jeffco Food Policy Council and local Spanish-speaking radio stations, to develop opportunities for community leaders to work with local organizations to practice their community engagement skills.
• Natural Resources (NR) is working with numerous community partners, such as local fire departments and municipalities, to plan for wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
• 4-H staff and youth from CSU Extension in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Jefferson and Weld counties facilitated agricultural education exposure through direct, experiential learning of 7356 students and 2376 teachers and chaperones at the 2023 National Western Stock Show.

CSU Extension, Jefferson County 2022 Year Report