Stream Safari Saturday, August 13, 2022 9:00 am - 11:00 am Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center, 748 State Route 183 , Williamstown, New York 13493 A Stream Safari will be held Saturday, August 13th at 9:00 a.m. and Monday, August 15th at 10:00 a.m. Educators will lead participants through Rowell Brook on the 150-acre nature preserve. They will be able to explore the diverse aquatic life that can be found in freshwater streams with nets, microscopes, and more. At the end of the program, the group will be able to determine the pollution level of the stream based on the aquatic animals captured. Pants and closed-toe shoes that can get wet are recommended as everyone will have the opportunity to get in the water! Pre-registration is required. Please register at the links below: Saturday, August 13th at 9:00 a.m.: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/StreamSafari8_13_235 Monday, August 15th at 10:00 a.m.: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/StreamSafari8_15_235 If you need assistance registering, please contact our office at 315-963-7286. Only $4.00 per person, up to $12.00 per family. Children under the age of 3 are free. ========================================= Stream Safari Monday, August 15, 2022 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center, 748 State Route 183 , Williamstown, New York 13493 A Stream Safari will be held Saturday, August 13th at 9:00 a.m. and Monday, August 15th at 10:00 a.m. Educators will lead participants through Rowell Brook on the 150-acre nature preserve. They will be able to explore the diverse aquatic life that can be found in freshwater streams with nets, microscopes, and more. At the end of the program, the group will be able to determine the pollution level of the stream based on the aquatic animals captured. Pants and closed-toe shoes that can get wet are recommended as everyone will have the opportunity to get in the water! Pre-registration is required. Please register at the links below: Saturday, August 13th at 9:00 a.m.: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/StreamSafari8_13_235 Monday, August 15th at 10:00 a.m.: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/StreamSafari8_15_235 If you need assistance registering, please contact our office at 315-963-7286. Only $4.00 per person, up to $12.00 per family. Children under the age of 3 are free. ========================================= Our Great Lake Thursday, August 25, 2022 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center, 748 State Route 183 , Williamstown, New York 13493 August is National Water Quality month and Amboy 4-H Environmental Education Center is celebrating! Join educators at 10:00 a.m. on August 25th, for a Lake Ontario watershed program and learn all about the lake, from the history and formation by glaciers, to modern day usage. Lake Ontario is the most threatened of the Great Lakes, so the group will also discuss what can be done to protect this much needed freshwater source. This program will feature a make-and-take craft and other hands-on activities demonstrating the effects pollution has on our freshwater. Only $4.00 per person up to $12.00 per family. Children under the age of three are free. Registration: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/Great_Lake22_235 ========================================= It Just Clicks: Social Media Marketing & Agricultural Products Thursday, August 25, 2022 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm CCE Oswego Education Center, 3288 Main Street , Mexico, New York 13114 There is no denying that using social media and the internet to market products has enormous benefits to businesses of any size and in any industry, including those in agriculture of course. Those benefits include, among others, productive building of brand awareness, audience targeting and engagement, and cost benefits (usually free or at a low cost to the user). Understanding how to best take advantage of what social media marketing (or SMM) has to offer your business can make all the difference in launching a SMM campaign that delivers positive results.Learn just how easy and rewarding SMM can be for your agricultural business at an upcoming workshop, “It Just Clicks: Social Media Marketing and Agricultural Products”, proudly hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County (CCE Oswego). Join guest speaker Amanda Bickford, CCE Local Foods Marketing Specialist, as she explains how to use specific social media platforms most effectively for an efficient SSM campaign. Platforms covered will include Facebook and Instagram, with Google Business Profile being covered as well. Website creation will also be touched on, with links to free online resources for further learning provided.The workshop will take place via Zoom, with limited in-person seating available at the CCE Oswego office in Mexico, on a first come, first serve basis. Registration is required to attend.  Free Registration: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/it_just_clicks_235 ========================================= Small Fruits for Small Farms Saturday, August 27, 2022 8:00 am - 12:30 pm An Introduction to Best Practices for Small Berry Fruit ProductionOswego County is home to many small berry farms that due to size and scale, may not always have access to the latest production practices. This workshop is targeting our small berry producers, part-time growers, and beginning farmers looking to learn best management practices. The fruits that will be covered will be traditional berry crops like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Some of the information that will be covered includes: 1) site & plant selection, 2) pruning, 3) weed control, 4) fertility management, and 5) labor-saving techniques.Guest speaker will be Anya Osatuke, a Small Fruits Specialist through Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY. The workshop will entail three on-farm visits, field walks, and attendees will also have opportunity to ask questions. Registration is required to attend. Maximum registration is 40 attendees. Once registered online, you will receive a follow up email that provides the time and locations for all three farms that will be visited during the workshop. These farms are managed by part-time growers and are within a few minutes of each other just outside the village of Pulaski. Registration: http://reg.cce.cornell.edu/smallfruitsworkshop_235 ========================================= Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course Sunday, January 1, 2023 12:00 pm - 12:00 pm Online Event The 2022 course has been filled. If you're interested in joining in 2023, please contact Josh Vrooman, Agricultural Community Educator, at jwv33@cornell.edu, or at 315-963-7286 ext. 200 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County (CCE of Oswego) will be offering a Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) Training Course for new Student Master Gardeners. The training course will be offered online through Moodle to give students more flexibility with their personal schedules. The class will start in February and run through June (exact dates & times TBD). Students will work through the online course materials through Cornell’s Garden-Based Learning Library on the first and third week of each month. This will be followed up with virtual learning sessions through Zoom on Wednesday evenings on the second and fourth week of each month. During each follow up session, students will come together to review key knowledge checks, participate in class discussion, work through hands-on activities and listen to special speakers present on various topics. The MGV Training Course will cover all aspects of horticulture and is open to anyone with a passion for gardening and a willingness to volunteer in the community. Students must complete a final project and contribute 50 hours of volunteer time per year through the oversight of CCE of Oswego County Master Gardener Volunteer Program. $200, includes access to course materials from Cornell’s Garden-Based Learning Library =========================================