Youth Development (Bernalillo County)

The Bernalillo County County 4-H Rodeo and Fair continue to be the largest event and fund raiser for the Bernalillo County 4-H Council. This year, with the economy in such a disaster, we lost several of our loyal sponsors, especially those in the construction area. Mike Mortus, the 4-H Rodeo Chairman, works with Comcast and was able to get us involved in "Comcast Cares Day" which really paid off for the local 4-Hers. We had 182 4-H Members, parents, uncle, aunts and grandparents participate in a local mid-school to do a facelift. We cleaned, painted, landscaped and did several other projects. For the 4-H efforts, Comcast helped us develop a thirty second PSA message and got over $25,000 worth of air time to advertise our event. In addition, they presented the 4-H with a check for $5,000. That check actually is about the amount of profit we made, this year. The Fair and Rodeo entries were good and it was well worth the efforts by all. Without the help of Comcast, it would have been a break even. The impact is that we still have funds to keep the 4-H Center open and have funds for the County 4-H Council to continue its programs.

The 4-H Shooting Sports Program continued to be a favorite of several youth in Bernalillo County. Teh most activity was from January thru July, 2009. This agent presented Shooting Sports Orientation to eight youth in January. In February the beginning archery workshop was attended by 26 youth. In March, a Hunter Education & Safety qualification was presented by this Agent's team for 31 youth and adults. Thirty passed for a 96.8% successful completion rate. In March, the county senior 4-H shooting sports contest was held in conjunction with Valencia County and two youth qualified and participated in the State 4-H Shotgun contest at Whittington Center near Raton in May. The Novice & Junior county 4-H shooting sports contest was held for ten 4-H youth. This agent was in charge of the NW District 4-H Shooting Sports Contest in July and had 40 youth participate in archery and pellet riflery. The impact was that the youth learned Safety, developed shooting skills, and were able to compete at a higher level. These are life skills which will be valuable throughout their lives.

4-H Record Book Judging at Valencia County: This agent was asked to judge 4-H Record books in Valencia County. 4-H Record Books are the culmination of each project and members records show their progress in each individual project. Judges score and recommend awards for those accomplishments. I judged shooting sports, beef, lambs and hogs project areas. Approximately 90% of the youth met their own objectives and 100% analyzed their skills developed and how to improve next year.

Judging Youth Hall Exhibits at Valencia County: This Agent was requested to judge agricultural sciences, wood sciences, shooting sports, and welding exhibits at the Valencia County Fair Youth Hall. The top placing items were sent to the New Mexico State Fair, and my judging was consistent with the NMSF standards. The cooperation of the surrounding county extension agents reciprocating helped to keep judging fees minimal and we all have the appropriate expertise to maintain consistency in project standards.

Novice & Junior Shooting Sports Contests:
COUNTY: There were 30 youth in Bernalillo County enrolled in the 4-H Shooting Sports program. Since the Senior State contest was held earlier, the novice and jr. 4-H members needed their “own” contests. The pellet riflery contest was held at Zia indoor range with eight participants. The Archery contest was held at the Archery Shoppe indoor range with three participants. All who participated qualified to compete in the NW District contest for 9 – 13 year old 4-Hers. Only 30% of eligible 4-H members competed in this competition. There was a lack of “certified” volunteers to develop the skill levels needed to be competitive.
NW DISTRICT CONTEST: This agent was the lead agent for the NW District pellet riflery and archery competition and worked with three volunteer leaders. The competition was for the seven NW area County 4-H Novice and Junior age members. The two day competition was held for 36 youth. This was six less than in the 2007 competition.