better living nov/dec 2013

Better Living

Cornell Cooperative Extension in Schuyler County provides equal program and employment opportunities. Please call 607-535-7161 one week in advance of an event to request accommodation. Requests received after that time will be met ,if possible.

A Newsletter of Cornell Cooperative Extension Schuyler County

Nov/Dec 2013

The Woods In Our Backyards Page 4

“Better Living” is published bi-monthly by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County, 323 Owego St., Unit 5, Montour Falls, NY 14865.DISCLAIMER The information provided in this publication is for educational purposes only. Any reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Cooperative Extension is implied.

REPRINTING - Unless otherwise noted, permission is granted to reproduce material in this publication upon notification of the author, providing that full acknowledgement is made of the source and no charge is made without approval.

Human Services Complex323 Owego Street, Unit #5 Montour Falls, NY 14865

Tel: 607 535-7161 || Fax: 607 535-6813E-mail: [email protected]: www.cceschuyler.org

Board of Directors:Walter AdamPaul BursicDonald J. ChutasCharles FausoldBill KennedyDoris KariusDick PetersonRick ReisingerLiz Stamp

Program Committees:AgricultureRyan BossertLisa BrowerGeorge BulinKathy EngelBrud HollandLorin HostetlerKen MansfieldShannon RatcliffNicole RawleighCheryl Richtmyer

Youth, Families, and Nutrition Program CommitteeNancy BrandMary DeWaltJoAnn FratarcangeloEmily JohnsonMarcia KasprzykDeb MacDonaldErica MurrayMegan Scuteri

Hidden Valley 4-H CampAdvisory CommitteeKate BartholomewRebecca BowersMolly LaneAutumn LavineCindy MessingerBernadette RaupersMegan TifftTom VanDerZee

Front cover photo taken by Rick Bacmanski, Rick Bacmanski PhotoArtistry, Horseheads, NY

Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County (CCESC) has been a presence in this community since 1917; almost 97 years of working with and for Schuyler County residents. However, we certainly have not looked the same for 97 years; your great-grandparents’ Extension may have been quite different in programming, staffing and organizational structure - even in name! In 1917, CCESC and Schuyler County Farm Bureau were one and the same organization. In 1923, the Home Bureau was added, and in 1926 the 4-H program was formally established. In 1956, under growing pressure to accommodate both education and to serve as an agricultural advocacy/lobbying organization, Farm Bureau and Extension established separate organizations to pursue their independent missions. This structural change was seen statewide, as Federal regulations on lobbying were put into place and the role of the Land Grant University in oversight of the statewide system was strengthened.

In 2013-14, we are not looking at such significant shifts as establishing entire new program areas or reestablishing an organization. However, we are at a crossroads when we consider our regional commitments, available funding from Federal, State and County governments, and matching the different knowledge bases of academia and community. If we ignore this moment of opportunity, we disregard the 97 years of hard work, community and individual capacity building that is the living, continuing history of Extension in Schuyler County. In 2011, in celebration of the statewide Extension Centennial, we interviewed current and former staff, volunteers and program participants. Each person had their own story to tell, and a different experience of Extension. The connecting theme, though, was that each person invested themselves in building up and supporting the greater good and development of Schuyler County. Just as we put research-based knowledge to work, they put their knowledge to work in building and maintaining an institution. As stewards of that institution, and of the collective community effort and knowledge that created it, we have a duty to evaluate for risk, to look for opportunity, and to plan for the future.

This brings us to our Annual Meeting for 2013. On December 17, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. at Lakewood Vineyards, we will ask you for your reflections on risks, challenges, successes and opportunities. CCESC is creating a five-year strategic plan, to begin implementation in 2014. Much as we needed members of the community to create a framework for Extension activities 97 years ago, we need your knowledge and thoughts on how to continue to create successes and bring community and university knowledge together for the benefit of all residents for the next five years. So please join us on December 17th. We promise to listen and reflect, and to engage with you on the decisions we need to make to continue our story, your story with Extension, for the future. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Danielle Hautaniemi

Better LivingCCE Schuyler County Nov/Dec 2013

November/December 2013Better Living - CCE Schuyler County

The Cornell Cooperative Extension educational system enables people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships that put experience and research-based knowledge to work.

Better LivingA Newsletter of Cornell Cooperative Extension Schuyler County

For the latest on CCE programs, visit our website: www.cceschuyler.org.

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To receive this newsletter electronically (via e-mail) or if you wish to be removed from our mailing list call (607) 535-7161 or e-mail [email protected]

A Message from the Executive Director ........................... 2The Woods In Our Backyards ............................................ 4Garden Hygiene For Winter................................................. 5 Healthy Holiday Eating ....................................................... 6Bird Songs and PCB .............................................................. 7 Professional Development - Staff Time ................. 8-9Fall Weekend at Hidden Valley 4-H Camp ........................ 10-11Calendar of Events ................................................................ 12

What’s Inside

Did you know that we have bi-monthly e-newsletters for the CCE South Central NY Ag Team? If you’d like to sign up to receive the newsletters, just send a request to [email protected].

Better LivingCCE Schuyler CountyNov/Dec 2013

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Schuyler CCE recently partnered with the Southern Finger Lakes Chapter of the NY Forest Owners Association to offer two workshops focused on the stewardship and enhancement of private woodlands. The first event was held October 5 at the “Hobnob” Tree Farm in Brooktondale, which has been intensively managed by the Levatich Family since 1974. The more recent event on October 26 was at the Neuhauser Tree Farm in Groton. Over 50 woodland owners attended the events. Tim Levatich and Ed Neuhauser used their properties to impressively showcase the benefits of active management in their woods. Both owners frequently “weed” their woods to give more sunlight and growing space to their best trees. They harvest inferior trees for firewood and lumber. In fact, the beneficial thinnings in Ed’s woods provide firewood for eight local families. Many hands make light work, so a typical Saturday firewood work-bee starts at 8:00 am with breakfast and concludes early in the afternoon with lunch. The result is a healthy woods of vigorous, high-quality trees and eight less homes that heat with fuel oil in the rural countryside. Regardless of acreage, age or composition, nearly every woodlot will benefit from the nurturing of management activities - especially when they are carefully thought out and planned for to achieve ownership objectives. In addition to generating useful timber products, management activities like cutting or girdling excessive and lower-quality trees will significantly increase the growth of the better ones. This not only helps them to more rapidly appreciate in value, but also helps them fight off many stress factors like insects, disease , drought and storms damage. Active management can also help enhance the recreational value of private woodlands through the creation of better trails, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat. Habitat for many types of wildlife is often improved through woodlot thinning because the more vigorous remaining trees produce larger quantities of fruits and nuts (known as “mast”), and more sunlight reaches the ground to stimulate the growth of more plants for cover and food. Simple things like creating brush piles, leaving some larger logs on the ground,

creating small openings of full sunlight for patches of young trees to grow, and leaving some dead standing trees and partially-hollowed trees for dens and nesting cavities are examples of ways to make good management better. Many owners rely solely on commercial sawtimber harvests to thin their woods. Commercial logging can generate significant revenues and help improve the health and quality of the woods when done properly. But loggers will often only cut trees that they can make money on, so additional culling of smaller and lower quality trees by the landowner may be necessary to finish the job. Some examples of other do-it-yourself activities that will compliment a commercial harvest are: removing smothering vines from remaining trees; piling brush, and controlling noxious vegetation and seed sources. Fortunately, there are numerous sources of assistance, ideas and information related to woodlot management:• CornellMasterForestOwners(www.cornellmfo.info) • NYForestOwnersAssociation(www.nyfoa.org) • DECServiceForesters(www.dec.ny.gov) • ConsultingForesters(seeDECwebsiteforalistof

foresters in your region)And, of course, forestry resources and expertise through Cornell Cooperative Extension! To learn more about our activities and services, visit: www.forestconnect.info (our forestry information clearinghouse), or www.cornellforestconnect.ning.com (our interactive woodland owner forum).

The Woods in Our BackyardsBrett Chedzoy, Sr. Resource Educator ([email protected])

Over 2 dozen woodland owners gathered at the Hobnob Tree Farm in Brooktondale on October 5th to observe and discuss management activities with owner/manager/forester Tim Levatich.


HorticultureGarden Hygiene for Winter Roger Ort, Horticulture Program Assistant ([email protected])

When the growing season comes to an end and cold weather sets in, most of us are inclined to put our tools away and walk away from the garden for weeks or months at a time. To actually do so is not very good garden hygiene for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it sets the stage for pest and disease problems in your spring garden. Second, it creates more work for you in the early spring when you’ll want to focus your energies on growing.

No matter how small or how young your garden is, or whatever it is you are growing, garden hygiene will tip the balance in favor of healthy plants. It may also mean the difference between a successful garden and an infested disease-prone garden.

Fallen Leaves:The decision to rake leaves or let them lie where they fell depends upon what kinds of leaves they are, how thickly they have accumulated, and on what they have fallen. When a thick layer of leaves carpets the soil, they break down and form a matt, called a leaf pack. Anything growing beneath a heavy leaf pack will be smothered. Good garden hygiene means that you will manage the leaf fall for the benefit of your garden plants.Types of Leaves:• Smallerleaves,especiallythosethatcurlastheydry, can pile up in drifts but are unlikely to stick and matt together when they become wet and weathered. Locust, birch, Japanese maples, beech, alder, and pin oak are examples of trees that produce small leaves. These can usually be left where they fell or raked into garden beds to rot over the winter, however they are easily displaced by wind. A layer of this type of leaf can be effectively used as an insulating “blanket” to protect perennial roots, overwintering garlic, or flowering bulbs.• Largerleavessuchabig-leavedmaple,many oaks, rhubarb, and chestnuts will stick and matt together in typical winter weather, creating an impervious layer that smothers all the plants beneath

them, they rot slowly and encourages fungus diseases in the soil. These types of leaves are best shredded and composted where they can rot properly and became an amazingly fertile soil amendment.

Removal of Plants:Many experienced gardeners advocate all plant materials –roots, leaves, and stems– from the vegetable garden every fall. Others feel that removing only diseased or especially susceptible plants is adequate. Provide a home for beneficial insects to overwinter. Make sure that you leave some rough shrubby plants for insects like ladybugs to take shelter. Perennial beds and herb beds at the perimeter of the garden are good candidates for this type of habitat.Bare soil exposed to winter winds, rains, and snow will become eroded and nutrients will leach out of the soil. Plan to amend and protect the soil during the off-season.

Garden Architecture:Clear out any stakes, poles, trellises, cloches, cold frames, and row covers from the garden. Surprisingly, these materials harbor an amazing array of disease pathogens. Take them away from the garden, wash them thoroughly with a chlorine bleach solution and store them out of the weather for the winter.

Weeding:Begin fall garden hygiene by weeding the garden. Pull or cut off all seed heads prior to any rough handling of the plant itself. Avoid dropping mature seeds into the soil; it doesn’t take much to start new weeds in the early spring. Take care to remove the whole plant; leaves, roots and all.

For more information on putting your garden to bed please contact Roger Ort at 607-535-7161 or e-mail [email protected].


Nutrition EducationHealthy Holiday EatingPaddy Redihan, Nutrition Resource Educator ([email protected])

The holidays are around the corner. This is the season when people who are trying to lose or maintain their weight find it challenging to stick to their healthy eating goals. The good news is that there are evidence-based strategies for eating healthy under the most trying of circumstances. Cornell Professior, Brian Wansink, presents some of these strategies in his book, Mindless Eating.

Try one or more of these techniques at your up-coming holiday party or reception:

Think of food trade-offs.

• Food trade-offs work like this: I can eat x, if I do y. For example, I can have Aunt Mary’s scrumptious dessert if I find someone to share it with. Or I can have my favorite Thanksgiving dressing, but I will pass on the bread or the roll. Food trade-offs are appealing because you get to eat some of what you want and yet don’t feel deprived.

Consider setting your own food policies before taking on the next holiday buffet. Food policies are rules that you set for yourself that help govern eating behavior. Here are examples:

• I will fill half my plate with fruits and vegetables.• I can have meat, as long as it’s not fried.• I won’t have a second helping of any starchy food. • When serving myself, I will place only 2 items on the

plate for each trip to the buffet table.• Before attending the event, I will decide how much

I’ll eat, rather than during.

I like food policies because they make decision-making easier. They provide you with a game plan for dealing with a situation. You don’t have to give as much thought to your choices.

Examine your food scrips.

Then there are food scripts. We all have them but often we’re not aware of them. Food scripts are situations involving food that we run into so often, that our responses become automatic. Our behavior over time becomes a habit. Here’s one example: whenever I go to the movies I get popcorn and a soft drink. Or, on the

way home from work I stop and buy a snack. An interesting study that Wansink conducted on food scripts was looking at the quantity of popcorn consumed by dating women and men at the movies. Surveys conducted after the movies showed that women who paid attention to what they were eating tended to eat less. On the other hand, the more closely men paid attention to what they ate, the more they ate. Both genders were operating under different food scripts. The dating females considered over eating to be less feminine. In contrast, dating males considered a big appetite a sign of masculinity.

What are your food scripts and how do they impact your holiday eating behavior? For example, as a guest do you feel like you need to eat a specific quantity of food to be considered suitably appreciative of the host’s hospitality? Once you identify your food scripts then the challenge is to re-write them. For example, when visiting friends or family who might be offended if you don’t eat up, perhaps you can select lower calorie foods and beverages. And if none are available, bring some.

Maintaining hard won healthy eating goals at this time of the year can be challenging. The above research based strategies may be helpful. Notice that whether you’re thinking of food trade-offs, food policies or eating scripts, all three involve planning. Consider spending time now to think about how you’ll handle tricky social occasions laden with high calorie food items so that you come through the season without the gift of added pounds.

References: Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink, Ph.D.


It may not kill them outright, but low-level PCB contamination is disrupting the way some birds sing their songs. So conclude the authors of a seven-year Cornell University study published September 18, 2013 in the science journal PLOS ONE. Before the chemicals were banned in the United States in 1979, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were widely used in the manufacture of electrical devices because they can withstand extremely high temperatures.

“PCBs are changing behavior in subtle but important ways that we’re only beginning to recognize,” says lead author Sara DeLeon, who did the research for her doctorate. “The Black-capped Chickadees and Song Sparrows we studied ingest PCBs when they eat contaminated insects. The chemicals appear to mimic hormones and interfere with development in the part of the bird’s brain that governs song and song structure.”

Key among the findings is that song disruption is tied to specific types of PCBs—there are 209 variations, differentiated by the positioning and number of chlorine atoms. DeLeon tested 41 of these variations to isolate their effects.

DeLeon chose five study sites in New York State, including two along the Hudson River that were heavily polluted by PCBs dumped illegally from 1947 to 1977. The other sites were not known to have PCB contamination and tests at an Adirondack Mountains site eliminated mercury as a factor in song changes. At each site she collected and tested blood samples from males of the two bird species, recorded their songs over several field seasons, and analyzed those songs using the RavenPro sound analysis software developed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

sheldon1506, http://flic.kr/p/5yg5sC“The songs of Black-capped Chickadees and Song Sparrows are very well studied,” DeLeon says. “For example, we know that it’s normal for there to be very, very little variation in the way all Black-capped Chickadees deliver their fee-bee song and the interval between the two notes. We found the greatest variation among birds in areas

with higher levels of certain types of PCBs—their songs just were not coming out right. Since dominant males produce the most consistent songs, this variation could have important biological consequences.”

Different types of PCB contaminants produce different effects. In analyzing the Song Sparrow’s trademark trill, DeLeon found that, at the most polluted sites, birds were singing “better” trills, with more high-quality strings of notes compared to the songs of sparrows in non-contaminated sites. However, an artificially induced improvement in performance may not

accurately reflect the bird’s actual physical condition.

“Effects of PCBs are extremely complicated,” says co-author André Dhondt, director of Bird Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “What this demonstrates is that most previous PCB studies may not give us the

whole picture because they did not look at the specific type of PCB involved but just measured overall levels.”

It took about three years just to complete the chemical analyses. Study co-author Rayko Halitschke in Cornell’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology modified processes so that the birds would not have to be killed to detect the types of PCBs present, but could be sampled with just a small drop of blood.

The next logical step, Dhondt notes, would be to use this method to study low-level PCB effects elsewhere to learn how the pollutants are being spread through ecosystems and the effects they could be having.

“What Sara did was not easy,” Dhondt adds. “She found effects on the song and wanted to do more than just document that there was an effect, but to isolate what was causing it.”

DeLeon received her Ph.D. from Cornell in 2012 and currently holds a Postdoctoral Researcher position at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Study co-authors include Rayko Halitschke, Ralph S. Hames, André Kessler, Timothy DeVoogd, and André A. Dhondt, all from Cornell University.

Bird Songs Altered by PCB Contamination, Study FindsBy Pat Leonard Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://blog.allaboutbirds.org/


Recently I was reminded of an old school song that we used to sing that started out with, “Over the river and through the woods….”that was how our drive felt as we left the Finger Lakes and trekked to Lake Placid for several days of professional development sponsored by our New York State Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of 4-H Educator’s (NYSACCE-4HE). Our drive home was a beautiful one full of rolling streams, fall foliage and great conversation related to the wide variety of workshops attended by all of us. Investing in professional development is a clear way of assisting our 4-H program with contemporary ways of doing programs as well as a new look on the foundational structures of the core competencies that represent a strong 4-H Youth Development program. We wanted to highlight a few items of interest for each of us in this edition of Better Living, and to share how the 4-H staff intends to utilize professional development at home.

Two themes I took away from the conference were regarding 4-H volunteer development and management, and program accountability. Successful recruitment and retention of quality volunteers is critical. Multiple surveys have been done over the past 2 years indicating that the experience a volunteer has the 1st year is critical to their continued engagement with 4-H. Some of those experiences included written job descriptions, communication and recognition. We will certainly work towards

making sure that our involvement with volunteers is reflective on those three core principals. Program accountability led to a lively discussion on outcomes and 4-H Common Measures. The 4-H Common Measures survey is available for youth in grades 4-7 and currently is a universal tool that can be utilized to assist with documentation on sharing the value of how 4-H programs/opportunities are helping young people involved grow, change, and

gain the necessary life skills to help them become productive citizens.

What Is The Connection Between Naturalist Studies And Agricultural Education? Erin Nyquist,

Environmental & Youth Science

Educator ([email protected])

This conference was a wonderful opportunity to meet other educators and gain a deeper understanding of how 4-H “Connects Kids to Cornell.” I gained access to a wealth of new contacts and resources in areas ranging from energy to waste management to wildlife biology. I’m looking forward to using these to enrich our environmental and youth science programs here in Schuyler County!

One workshop that resonated with me was “4-H Connects Kids to Nature.” “Connecting Kids to Nature” has gained national attention since Richard Louv raised awareness of “Nature Deficit Disorder” – and the connection to problems such as childhood obesity and ADHD - with his book Last Child in the Woods.

However, worries about the next generation becoming alienated from and ignorant of natural systems are not new. Similar

Youth and Family DevelopmentProfessional Development: A Strong Investment of Staff TimeMel Schroeder, Youth and Family Development ([email protected])

Investing in professional

development is a clear way of

assisting our 4-H program.

Successful recruitment

and retention of quality

volunteers is critical.


Our 4-H Program is going for the Gold, inspired by the opportunities at Lake Placid Olympic Village

concerns spawned the Nature Studies Movement at the turn of the 20th century. Pioneering this were Liberty Hyde Bailey and Anna Botsford Comstock of Cornell University, and their Junior Naturalist Clubs were the precursors to modern day 4-H clubs. Beginning to explore this history reveals questions and issues that span generations.

What is the connection between naturalist studies and agricultural education? How does experiential, outdoor, often unstructured learning get young people interested in farming, forestry, and other land-based careers that are the foundation of prosperous, healthy, rural communities?

Regarding nature studies 100 years ago, Liberty Hyde Bailey wrote, “Now, why is the College of Agriculture at Cornell University

interesting itself in this work? It is trying to help the farmer, and it begins with the most teachable point – the child. The district school cannot teach technical professional agriculture any more than it can teach law or engineering or any other technical trade, but it can interest the child in nature and in rural problems, and thereby join his sympathies to the country at the same time that his mind is trained in efficient thinking.” (Cornell Nature Study Leaflets, 1896-1904).

This wisdom is every bit as relevant today. I wanted to share it as a reminder to us “busy grown-ups” to make time to take a child fishing, hiking, or simply encourage climbing the tree in the backyard. (Remember hunter orange for the woods this time of year!). Also, get involved with 4-H!

This year we are starting a Junior Naturalist Club - with emphasis areas in forestry and animal habitat - in addition to other great offerings. If you are an adult that has relevant skills to share and/or know youths that might want to get involved, please contact me at 535-7161 or [email protected].

My Time At Lake Placid Roger Ort, STEM Educator

([email protected]

In my time at Lake Placid I was able to reach 14 educators on the methods and materials needed to teach “WeDo robotics” to 5-10 year old youth. We did hands on building along with slides on parts of a kit, tutorials, programming hints, story building and much more. We ended our time in class with a look on adapting easy build lessons on robotics to storytelling (Gruffalos Child) and even reading and presenting the robotics story in the native tongue of the groups that you are serving.

Next, on November 21st, I will be attending the Capital district meeting in Warren County and sharing my robotics knowledge to their group as well.

... a wonderful opportunity

to meet other educators and gain a deeper

understanding of how 4-H

“Connects Kids to Cornell.”

We did hands on building . . .


Hidden Valley 4-H CampFall Camp Weekend! Check out our website at www.hiddenvalley4hcamp.org


Hidden Valley 4-H CampFall Camp Weekend! Please follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HV4HC

Calendar of Events Call 535-7161 to register OR email [email protected] otherwise noted, FEES are due at the time of registration.

323 Owego St., Unit 5, Montour Falls, NY 14865(607) 535-7161 phone || (607) 535-6813 fax

[email protected]•Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/ccesc•www.cceschuyler.org

November

5 & 12: Cooking Matters Grocery Store Tours Free tours will be conducted at Walmart, Watkins Glen from 10-11a.m. Tour the Walmart grocery with CCE nutrition educators . Learn techniques to maximize the amount of nutritious food you can buy. Compare unit prices, read food labels, take home tasty, low-cost recipes. Call CCE Schuyler to register at 607-535-7161.

5 & 12: Animal Science and Agriculture Mini Career Exploration. Visit working farms and learn about different jobs available in agriculture and animal science! All sessions 4:30-5:30 p.m. Transportation is provided from the Human Services Building, Montour Falls. 4-H membership required. Join today for just $15/year. November 5 - discover sheep at Westview Farm, Dundee. November 12 - dairy cows and cheese at Sunset View Creamery, Odessa.

6,13,20 & 27: New York Diabetes Prevention Program (NYDPP)-September Hill, Wednesdays, 4:30-5:40 p.m.. To enroll in the next series of NYDPP classes, contact Schuyler County Public Health 607-535-8140.

7, 14 & 21: Strengthening Families 6-8 p.m. Dinner 5:30-6 p.m. Workshop series for parents and children 10-14 years will assist adults and young teens to develop skills, increase strengths and build a positive future together! Join us for a light family-style meal, then explore key principles and practice skills together that promote healthy family living. Registration form online here: http://bit.ly/17uJv3R. $15 for all seven sessions. 12, 19 & 26: Prosper Strengthening Families for 6th grade students and parents at Hanlon school. 6-8 p.m. with family dinner 5:30-6 p.m. Family fun, games, incentives to attend for students. Deadline to register November 7. Registration form online here: http://bit.ly/1ayOkYB.

16: Clover Buds Saturdays 10:30-11:45 a.m. at the Human Services Complex, Montour Falls. Open to ALL youth ages 5-8. Fee: $20 ($15 for 4-H members). Family rate: $30 for 3+ youth. Fee covers all sessions! Call 607-535-7161 or email [email protected] to register.

December2 & 9: Cooking Matters Grocery Store Tours Free tours with CCE nutrition educators will be conducted at Walmart, Watkins Glen from 10-11a.m. Learn techniques to maximize the amount of nutritious food you can buy. Compare unit prices, read food labels, take home tasty, low

cost recipes. Call CCE Schuyler to register at 607-535-7161.

3, 10 & 17: Prosper Strengthening Families for 6th grade students and parents at Hanlon school. 6-8 p.m. with family dinner 5:30-6 p.m. Family fun, games, incentives to attend for students. Deadline to register November 7. Registration form online here: http://bit.ly/1ayOkYB.

4, 11 & 18: New York Diabetes Prevention Program (NYDPP)-September Hill, Wednesdays, 4:30-5:40 p.m.. To enroll in the next series of NYDPP classes, contact Schuyler County Public Health 607-535-8140.

5, 12 & 19: Strengthening Families 6-8 p.m. Dinner 5:30-6 p.m. Workshop series for parents and children 10-14 years will assist adults and young teens to develop skills, increase strengths and build a positive future together! Join us for a light family-style meal, then explore key principles and practice skills together that promote healthy family living. Registration form online here: http://bit.ly/17uJv3R. $15 for all seven sessions. 7: Southern Tier Maple School 9 a.m. - noon at the Tyrone Fire Hall; SR 226; Tyrone, NY. Featuring Cornell Cooperative Extension’s state maple specialist, Steve Childs, this annual refresher will help maple producers of all levels improve the productivity, efficiency and profitability of their operations. Contact: Brett Chedzoy of Schuyler CCE: [email protected].

7: Clover Buds Saturdays 10:30-11:45 a.m. at the Human Services Complex, Montour Falls. Open to ALL youth ages 5-8. Fee: $20 ($15 for 4-H members). Family rate: $30 for 3+ youth. Fee covers all sessions! Call 607-535-7161 or email [email protected] to register.

17: CCESC Annual Meeting Lakewood Vineyard, 5:30 p.m.

26: CCESC Board of Directors Meeting 7:30-9:30 a.m. Room 120 Human Services Building, Montour Falls.

For more information, see our events calendar online - www.cceschuyler.org Like us on Facebook!

better living nov/dec 2013

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