​​ “Welcome to the 4-H Western Heritage Project” meeting will be virtual through Zoom, facilitated by Todd Kesner of Montana 4-H.  This change of format opens the door to anyone in the country interested in learning more about the Western Heritage discipline of 4-H Shooting Sports. He invites anyone to attend.  And, even though the name would imply, you don’t have to live in the West to participate in the 4-H Western Heritage Project.  It’s the firearms we use in competition that are most often associated with the Old West.
 
Our opening orientation meeting will be online nationally on Monday, December 21st at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time/8:30 Eastern.  
 
The introductory meeting will be followed by hands-on virtual workshops including:
 
January 25, 2021 – Making Paper Cartridges (I’ll post a list of supplies needed) – Make your own replica of Civil War era paper cartridge for a cap and ball revolver out of coffee filter paper and ground coffee (in place of gun powder).  You will learn the advantage of having a self-contained cartridge instead of loose powder and shot – even though its paper.
 
February 22, 2021 – Making Pemmican (a form of Native American jerky) – We will use peanut butter as a replacement for bison meat that was traditionally tenderized by chewing it before drying.  If you want to be 100% historically correct, have your mother chew the meat before putting it in the sun.
 
March 22, 2021 – Making your own black powder bullet lube (Dr. David White, Oregon State University – 4-H) – Lube on historic bullets served two purposes.  One was the coat the barrel in vaporized lubricant as the bullet passed through in order to keep the black powder fouling soft and maintain the accuracy of your firearm.  The other purpose lessened the amount of lead building up in the barrel.  Learn how it was made.
 
April 12, 2021 -Hands-on topic to be determined
 
Materials for each of the hands-on workshops will be listed on the website at 4-hwesternheritageproject.org.

Please contact me for zoom video conference info: abiddle@alaska.edu

I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy! Here are a few reminders of fun stuff happening in the District and around the State:

• Beginning Weaving: Coasters for the Holidays activity is next Thursday (12/17) from 4-5. Sign up in zsuites and pick up your kit next Monday.
• 4-H Mug Muffin activity is next Tuesday (12/15) from 4-5 with Helen, one of our awesome Family Nutrition Program educators. Register here and the zoom link and ingredient list will be sent to you. Registration closes TODAY at 9pm.
• Alaska Teen Media Institute is looking for 4-H teens to help create some awesome PSAs. Contact Kendra (klcalhoun@alaska.edu) if you are interested in knowing more. First meet up for this group is next Monday (12/14). More info in the post below.
• Winter Equine 4-H Photo contest is happening all through December. Get those photos in. See the flyer below for more information and the link for registering and uploading photos.
• Palmer Colony Christmas is this weekend and there are lots of fun, outside activities to enjoy. The UAF Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center is having a Virtual Holidays at the Farm. Check out their Facebook Events page for the Virtual event and click on the "discussion" tab for some fun contests for both kiddos and adults. Plus you can download a fun Spotify holiday songs playlist, and put your name into the drawing for a free holiday tree!

If you haven't sent me your Club Annual Financial Statement from last 4-H year yet, please do. Also, if you have approved Mitigation Plans and are meeting in-person, remember that I need to have a copy of your screened questionnaire within 24 hours of each club meeting. Scan and email or text me a photo of it. 

Have a great weekend! 
​Ann

Calling all 4-H Teens!

We are collaborating with the Alaska Teen Media Institute to create media that showcasing our amazing 4-H teens and their 4-H stories.

Our first meet up is Monday, December 14th, at 2pm.

Check out the flyer and register with Kendra to attend!
We are excited to collaborate with ATMI and to hear from our 4-H teens across the state! You can learn more about them and check out their work here: https://alaskateenmedia.org/

Please email Kendra Calhoun your name, age and location and she will register you for the event!
klcalhoun@alaska.edu

Click on the flyer to go straight to the registration form. See you on the 15th!

 I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving, filled with good food and relaxing times with your closest loved ones. It was a cozy dinner at my house: my older daughter home from college (tested, quarantined, blah), my son from Anchorage, and my youngest daughter (vegetarian, so preparations for a big dinner, are even more involved). An elaborate game of Apples to Apples lasted over 3 hours, which allowed for a little digestion and room for pie.

**Congratulations to Joseph H. for placing 3rd in the Mars Rover Solar STEM Challenge! He had a really cool obstacle course that he put his rover through. You can check out his video HERE. We rounded off the STEM Challenge with a Meet the Scientist event last week. We hosted Dr. Ralph Lorenz, planetary scientist. He chatted with the kiddos about his work on planetary rovers with NASA. Thanks to our partner at Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) for the October challenge, and to our partners with the UAF Arctic and Earth SIGNS project, who bring us the great connections with NASA!

We have a few things happening this month in the MatSu/Copper River 4-H District

• CANCELLED FOR THIS MONTH Volunteer Leaders Association (VLA) monthly meeting: 12/3 Thursday at 6:30, zoom ID 945 296 187; all active leaders are welcomed 
• Livestock Committee is taking a break this month from their monthly meeting. They will resume meeting in January
• State Alaska Volunteer Leaders Organization (AVLO): 12/3 Thursday at 7:00, video login information and agenda are in the calendar
• Beginning Weaving: Coasters for the Holidays activity class; 4-H youth can sign up through zsuites (it's listed as an event). 
• Alaska 4-H Winter Equine Photo Competition: December 1-31. See the flier in the last blog post. Looks like it could be lots of fun! 

A few clubs are starting to think about meeting in-person, and I appreciate all the safety training they have gone through to keep our kiddos safe and engaged. If you are interested in in-person meetings, please reach out to me and we can get the process moving. Alternately, if you want to meet via video conference (yes, I know we are all sick to death of them, but we need to hang in there for a bit longer), please let me know and I can get you set up for that.

For those clubs that have not yet sent me your club annual financial statements from the 2019-2020 4-H year, please get them in! Otherwise I will start hounding you and you will get sick of me real soon. For those that have sent them in already THANK YOU!! 

I am putting out a call-out for photos and success stories of your 4-H youth and leaders for a newsletter that will go out early in the new year. Please send me photos, stories, quotes....anything you would like to share with everyone else!

Thanks everyone and have a great week!
Ann