MACHIAS, Maine — University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Washington County Office will move to its new home at the University of Maine at Machias later this month. The new location in the heart of campus will facilitate collaborations and connections that will strengthen UMaine Extension’s 4-H, nutrition and gardening programs, and provide additional pathways for county residents to engage with the university.
“We are thrilled to be moving our people and programs to the heart of the UMaine Machias campus,” says Hannah Carter, associate provost for online and continuing education, and dean of Cooperative Extension. “We look forward to building on the great partnerships and collaborations that already exist and looking for new ways to meet the needs of the people of Washington County.”
The new location at UMaine Machias will give Extension access to more diverse spaces to host 4-H youth development programs and also provide volunteer opportunities for university students enrolled in outdoor recreation and leadership. Adults and youth involved in Extension’s many in-person programs will gain new exposure to the Machias campus, learning firsthand about continuing education classes, degree programs and research projects.
Community members can still visit the Extension office for resource information, such as a helpful tick fact sheet, or to enroll in youth programs, pick up a soil sample kit, reserve a 4-H STEM toolkit, get help identifying plants and pests, inquire about volunteer opportunities or test pressure cooker gauges. Extension office staff can provide on-site support and also access a network of experts statewide on topics, including nutrition for children and young families, home gardening, commercial agriculture, volunteerism, food safety, small business development and climate change adaptation. Extension specialists also conduct research on many of Maine’s agricultural crops, including native wild blueberries, and work directly with growers to share up-to-date information and best practices.
“We are excited to welcome the county UMaine Extension office to campus. This is a wonderful opportunity to get more university students involved in the community through volunteering and internships. This move will strengthen mutual relationships between UMaine Machias and UMaine Extension so we can better serve the communities here in Washington County and beyond.” says Daniel Qualls, UMaine Machias Head of Campus.
Extension will hold an open house event in conjunction with UMaine Machias later this fall with more details to come in August. For more information, contact Extension program administrator Lisa Phelps, 207.356.3851, lisa.phelps@maine.edu; or UMaine Machias assistant director of marketing and communications Jackie Leonard, 207.255.1327, jacqueline.leonard@maine.edu.
About University of Maine Cooperative Extension: As a trusted resource for over 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.
About the University of Maine: The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state’s public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master’s, doctoral or professional science master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.
–University of Maine Cooperative Extension
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