DATE: 5/1/06

CONTACT: Rick Willey, (864) 656-3090

WRITER: Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741

4-H FACE program still successful after 26 years

CLEMSON – For 26 years the 4-H Food and Cover Establishment (FACE) for Wildlife program has been thriving. More than 160 4-H members from across the state have enrolled in the program this year, according to Rick Willey, Clemson Extension 4-H natural resources specialist and 4-H FACE coordinator.

Through the FACE program youths learn how to create and maintain food plots that benefit small game and other wildlife species. FACE activities and the support of volunteer leaders provide young people with opportunities to develop horticulture, observation, and record keeping skills while learning important conservation ethics.

Each member receives a five-pound bag of seed mixture to plant on one plot of land designated to support a wildlife habitat. Members must then maintain the plot for one year and track its growth and the wildlife it attracts.

“The 4-H FACE for Wildlife program is the perfect example of an experience that these young people will remember throughout their lives.” said Willey.

Participants need only have an interest in wildlife and a willingness to devote some of their spare time to wildlife habitat enhancement to take part in the program, according to Willey.

This 4-H event is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Quail Unlimited, and the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service.

4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. The South Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program uses a learn-by-doing approach. Caring adults, the knowledge and resources of Clemson University and the land grant university system help empower youths to become healthy, productive and contributing members of society.

To learn more about 4-H in your community, contact your county Extension office or go to the state 4-H website at www.clemson.edu/4h.

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