DATE: 10/15/07

CONTACT: Rick Willey, (864) 656-3090; rwlly@clemson.edu

WRITER: Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741; spalmer@clemson.edu

4-H to hold forestry club volunteer training

CLEMSON – The South Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program is looking for adults who care about kids, community and conservation to train to become a 4-H forestry club volunteer.

The instructor training will be held in Columbia at the Sandhill Research and Education Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 15. Cost is $10, which includes lunch.

The course will teach volunteers how to prepare youth to evaluate their practical forestry skills at the State 4-H Forestry Contest. Participants compete in four areas: tree measurements; compass and pacing; tree identification; and a written exam.

These skills help young people develop an appreciation of the need and importance of conserving woodlands as a source of income and raw materials, according to Rick Willey, state 4-H natural resources specialist at Clemson University.

“Volunteers are essential to the successful delivery of 4-H programs,” said Willey.

For more information and registration, contact your local Clemson Extension office or Willey at rwlly@clemson.edu or (864) 656-3090.

South Carolina 4-H has been making the best better since 1908. 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. For more information about South Carolina 4-H or its centennial celebration, contact your county Extension office or go to: www.clemson.edu/4h.

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