2022-2026 COLVILLE RESERVATION FRTEP PROJECT

Priority 1 Goal: 4-H is an expressed priority of the present FRTEP Extension Advisory Board. We will build on existing 4-H programming and recruit and train adult volunteers to strengthen existing tribal 4-H program and opportunities for youth. Currently, Colville Reservation has five (5) 4-H clubs with twenty-eight (28) adult volunteer leaders and fifty-four (54) youth 4-H members. This FRTEP project will collaborate with the Tribal Extension Director and 4-H Educator to recruit and train tribal volunteers to work with 4-H youth members. Youth will also be recruited to increase youth 4-H membership. 4-H has over 109 different project areas to choose from. The plan is to encourage youth and adults to explore different project areas and develop new clubs within the boundaries of the reservation. The Tribal Extension Director and 4-H Educator will support 4-H volunteers to provide hands-on workshops for youth to explore different 4-H project areas.In addition, the FRTEP educator will coordinate with the Tribal Extension Director and 4-H Educator to explore Ag projects and provide hands-on workshops with our Tribal 4-H youth. FRTEP will continue to partner with local schools and Boys & Girls clubs, as these collaborative efforts expose more youth to 4-H Positive Youth Development.Priority 2 Goal: Provide outreach opportunities for farmers/ranchers to advance their knowledge/skills and production. The Colville Reservation is comprised of timber and rangeland. According to the Colville Tribal Range Program, 474,066 acres of reservation land was grazed in 2021 by a total of 4,164 permitted livestock, which includes cows, bulls, and horses (Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2021). According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, of the 168 farms on the reservation, 40 of them are operated by American Indian or Alaska Natives. Of the 78 farms that reported raising beef, 21 of them are operated by Native American or Alaska Natives and of the 10,476 head of beef reported, 1,744 are raised by Native American or Alaska Natives (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online Resources/American Indian Reservations/AMINDIAN.pdf). None of the reservation farms sell food directly to consumers and none sell to retail markets, institutions, or food hubs for local or regionally branded products. This demonstrates the potential for native farmers and ranchers to increase food sovereignty and food access by using their farmland to not only grow food, but also to sell food products, either to individual consumers or to institutions such as schools.This FRTEP project will provide research-based outreach and University resources to help tribal producers gain knowledge about food production and marketing through workshop classes. The FRTEP will help connect tribal ag producers with local, tribal, state, and federal programs that can assist with funding and technical support to enhance their agriculture operation. To foster youth involvement in agriculture, the FRTEP will coordinate with Tribal Extension Director and 4-H Educator to provide livestock education to youth enrolled in 4-H clubs.Priority 3b Goal: Build on and enhance existing food sovereignty efforts. As referenced prior in this narrative, the Colville Reservation is a Food Desert (https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to… las.aspx). To combat the lack of food access for tribal members, the current FRTEP has provided Food Sovereignty Garden workshops. These workshops have helped tribal members learn the "Why, How, and What Now" of gardening. These workshops are a three-pronged approach; first we provide education and information about why tribal people experience food insecurities and lack access to food; then we move into teaching tribal members how to plant, maintain, and harvest a garden, whether conventional, raised beds, or container garden; and finally, we finish with food safety and food preservation education on what they can do with the harvested fruits and vegetables - canning, freezing, dehydrating, etc.This FRTEP project seeks to build upon this foundation and encourage more and larger food sovereignty gardening experiences by collaborating with local schools and other youth-serving organizations to encourage youth to develop gardening skills and start learning how to safely preserve and store their harvested foods. In response to previous program participants' survey responses, we plan to expand the topics of our Food Sovereignty workshops, presentations and clinics.Priority 3c Goal: Strengthen relationship with tribal Natural Resource programs to achieve and maintain a healthy environment.Existing FRTEP has a strong history of partnering and collaborating with tribal programs. We act as mentors to new or incoming natural resources staff and we collaborate with Tribal Range, Fish & Wildlife and Environmental Trust programs to provide outreach education for their staff. This outreach education for tribal programs has focused on invasive species and rangeland management. We have hosted licensing and certification trainings for natural resource staff to gain skills in pest management and applicator safety.Priority 3d Goal: Develop linkages for food production, food safety and nutrition to enhance health and well-being of reservation residents. Our current program provides good linkages in this priority area. Through our existing Food Sovereignty Garden workshops, we have helped numerous Tribal programs - Food Distribution, Women Infant Children (WIC), Diabetes, Area Agency on Aging, and Tribal Health - connect with their clients. Food is a universal need for all people and diet plays a large part in the health and well-being of Native Americans. The aforementioned tribal programs, along with medical personnel, encourage Native Americans to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. The FRTEP educator will collaborate with our FCS educator to expand our food safety and nutrition outreach on the reservation. The Extension Educators will continue to identify new and emerging topics to help meet the needs of the reservation community.Priority 3f. Goal: Enhance existing trust by providing opportunities for sharing amongst extension staff and indigenous audience. Our Tribal Extension office strives for and welcomes collaborative efforts. The Extension Educators work together to plan and coordinate team-taught workshops. They share their knowledge and expertise within the office, with Colville Tribal program staff and with colleagues in the WSU Land-Grant system. The Tribal Extension Director participates in bi-weekly tribal program manager meetings. These meetings bring Tribal Natural Resources Program Managers together to share information and strategize for future programming. Extension staff partner with a variety of tribal programs, departments, and staff to coordinate educational outreach that will benefit reservation residents. They reach out to and share information and resources with other FRTEP colleagues across the nation. They partner with Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) to plan and coordinate the Annual Northwest IAC membership meeting. This FRTEP will continue to honor and respect the trusted relationships that we have built over the years. They will embrace relationships with tribal programs and tribal membership and continue to strengthen the connection of trust. In addition, this FRTEP can coordinate gatherings and provide space for traditional ecological knowledge to be shared with enrolled 4-H youth, thus supporting the traditional and cultural Native American practice of learning from the elder generations.