Due to the diligent efforts of Cornell Cooperative
Extension, Suffolk County has been able to maintain
its status as thelargest
agricultural income producer in New York State
with an annual income of over ½ billion dollars.
Our IPM
programs provide specialist support to every
agricultural commodity and county facilities, such as parks, golf courses
and office buildings to reduce the use of pesticides and save money to
expand their businesses.
Cornell Cooperative Extension supported
the development
of Long Island’s burgeoning wine industry.
Due to our support it is the fastest growing region in the country, after
California.
Our Breast
Cancer Program has helped the pesticide industry and the breast cancer
advocates to come together and hear about
the latest research in this area vs. learning from scare tactics often
used by the media.
Spring Gardening classes,
taught by volunteers reach over 600 residents at 3 sites with environmental
and gardening information. One participant came to all three. Evaluations
have been extremely positive.
Teacher training in the
areas of gardening, nutrition, environment, and parenting
provided valuable resources based on land grant curriculum materials.
Several of these programs are certified for graduate credit.
Over 20,000 consumer
calls or visits to our 3 hotlines
provide important information regarding landscape questions, alternatives
to pesticides, food safety, nutrition and a variety of other current topics.
Over 300 Suffolk residents
(50% of the state total) saved money
by participating in Money 2000.
In collaboration with the Suffolk Family
Service League, over
40 frontline Human Service workers completed the Family Credentialing
Program. These staff members have reported
high levels of new learning regarding their roles, new confidence in their
abilities and a new credential. All the participants passed a rigorous
test and developed portfolios.
Hundreds of people have reported increased
knowledge of money management through our MONEY $MART$ Program.
More than 3000
parents attended positive parenting classes
which are conducted in libraries across the county.
Over 2500
parents learned new skills in providing proper nutrition for their children
in our Feeding Little Folks Program taught
at libraries. Better nutrition means less illness and reduced health care
costs.
Over 200 families with over 600
members completed EFNEP training, increasing their knowledge in nutrition,
food safety, food budgeting and parenting.
Over 5000 families have graduated from the program since 1969.
Over 600
African American and Hispanic residents participated in a diabetes education
program which helped them measure blood
sugars, weight control, sore detection and vision screening.
Over 15,000
Suffolk youth learned about the marine environment, commercial fishing,
aquaculture and related topics from programs delivered at the Suffolk
County Marine Environmental Learning Center,
outreach programs in schools and day care centers and other locations.
Cornell Cooperative Extension has taken
the leadership for theLong
Island Fisheries Assistance program, funded by the Empire State Development
Corporation. Participants learned how to
market their products on the Internet, improve productivity, diversify
their operations and re-powering vessels for different tasks. Fishing
is a $1/2 billion business in Suffolk County.
40 participants in the
mariculture program learned how to start part-time businesses in Long
Island’s oldest industry. These
successful businesses provided additional income for the participants
that they would otherwise not have.
The Bay Scallop Spawner
Sanctuary has helped to restore the bay scallop industry,
which was devastated by the brown tide. This industry used to employ hundreds
of East End residents and hopefully will again.
Over 50 county residents
have been trained as Master Naturalists.
These volunteers work in parks and nature preserves, interpreting the
natural resources that exists there.
Hundreds of Suffolk residents
learn about marine resources through
our educational programs. Participants have opportunities to get out in
the water and to visit environmental areas around the world.
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s
Endangered Species Program, done
in collaboration with the U.S. Fish & Game Service and the Long Island
Game Farm, provides an opportunity for local youth and adults to learn
more about the natural environment.
The Water Quality Laboratory
at our Marine Center identifies and implements strategies to mitigate
pollution. Researchers are using
DNA to identify coliform contamination. Due to Cornell Cooperative Extension’s
efforts several shellfish beds have been able to re-open providing income
for local fishermen.
Our Drinking Water initiative,
done in collaboration with the CountyHealth Department has helped Shelter
Island improve its water quality.
Almost 4000
youth learn about recycling, reducing, and reusing products at our Recycling
Center and museum. Teachers report that
the program has a large impact on their students.
Career education programs
such as Veterinary Science, Marine Science and Aerospace helps over 100
youth make career decisions. Youth
report that the programs and the opportunity to meet professionals in
their fields of interest are very helpful.
Over 400 youth learn skills in planning,
communication, group work and subject matter skills through participation
in the 4-H
Program.
Almost 60,000 youth (including those reached
through the Marine Program) have learned
about agriculture, marine life and nutrition through 4-H Programs at
our sites, in schools, in community events, in libraries and in county
and state parks.
150,000 people come to the Cornell Cooperative
Extension-operated Suffolk County Farm and Education Center. Visitors
learn about agricultural history on Long Island, modern agriculture, both
plant and animals. They view the compost
park, the butterfly house, the demonstration gardens, the community gardens,
the children’s garden, the greenhouse where we train inmates and youth
about horticulture and the wide array of farm animals.
Several hundred students
and food workers learn about meat processing
at our meat processing plant. This plant produces almost 300,000 pounds
of meat a year for county-run facilities.
Learn & Play Programs, Weekend Programs,
Day Camps, Special Events Programs, Pony Programs and Llama Programs teach
thousands of Suffolk residents about agricultural and environmental issues.
Our 4-H Youth Development Program has initiated
a successful Scout Badge Program. This program
allows scouts to receive their badges while studying Cornell materials.
Hundreds of scouts participate each year, and the number is growing fast.
Due to the excellence and diligence of our
staff, we have attracted
almost $1 million in new grants each year.
