Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (EBCI FRTEP) Empowers Cherokee Youth through Cooperative Extension's agricultural education. Agriculture connects the Cherokee to the land, to food, and to health. Cherokee agriculture is the foundation upon which the Cherokee culture is built. Todays Cherokee youth need an agricultural education in order to make wise food choices, live healthy lifestyles and intelligently manage their land as adults. EBCI FRTEP is the Agriculture Education Program for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians providing access to educational and technical resources that help improve the lives of Cherokee People. EBCI FRTEP provides holistic educational programs addressing both historical and contemporary agriculture, food ways and natural resource conservation. Education is conducted through hands-on workshops, publications, tours, meetings and demonstrations. Innovative outreach tools include a mobile classroom and two different growing sites for public demonstrations. EBCI FRTEP efforts over the last 13 years have resulted in a 60% increase in the number of home gardens grown annually. Cherokee youths and adults report that they eat more fresh vegetables and engage in more physical exercise because they are raising a home garden. EBCI FRTEP exists through a cooperative partnership between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, USDA - National Institute of Food and Agriculture and North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. Prior to the acronym FRTEP this program was referred to is EIRP (Extension on Indian Reservations Program) Changes/Problems: The opportunities with LFPA and IAG will be of great benefit to our community. Along with the grant funds come the opportunity to teach about growing and consuming the food and with the IAG the raising of livestock. As mentioned briefly in the accomplishment section, we have had a vacancy in the 4-H position but have a great candidate right now. Our Ag Agent just completed his first year. Before that it was vacant for over a year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Fall FRTEP Professional Development Meeting in MN attended by Project Director, Educator, and support staff 2023 Intertribal Ag Council Meeting attended by all EBCI Extension Staff West District Extension Conference attended by NC State Staff EBCI Tribal annual training requirements for IT, HR, and anti-bullying/harassment How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The EBCI Cooperative Extension Office has access to the OneFeather periodical and Facebook Page with over 25000 followers. We also have access to email all EBCI Employees, Harrahs Casino Staff, and the Cherokee Hospital Staff. Total email distribution of over 3000 employees. We post to our EBCI Cooperative Extension Facebook Page. EBCI Cooperative Extension is present for quarterly Cherokee Community Club Council Meetings What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue working toward the goals of our FRTEP Project. Our office has really began focusing on Tribal Food Sovereignty. We have had vacancy in the 4-H position for over a year. We hope to hire before summers end.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
4-H Programs Meeting Community Needs? Our 4-H program helps facilitate a financial literacy simulation as part of Cherokee High School's Real-Life Expo each fall. 120 students, who are juniors and seniors in high school, choose a career with a salary and then must go around to booths to budget for housing, food, transportation, entertainment, and more. We use the 'Real Money, Real World' 4-H curriculum from Ohio State and are fortunate to have teacher volunteers at the school engaged in most of the planning and execution of this experience. EBCI Food Access Support Continued to support the Healthy Eating Action Team (HEAT) based out of the EBCI's Public Health and Human Services Office. This team indicated a need for fresh food for the syringe exchange program. Applied for and received $5,000 from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project's (ASAP) Farm Health initiative on behalf of WNC Farm to Table. The "Farms to Go" bags, procured from local farmers, are delivered to the syringe exchange and distributed to the largely homeless population to 1.) feed people who do not have readily available access to fresh produce or a way to cook fresh produce and 2.) encourage the use of the syringe exchange program among participants who need fresh food. Due to the program's success, The EBCI Public Health & Human Service Syringe Exchange department is pursuing funding to continue with the bags of local food. Jessica Mrugala who works with the EBCI Cooperative Extension Office was the recipient of WCU's 2022 Community Engagement Service Award for her work with WCU students on the Produce Rx Programs The Summer - Fall of 2022 Lisa McBride of WNC Farm to Table, a local aggregator, received funding from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture's Farm Fresh for Health funding to supply 40 bags of local, ready, and easy to eat meals to the Syringe Exchange in Cherokee. The Syringe Exchange program is a division of Tribal Public Health and Human Services and offers free needle exchanges, clinical services, and screenings to all members of the tribe. By offering free fresh foods to our vulnerable, often unhoused population we encouraged their use of the facility and also provided them the rare opportunity to access fresh and local food. WNC Farm to Table supplied these bags for 12 weeks, and we are in the process of reserving funding to offer 20 bags / week for 18 consecutive months with our new LFPA+ funding. Our office was able to provide three, free ServSafe courses to our Tribal community members, as well as free exams and certifications. This manager in charge, food safe certification is essential to operate food businesses in NC. Several tribal businesses sent their employees to be certified, as well as many of our tribal food distribution and tribal school district employees. EBCI Food Truck Boot Camp We realized a big goal to support the creation and implementation of the Food Truck Boot Camp in collaboration with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Department of Commerce, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Mountain BizWorks, and the Sequoyah Fund. This event supported over 30 new and established Food Trucks in the region and beyond, and we offered over 30 unique educational presentations from marketing, menu development, regulations, to mobile kitchen vehicle layout. Agriculture and more Tribal Food Sovereignty Efforts Chief's Garden Kits - 900 kits (13500 individual seed packets) were given out in 2024 Garden Judging - visit and review community member, family, and cooperative gardens. For 2023, a record of 65 Community Members participated. This program grows each year. For 2024, 55 community members entered For 2023 and 2024we were unable to host the Backyard Ramp Patch Project giveaway due to supply issues. We hope to continue in the future. Our office wrote to USDA and was awarded $3,034,027 for Local Food Procurement. This program will beganin the Spring of 2024. This program will support local food acquisition over the next two years. All food purchased will be given away free. We have contracted with 4 Tribal Aggregators for year 1 to do Traditional Food Crops Distributions including corn, beans, squash, and some foraged nuts and greens. Those 4 aggregators are working with over 25 Tribal Members that have stepped up from hobby and family gardening to producing enough to support our community. Our office also wrote a grant to USDA for the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing for $6,485,000. This application was to build a 2000 animals a year meat processing unit here on the Qualla Boundary. We recieved our award notification the last week of June. Made 53 home visits to identify and address garden, landscape, or tree issues. The EBCI NC Cooperative Extension works with local, state, and federal partners on addressing issues in Indian Country. We have seen these partnerships have led to many opportunities for future benefit of the EBCI. Programs, meetings, and events were for community clubs Bi-Monthly Community Club Council meetings - 6 Quarterly Meetings with the Chief & Vice Chief - 3 Quarterly Meetings with the Police Department, Police Commission, & Tribal Prosecutors Office - 4 Town Hall Meeting in Snowbird & Birdtown attended with community club officers. Cherokee Community Club Council & Gadugi Constitution Committee - attended and supported this effort. Served as contact for scheduling meetings, and any other requests. Long Man River Clean-up - assisted with coordination of river clean-up and planning for participating community clubs. Cherokee Rally for Recovery Committee - assisted with community club support, donations, and scheduling of program tables. Human Trafficking Educational Event -coordinated event in partnership with EBCI Domestic Violence and Tribal Prosecutor' Office. Hosted three training sessions for community club officers. Topics were Strategic Planning, Budgeting, and updates for the Community Development Awards program. Traveled to Snowbird & Cherokee County to host their training. Hosted workshop with WNC Communities Susan Garrett. Six community clubs attended. Continue assisting communities with updating and amending their Bylaws. As of to date seven community clubs have updated bylaws. WNC Communities Honors Awards Program - 7 communities participating Attending Kuwohi Connection Day with two other community clubs. GSMNP is working to get more community involvement and support of this project. Community Veterinarian Clinic - Second year coordinated clinic for Grace Community Church. Working with Carmaleta Monteith on Metal Craft project for community members. Each community club will host a metal craft event. Laura Walkingstick will coordinate this project. Partnership events with the community clubs: March Community Wide Reading Challenge - 6 communities participated April/June Community Club Garden Contest - 4 communities participated May Community wide Landscape Beautification Contest - 15 people participated June Cherokee Rally for Recovery & Human Trafficking Educational Event - communities & Cherokee Community Club council donated money to support these two events. August Annual Community Development Awards Program - 8 communities participated September Annual Community Awards & Volunteer Appreciation Event - presenting of community development & garden awards 2023 Cherokee Indian Fair - coordinated exhibit hall for Extension and Community Club Fair Booths. Eight communities hosted a fair booth, six communities hosted a community day event and Cherokee Community Club Council, and eight community clubs provided the meal for Veterans Day. Extension Center participated in the first Scare-Okee Halloween event. Eight communities participate in the community wide pumpkin carving contest. Extension partnership with NAIWA(Native American Indian Women's Association)Spring Garden Fair.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Our main target audience are the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Members and members of the EBCI Community. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are located in the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina. There are approximately 16,000 tribal members living on 56,000 acres of mountainous forest land with minimal property suitable for farming or housing. As with most mountainous areas, farmland is often competing for housing and commercial use. This land classification also tends to lead to isolated communities with little modern infrastructure such as cell towers and fiber connections. Due to land restrictions and the historically challenging access to healthy food options through local food systems, food sovereignty is of major concern. Changes/Problems:The PI on this project, Ronald "Chumper" Walker (myself) just completed my 9th year with EBCI Cooperative Extension and 22nd year working for the EBCI in some fassion. As with many others it has been difficult to keep and/or hire good agents/educators. For this past year our 4-H (25%) and Ag Agent(100%)who are both educators on this grant were vacant until May 1st. We hope the new hiresstay. Neither are EBCI Tribal Members which we always cross our fingers that someone will come along eventually. Our New Beginnings for Tribal Students Grant through USDA NIFA is giving us some positive feelings and results thus far. We hope that grant continues. It is important for Tribal representation in the program that delivers education and outreach to our people. Thank you. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? InterTribal Ag Council Annual Membership Meeting 2022 5 staff and partners attended various educational sessions over the week including the monday FRTEP Meeting. FRTEP Professional Development host by Seminole FRTEP PI and New Beginnings for Tribal Students Coordinator attended the February 2022 Training in Hollywood, FL New Ag & 4-H Agents have attended several trainings including: Soil Health & Cover Croping, Ages & Stages, Youth Master Gardeners Advisory Board Chair Leadership Training Advisory Chair and Extension Director & FRTEP PI attended NCSU Advisory Board Chair Training to gain leadership building capacity and recruitment North Carolina State University (NCSU) professional development and employee required trainings for IT, Grant Compliance Effort Reports, etc. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Community Club Meetings Reports • Division of Ag & Natural Resources Quarterly Newsletter • Email List Serve Clients • North Carolina State University Extension Reporting Modules • Annual Report to Tribal Council • Chief's Annual Report to the People • Social Media (Facebook) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to work toward the goals and objectives set forth in our FRTEP Narrative. We want to accomplish anything we missed during year 1 and carryout year 2. Below are some of those activities: Conduct educational workshops for the Cherokee Community in the areas of alternative planting/gardening methods and small livestock production. Raised bed and container gardens Backyard flock poultry production (eggs, meat) Conduct youth-centered programming on Cherokee Culture, language, artisan resources, and traditional food ways 4-H Cultural Presentation Club Meeting 4-H will work with the Revitalization of Traditional Artisan Resources Project on white oak and river cane education and projects 4-H Program will solicit community members and tribal elders to learn of traditional food ways. Elder gardens and farms. Involve youth, families, and school classrooms in gardening through community/school/at-home gardens 4-H Program will collaborate with High School Ag Teacher and Family Consumer Science Classrooms to promote home and school gardens. Also learn how to process, cook, and preserve food grown. Build capacity within Cherokee Community for leadership with volunteer development programming 4-H Program will support local, district, and state participation of Cherokee Youth in presentations. 4-H Program will work with current and solicit new volunteers to lead 4-H Programs. 4-H Agent will provide professional development opportunities for 4-H Volunteers Extension and EBCI Community Development will work with current and potential community club officers and leaders to build leadership skills. Continue to strengthen relationships and seek opportunities with new partners Attend FRTEP Annual Meeting and Intertribal Ag Council for FRTEP Agent Professional Development Use employee and program evaluation tools from NC State University, NC Cooperative Extension, and other methods to access employee and program performance for FY23 Year 2 Home food production Focus home food production education on best management practices for farms, gardens, and small-scale livestock production. Teach food processing and preservation techniques. Teach animal processing and preservation methods Youth centered cultural programming and education Cultural Presentation Team will present at District and State events Do Artisan projects with youth harvested resources. Baskets, pottery, jewelry Build electronic resource documenting traditional food ways Youth Gardening 4-H Program will adopt school gardens 4-H Program youth will provide education outreach to day cares 4-H Program will work with 4-H Agent and Ag Agent to achieve Junior Master Gardener Status Leadership Development Continue youth involvement in district and state level events Create new public speaking opportunities for 4-H Youth Community Club Officer directed trainings in conflict management, crucial conversations, Robert's Rules of Order Continue to strengthen relationships and seek opportunities with new partners. Attend FRTEP Annual Meeting and Intertribal Ag Council for FRTEP Agent Professional Development Use employee and program evaluation tools from NC State University, NC Cooperative Extension, and other methods to access employee and program performance for FY24
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Tribal Food Systems 2022 Indian Fair - over 300 Ag and Livestock Entries. 2022 Food Truck Boot Camp - an effort to support street food and emerging and existing food trucks. A 4 day event with trainings ranging from inspections, safety, food scaling, menu design, to marketing and more. 2023 Community Garden Kits - over 900 families received garden kits consisting of 12 heirloom seed packs, onion sets, and strawberry plants 2023 Spring Garden Fair - hosted a table at the Native American Indian Women's Assocation Annual Spring Garden Fair. Over 250 community members came by our table to receive pollinator seed, vegetable seed, and time to ask questions about any problems or issues they may be having with their gardens. 2023 Earthday week Tree giveway to over 200 Tribal Members in partnership with NC Fish and Wildlife, NC DOT, and American Chestnut Foundation. Each person received a Mulberry Tree, American/Chinese Chestnut Cross Tree, and several Milkweed Plants Chestnut Tree Planting on the Tribal Reserve. An effort between the American Chestnut Foundation and the EBCI to hopefully produce highly blight tolerant, high American Chestnut percentage trees. Planted 32 trees and sowed some seed. Partnered with our FDPIR Program and the EBCI to fund and build a new Tribal Cannery that will open this August. The new facility will over our tradtional jar preservation service and new opportunities with Freeze Drying and vacu-sealing. Our office submitted a proposal to USDA AMS LFPA+ to assist in supporting our Local Food Production. Our proposal included tradtional food boxes monthly, Friday School take home meal bags for students, and a seasonal farmers market with free tradtional crops giveaways. We also submitted a proposal on behalf of the EBCI to the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant to build a meat procsessing facility here on the Qualla Boundary. Currently there is no USDA inspected facilities within 3 hours for our animal producers to have their livestock processed. consistent 1 on 1 support to Tribal Members with best practices with growing food, pest management, invasive control, business planning, etc. Youth 24 families have receieved baby chicks this year that were incubated and raised with our FRTEP and Indian County Extension Funds. We have created 1school garden and one apartment complex gardenthis year. At Dora Reed Childcare Facility (200+ youth) and Soco Creek Village Apartments (80+ family units) We had several Tribal Youth Participate in District Presentations. Our New Beginning for Tribal Students Coordinator and 4-H Program assisted a group of Cherokee High School Students visit NC State University. Our Agents and staff assisted with 3 local school system field days including: Swain County Soil and Water Conservation Field Day, Swain County East Elementary Outdoor Discovery Day, and Cherokee Central Schools 3rd and 5th Grade Outdoor Discovery Days Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR) workshop with youth A group of 15 Cherokee High School Students along with the RTCAR Director worked to rehab an existing River Cane Patch at CHS. Cultivating Community Continueto provide workshops that assist community club officers with reaching out to the members of their communities. The use of social media is encourage and keeping their community club Facebook updated is vital to informing their community members of their needs and upcoming events. Collaboration is encouraged and is a part of the awards programs they participate in each year. Information on opportunities to assist other community clubs by donating or volunteering is made available as well as events hosted by tribal programs. In addition to information on grants or funding that will help them provide resources for gardening, natural resource programs, and health & educational activities. Communities are also asked to keep a log of all their volunteers and hours served by their community members. This information is important for writing grants and tribal funding reports. Community Clubs are a great resource for providing, supporting, and encouraging the preserving our Cherokee history, language, and culture. We assist with letting the clubs know of available funds they can apply for, or projects in which they can participate. Classes such as sewing traditional ribbons skirts, hosting Cherokee language classes, craft classes on corn husk dolls, pottery, basket making are held yearly. A new project that the clubs will participate in this year is a metal craft workshop. The clubs will select six people from their community to learn the art of metal craft - working with copper and other metals. Community Clubs are also hosting lectures and historical tours on Cherokee history with local historians. These are great opportunities for tribal members to learn more about their history. These activities are open to all tribal members. Each year the community development department host workshops to strengthen leadership skills for the community club officers. These workshops are geared at training those who have no leadership background or understand the role as a club officer. Workshops such as Roberts Rules of Order, how to create a budget, creating and implementing a strategic plan, and developing and updating their clubs bylaws are vital to the structure and growth of the club and their officers. Due to officers changing each year these workshops are held on an annual basis. Additional workshops on the awards programs of the EBCI Extension Center and WNC Communities are also hosted. WNC Communities continues to be strong partnership with the Extension Center and the community clubs. We also encourage the officers to participate in the WNC Non-Profit Pathways leadership development workshops. Officers will receive a certification on completion at the end of the training. ***At their bi-monthly meetings the officers of Cherokee Community Club Council have been discussing the issue of Food Sovereignty. They feel there is a need for our tribe to purchase land that would be set apart and used for growing and harvesting food for our people. Since the Pandemic this has become a greater concern. Due to the shortage of land available to grow gardens and having only one grocery store to purchase food the officers feel this is a serious matter that needs to be addressed soon. Community Club officers have had several discussions with Tribal leadership on this issue and do not plan to stop bringing up matter until it is dealt with.
Publications
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