Chippewa County program highlights 2018
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EmailMSU Extension supports family health and nutrition, engages youth in place-based food system education, support local agriculture and much more.
Place-Based Food System Education
Chippewa county youth engaged in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning around traditional foods. Ojibwe Charter School celebrated the 4th annual Cider Press Science Day exploring how simple machines turn apples to fresh cider.
JKL Bahweting Anishnabe Public School Academy 8th grade students took part in a traditional manoomin (wild rice) processing workshop that involved parching, jigging, winnowing, and sorting the rice as well as harvest tool demonstrations, culinary skill building activities, and hearing about manoomin restoration projects and the science involved in planning.
Health & Nutrition
About 100 people received food safety training in 2018, in the areas of food preservation, cottage food law, or ServSafe.
Seasons of the UP (6 classes and 3 field trips) were offered, with 35 attending. 350 adults attended 7-part nutrition training, with an additional 68 youth completing a nutrition series. One hundred seniors benefited from Project Fresh coupons.
Agriculture & Agribusiness
In partnership with Bay Mills Community College and Bay Mills Health Center we continue to offer regular food production education workshops to the entire community at BMCC's agriculture education center Waishkey Bay Farm in Brimley. Our 2018 workshops included DIY low hoops for season extension with raised beds, tomato pruning and trellising for hoop houses, shiitake mushroom cultivation, seed saving, soil health, berry care, garlic planting, and Michigan Cottage Food Law.
Boat to School
MSU Extension partnered with JKL Bahweting Anishnabe, a public tribal charter school, to help 6th grade students experience a fish filled week. This program highlighted the importance of fish to our Great Lakes ecosystem and how humans have been managing those fish and enjoying their benefits for many years.
Tasting whitefish tacos while learning about seafood’s nutritional benefits, dissecting walleye stomachs to learn about fish diets, and a fisheries career panel were a few of the activities. Students were able to visit a walleye hatchery to see the entire process of raising walleye for release into the wild. They also visited Massey’s Fish company where they learned about sustainable commercial fishing, methods, fish population dynamics, and tasted many fresh samples.
Constitution Day
On September 17 local sponsors teamed to hold the 5th annual Constitution Day Celebration at the Chippewa County Courthouse. Approximately 145 students attended from area schools.
Judge Amy Krause of the Michigan Court of Appeals, the keynote speaker, provided insight about various aspects of the Constitution, particularly as it pertains to freedom of speech and our right to vote.
Local attorneys and judicial staff volunteered their time to facilitate student discussions.
Students divided into small groups to discuss six federal court cases involving the First and Eighth Amendments.
Sponsors included the League of Women Voters, Chippewa County 4-H, EUP Intermediate School District, and Judge Eric Blubaugh on behalf of the Chippewa County Court system.
