Editor: Thomas W. Blaine

Colleagues:  Greetings! 

Welcome to the first OSU CD Newsletter of 2009.  I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  It was fantastic seeing everyone at Annual Conference last month.  As for me personally, I really enjoyed the interaction at the workshop on Global Climate Change.  In fact, I would like to take this opportunity to remind each of you that Extension’s resources on this topic are considerable.  Please get in touch with me if you have questions about it, or if you are considering education on this topic in your community.  Also, for those of you who write regular articles for newsletters or newspapers in your communities, I can help provide you with information you may wish to use as you prepare something on this important topic.

There are a lot of important CD topics to consider as we enter 2009.  Check out some of the items of interest below. 

Appalachian Farmers' Markets to Benefit from Assistance

As consumer interest in locally grown food continues to rise, there is a new program being offered to assist farmers’ markets in Appalachian Ohio better communicate with potential consumers.  As a result, consumers looking to frequent farmers’ markets in the Appalachian region will be better able to identify where those markets are located and what products they offer.

Through $75,000 in funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission, The Ohio State University South Centers will be providing marketing assistance to farmers’ markets in the region.  This will allow farmers’ market managers and vendors/producers easy access to tools to help get the word out about the benefits of their products.

“Many markets in the region are run by volunteer managers,” says Christie Welch, Farmers’ Market Specialist with The OSU South Centers.  “Due to time and resource restrictions, many do not have the luxury of developing a strategic marketing plan to help inform consumers of the benefits of their markets.  The OSU South Centers will develop customizable marketing materials to assist these busy producers.”

“This initiative will assist Ohio’s Appalachian communities by creating opportunities to share the bounty of their natural resources with greater Ohio and the entire region,” said Fred Deel, Director of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia. “This collaboration between the OSUSouthCenters and the Appalachian Regional Commission will generate agricultural dollars, which will then work to leverage growth for the entire region.”

Director Deel presented a check for $75,000 in support of the OSU South Centers marketing initiative. The Ohio Department of Development’s Governor’s Office of Appalachia provides approximately a quarter-million dollars per year via Appalachian Regional Commission funding for Ohio’s Appalachian Counties.

Farmers’ markets are a win-win-win for producers, consumers, and the communities of Appalachian Ohio.  They provide consumers access to fresh, healthy, locally produced foods, they help smaller farmers maintain their financial stability, and they keep food dollars in the region.  In addition to the economic benefits, farmers’ markets also provide many social benefits to the region.

Tom Worley, Director of the OSU South Centers, emphasized the benefit the program will have for the Appalachian region of Ohio.  “As we work to expand income of farmers markets in this region, it will continue to build income throughout the region,” Worley said.  “The OSU South Centers is pleased to offer assistance from production all the way through the marketing of the region’s horticultural products.”

Tourism and Community Development

Melinda Huntley is partnering with the Ohio Travel Association (OTA) to conduct the OhioTourism Leadership Academy in 2008-2009.  The Academy is the product of a strategic planning session held by OTA in 2007.  Melinda was serving as OTA president at that time.  Melinda is supported by Ohio Sea Grant and OSU Extension.

As of January 2009, Melinda has conducted two of the five sessions in the program’s year-long curriculum.  Each session has a theme, and is held at a location commensurate with that theme.  For example, the January session focused on economic development, and was held at the Ohio Department of Development.  The March session focuses on outdoor recreation, and thus will be held at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.  These changes in locations make sure that graduates of the program not only know the material in the curriculum, but also have the practical knowledge of the locations of state offices that deal with each topic. 

Other topics to be included in future sessions include:  transportation, legislative advocacy, historic preservation, and the roles that each of these plays within the tourism industry.

Those who complete the Academy’s curriculum graduate in October.  Applications for positions with the Academy for the 2009-2010 year will be available in summer, and the new curriculum year will start in November.  The Ohio Academy’s educational goals include the following: 

-To create a better understanding of tourism’s role, structure, responsibilities, issues and challenges within State of Ohio
-To identify individual leadership styles.
-To understand the responsibilities and goals of four of the state’s major tourism associations: the Ohio Restaurant Association, the Ohio Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, the Ohio Travel Association, and the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association.   

If you have questions about the OhioTourism Leadership Academy, please contact Melinda at Huntley@coastalohio.com

News from Sea Grant

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is a significant disease of fish that has appeared in the Great Lakes and Lake Erie in the past few years that threatens the Ohio baitfish and aquaculture industries. Sea Grant’s Fred Snyder, Eugene Braig IV, and Tory Gabriel have been conducting outreach education and research on limiting the spread of VHS.  They recently met with Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Boggs, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Logan and Deputy Director Celebrezze to discuss the agencies’ roles in controlling fish diseases in aquaculture.  Fred noted that it was particularly gratifying to hear Director Boggs credit Ohio Sea Grant with playing a serious role in bringing Ohio further along than any other Great Lakes state in handling the VHS issue.  Look for more on this topic in the near future.

Sustainable Tourism Recognized in Current Issue of Coastal Service

The Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Coastal Service prominently featured OSU Sea Grant in its cover story on sustainable tourism.  In describing the article, Dr. Margaret Davidson, Director of the NOAA Coastal Services Center in South Carolina, wrote, “…we look at how coastal managers in Ohio are making sustainable tourism a primary program focus to help communities become more resilient economically, environmentally, and socially.” Additionally she noted that, “The Ohio Sea Grant College Program is actively working to mitigate … impacts by simultaneously diversifying tourism audiences, protecting the environment, and creatively educating visitors about the importance of our natural resources.”  

In the story itself, Ohio Sea Grant Extension’s Melinda Huntley is quoted as saying, “We need to help diversify our tourism base to protect the economy, protect the environment, and help address environmental issues ranging from harmful algal blooms to climate change.”

The article also states that, “Huntley has been working with four other Ohio coastal resource programs to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for outreach, and has worked with partners to develop a leadership academy for tourism officials to help educate and encourage them to become more involved in environmental organizations.”

See the full article at: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/₂₀₀₉/01/article2.ht

Congratulations go to Community Development Award Recipients for 2008

Congratulations go to the OSU Extension Community Development personnel who received  Awards for 2008 at Annual Conference.  Please click on the following link to check out the list for ESP, OAEP and NACDEP awards for 2008:

http://oaep.osu.edu/Recognition/08AwardBooklet.pdf

Date to Remember:

NACDEP Conference in San Diego, California
April 20 - 22, 2009
http://www.nacdep.net/