Recent Posts
-
Parents looking for meaningful, educational, and exciting opportunities for their children this fall won’t have to look far. Forsyth County 4-H is offering a full calendar of programs that combine hands-on learning, skill-building, and plenty of fun. From nature exploration and cooking to life skills and STEM challenges, 4-H has something for every age and…
Posted in: 4-H -
This August 2025 marks the 7th year of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census (GSPC). This annual citizen science event started in 2019 as the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, but has now grown to include five states. South Carolina, through Clemson University Extension, joined the project for the 2022 census, followed by North Carolina State University…
Posted in: ANR -
orsyth County 4-H is excited to announce the launch of LifeSmarts, a dynamic educational program that helps middle and high school students gain the knowledge and confidence they need to make smart, informed choices in everyday life. This fast-paced competition-based program teaches real-world skills in the areas of personal finance, consumer rights, health and safety,…
Posted in: 4-H -
Summer’s here, and it’s a great time to try new things that help us feel good. One fun and healthy activity is making your own kombucha! It’s a satisfying drink that’s easy to create at home. Kombucha started a long, long time ago in China, around 220 B.C. Today, it’s really popular in the U.S.…
Posted in: Uncategorized -
About this time last year, I wrote about a couple of very visible invasive plants. One was Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), a sun- and shade-tolerant grass that has spread so far it is known by several names, including Nepalese browntop, Asian stilt grass, and Chinese packing grass. Japanese stiltgrass is native to Asia and is…
Posted in: ANR -
Around this time of year, many are shopping and planning for weekend outdoor barbeques and picnics at a local park, near the lake, at a neighborhood swimming pool, or at the beach. Enjoying the evening ambience of Cumming City Center’s musical amphitheater, fishing or sailing on Lake Lanier with family and friends, or grilling while…
Posted in: FACS -
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go out and do NestWatch monitoring with the Forsyth County Master Naturalist Extension Volunteers (MNEV). After months of spending all of my daylight hours in buildings and the car, I thoroughly enjoyed spending a couple of hours walking the Bluebird Trail at Chattahoochee Pointe Park, breathing fresh…
Posted in: ANR -
Radon is the second main cause of lung cancer. About 800 Georgians die each year from lung cancer caused by radon. This gas has no smell, color, or taste. It silently slips into homes through cracks in the foundation. A study in May showed that almost one out of every five homes tested in Forsyth…
Posted in: FACS -
The firefly is probably the first insect I learned to identify. On long-ago summer nights, my cousins and I would chase and capture lightning bugs, as we called them, in cupped hands and watch them glow. We didn’t care that fireflies are ecologically beneficial – the larvae eat garden and lawn pests like slugs and…
Posted in: ANR -
Small agents in nature can have powerful consequences Through large, visible events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, nature reminds us of its power. Nature can also affect us through small and invisible agents, like insects and parasites. Insect bites and parasite infestations can have irreversible, lifelong impacts. For many of these, prevention is the…
Posted in: ANR