A decorative banner for the month of November featuring a top border of autumnal dried flowers in shades of brown, orange, and cream. Below the border, on the right, is a cartoon image of a Thanksgiving turkey wearing a pilgrim hat and holding a pumpkin, next to the green, four-leaf clover logo of the 4-H organization.

November 2025
4-H Newsletter

News

Leader Training and Orientation

Final Call for New 4-H Volunteers! If you’re interested in making a real difference in the lives of San Juan County youth this year, this is your last chance for […]

Upcoming Events

Important Dates

November 8

New Leader Orientation and Training at the Skagit Valley College

More information can be found at the registration page.

Throughout November

Existing 4-H clubs, Leaders Council, and Livestock Market Animal Auction Committee begin work on financial auditing process.

For complete guidance on 4-H Club finances, refer to: WSU Club Financial Information

December 1

Club financial reports are due to the Extension Office

Successful San Juan Island Kickoff

What a fun night of celebration and community!

On October 19th roughly 80 4-H families and interested individuals joined us for our 4-H Kickoff event. During the two hour event we:

  • Presented Completion Certificates to our youth
  • Handed out the fair awards sponsored by the San Juan County Leaders Council
  • Celebrated our wonderful volunteers and leaders
  • Learned about the club offerings on San Juan Island
  • Got to enjoy each others company and share our love of 4-H

Thank you to everyone who attended and to the San Juan Ramblers for providing the excellent Turkey and Ham for all our attendees. Also huge thank you to everyone who brought a side or dessert, everything was enjoyed by all those who could make it.

If you were unable to attend your completion certificates and any fair awards are available for pickup at the Extension Office.

Autumnal table centerpiece featuring a yellow gourd, a program for the San Juan County 4-H Kickoff on October 19, 2025, and copper-colored fall leaf and owl decorations.
Fall Decor was prevalent at the 4-H Kickoff Event
A wide-angle photo of a large group of adults and children sitting at long tables with pale green cloths, eating and socializing at an indoor community or banquet hall event.
San Juan 4-H Families and Friends visit during the Kickoff Event at the San Juan Grange

Lopez General Club off to a Roaring Start

On October 12th, Clinton had the pleasure of attending the Lopez General 4-H Club’s first meeting of the year. It was standing room only in the Lopez Library Meeting Room. We got to have a Q&A, enjoy local pizza, and share about what’s to come in 2025-26 for the Lopez 4-H youth. The amount of excitement and attendance was inspiring.

Clinton also got to hand out completion certificates and fair awards to the youth on Lopez. He also got to recognize and touch base with the dedicated leaders and thank them for their volunteering.

Wide-angle view of a group of adults and children sitting at tables in a brightly lit room with large windows, attentively watching an adult male standing and presenting near the center.
Parent Nathan Hodges shows how to test eggs for freshness by floating them in a bowl of water at the start of the meeting

Fur & Feathers Celebrates a Great 2024-25 4-H Year

The Orcas Fur and Feathers 4-H Club held a fantastic Achievement Night last evening, October 29, bringing together over 40 members & leaders, families, and friends for a celebratory dinner. Hosted generously by Mathew’s Smokehouse, the atmosphere was filled with great food, lively conversation, and proud recognition of the club’s successful year.

The evening was dedicated to celebrating the hard work and dedication of the members. Key highlights included the presentation of 4-H completion certificates, the recognition of outstanding achievements with fair awards, and a special acknowledgment of the commitment and service provided by the club officers.

It was especially nice to see so many familiar faces and catch up, as well as visit with a few new families who are looking to join the club. The Fur and Feathers club looks forward to another exciting year of growth and achievement.

Orcas Fur & Feather 4-H Club members and their families watch a slideshow of the past 4-H year during their annual awards banquet!
Orcas Fur & Feather 4-H Club members and their families watch a slideshow of the past 4-H year during their annual awards banquet!

Join us for a Holiday Party

We’re excited to share a new event for San Juan County Youth to participate in this winter!

We will be hosting a Holiday Party, along with the Still Life Society 4-H Club, with crafts, soup, and a cookie exchange.

Save the date for December 6th from 11:30 – 2:00 p.m. at the Marie Boe Building.

More details to come including a registration link but we’re so excited to spread some holiday cheer with our families!

Flyer for the 4-H Holiday Party on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 11:30 to 2:00 p.m., featuring the 4-H clover logo, details about holiday crafts, soup and bread, a cookie exchange, and the location at the Marie Boe Building - San Juan County Fairgrounds.

Save the Date – 4-H Youth Leadership Conference

What?

4-H Youth Leadership Conference – Training for club officers and other youth leadership conferences

When?

December 13, 2025

Where?

Snohomish County

More details and registration information to come

A promotional graphic for the 4-H Youth Leadership Conference. The text is large and bold, reading: '4-H YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE' and 'HOSTED BY SNOHOMISH COUNTY 4-H'. The image includes the 4-H clover logo, the Washington State University Extension logo, and the logo for Snohomish County Conservation & Natural Resources.

Shooting Sports Archery Volunteer Training in Kitsap County

Register now – 4-H Shooting Sports Archery Volunteer training opportunity

Kitsap County Fairgrounds – December 6th

Are you currently a 4-H volunteer that would like to be certified in Archery in your 4-H County club program, or to renew your certification? Volunteers need to be certified in a discipline to add these projects to their volunteer profile in 4-H Online.

Our next 4-H Level 1 Shooting Sports training will be held:

  • December 6th in Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Archery Barn
  • Hours are 9 am – 5 pm with a working lunch.
  • We will offer Archery on Saturday.

Cost: $50 – a non-refundable deposit of $35 will be required at the time of sign up, with the remainder being paid in 4-H Online or by check/cash at the time of the event.

All registrations will be done on 4-H Online for Shooting Sports trainings going forward to make the process easier on our participants and staff.

In order to save your spot, a non-refundable deposit of $35 will be required at the time of sign up, with the remainder being paid by cash or check on the day of training or in 4-H Online before you attend the event. Registration is currently open through December 1st.

Flyer for 4-H Level 1 Archery Shooting Sports Training on December 6th in Kitsap County, WA. Features an archer aiming a green bow. Includes registration details and a QR code.

Go to 4-H Online click on Events and select Shooting Sports Level 1 Training Archery – Kitsap to complete your registration.

This training will be held at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Archery Barn. You will need to be a current volunteer and approved by your local 4-H county office staff in order to participate.

Event information will be hosted on our WSU 4-H website

Any questions? Contact us at 4h.shooting.sports@wsu.edu

Free Garden Food Safety Toolkit

Kids love to grow, pick, and taste what they’ve planted. Now you can help them build safe habits, too! The free Garden Food Safety Toolkit is packed with ready-to-use lessons and activities on topics like safe watering and rinsing before tasting. Perfect for school and community gardens, this toolkit makes it easy (and fun!) to teach kids how to enjoy the fruits of their labor safely. Get your copy today!

A cheerful, simple, illustrated logo for a 'Garden Toolkit.' It shows a smiling yellow sun, a blue watering can sprinkling water on three green plants growing out of a mound of brown earth, and a small snail near the center plant. The words 'Garden Toolkit' are written in white across the soil mound.

If you’d like to contribute anything for the monthly 4-H newsletter, please contact Clinton by email or phone.