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IRON COUNTY EXTENSION EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING Iron County Courthouse, Hurley Wisconsin 54534 Monday, August 31, 2026 Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 9:03 a.m. by committee vice-chair, Brandon Snyder. Pledge of Allegiance: Recited Roll Call: Roll call was taken by Rebecca Holm. Committee members present: Brandon Snyder, Roy Haeger, Bill Stutz. Committee member absent: Roxanne Lutgen, Gary Kessler. Also in attendance: Neil Klemme, Mary Pardee, County Board Chair Larry Youngs. Acknowledge proper meeting posting: Holm acknowledged proper meeting posting. Motion to approve meeting minutes for June 9, 2026: Stutz moved to approve minutes for June 9, 2026, seconded by Haeger. Motion carried unanimously. Motion to approve financial reports: Committee members received Extension and 4-H and Youth Clubs financial reports through July 31, 2026. Youngs moved to approve financial report for Extension, seconded by Haeger. Motion carried unanimously. Youngs moved to approve financial report for 4-H and Youth Programs, seconded by Stutz. Motion carried unanimously. Public Comment: n/a Area Extension Director Report: Pardee reported on the following: • Pardee introduced herself to new committee members and gave a brief overview of the county/Extension partnership and her role as AED. o Stutz inquired about potential Extension resources and educational support to help expand affordable childcare options in the county, following recent Iron County Economic Development Committee and County Board meeting discussions. o Pardee will research available regional and statewide options and report back to the committee. • 2027 budget proposal discussion o Pardee provided an overview of the proposed 2027 Extension and 4-H budget, detailing adjustments to salary lines for Holm and the 2027 Summer Assistants. Additionally, she explained changes to the Extension Contracted Services allocation, which accounts for the county’s contractual portion of educator fees for Klemme and Miller. o Youngs moved to approve the proposed 2027 Extension and 4-H budget, seconded by Stutz. Motion carried unanimously. Educator Reports: 4-H Youth Development: Klemme reported on the following: • Hurley Kid’s Club Partnership: o Summer Assistants Serena Tauer and Eva Krall delivered 4-H project-based programming to Hurley Kid’s Club students throughout June. o AmeriCorps Member Ashley Basso led hands-on garden education at the Hurley School garden, covering topics such as soil testing, pollinators, and beekeeping. • International Community Development Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (Early July): o Klemme presented on the youth leadership council model at the 4-day conference and participated in a rural community development workshop. o Travel costs will be covered through professional development funds provided by professional associations in which Klemme holds membership. • Iron County Outpost Camp (July 7-10) o Located at Lake of the Falls Campground in Mercer, WI. o 19 youth (grades 6–8) attended. o Outpost Camp is a leadership development camp that prepares youth to become camp counselors. o Participants completed a whitewater rafting challenge activity. • Iron County Camp Counselor Training (July 11-12) o Located at Trails End Youth Camp in Bruce, WI. o 27 camp staff attended. • Iron County Summer Youth Camp (July 21-24) o Located at Trails End Youth Camp in Bruce, WI. o 56 youth (grades 3–5) and 27 camp staff attended. o Programming featured music-focused activities aligned with this year’s "Band Camp" theme. • Iron County Fair Judging (July 26) o Youth projects were down this year; Klemme plans to make a push to increase project entries for next year. • Iron County Fair (July 31-August 2) o Silent auction raised $5,073. o Pie auction raised $15,065. o The Iron County 4-H dairy booth also performed well (final total pending). o Klemme noted that proceeds from the silent auction, pie auction, and dairy booth benefit the Iron County 4-H Leaders Association. These funds directly support Iron County 4-H programs, member scholarships, project meeting supplies, educational materials, and regional, state, and national educational experiences. • Iron County Youth Leadership Council (ICYLC) o Klemme will recruit for open county board seats when school starts. o ICYLC member Ashlyn Skahill created new murals for the Iron County Public Health Department as part of a youth internship supported by the Baldwin Foundation Wisconsin Idea Grant. Community Development: Miller was absent from the meeting but submitted a written report on the following: • WI Rural Entrepreneurial Ventures (REV) Program o Hurley team has completed Stakeholder Mapping for short- and mid-term goals. o Mercer team will begin Stakeholder Mapping on September 8. • 4-H Summer Academy Entrepreneurship Session (June 16) o Presented with three state colleagues to 25 youth participants from across Wisconsin. • United Way of Wisconsin Techquity Distribution o Hosted a distribution table at the Iron County Fair with 12 devices available for distribution. • Zine Workshop Series (August 17 & 19) o Facilitated two workshops with the Town of Marengo Historical Committee. • Professional Development o Strawberry-planting volunteer at Ursala’s Farm in Kimball (July 11). o Attended Gogebic Business Forum (July 21). o UW-Extension Community Economic Development Summer Camp – Training & Strategic Planning Meeting (August 11–12). o WI Extension Environmental Community Development Association (WEECDA) President-Elect ▪ Term will run July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028 Support Staff: Holm reported on the following: • Iron County Mobile Food Pantry o Served 177 households (256 individuals) during the July 31 distribution. • Extension E-Newsletter o Manages design and delivery of the monthly Extension e-newsletter to keep the community informed of local programming. • Office website and social media coordinator o Promoted Extension events and programs across digital channels. o Extension Iron County Facebook page: 29,110 total page views (May 13-August 17) o Iron County 4-H Facebook page: 159,410 total page views (May 13 – August 17) • Grants o Purchased 14 pairs of Crescent Moon EVA Foam snowshoes using a $1,000 SISU Ski Fest grant. The office now has 60+ pairs of youth and adult snowshoes available for free checkout by schools, organizations, individuals, and families. • 4-H Support o Provided program, enrollment, documentation, and promotional support for Iron County Summer Youth Camp (including on-site support), Iron County Outpost Camp, SET Running Club, Action TrackChair Rental, and the Iron County Fair. • Community Development Support o Assisted with moving 60+ laptops from the Extension office to the boardroom for the United Way No-Cost Laptop Distribution event. o Promoted the event on the county website and social media pages. • Horticulture Support o Continues to share statewide horticulture resources on Extension social media and partner networks. o Since May, Holm and Extension staff have addressed 18 horticulture inquiries received in-person and by phone (e.g., soil sample submissions, insect identification, and referrals to the UW-Extension Horticulture "Ask a Gardening Question" portal). • Other County support o County Communications - Social Media ▪ Cross-promoting updates and requests from various county offices and partners. ▪ Shared multiple job postings. ▪ Content creation, marketing. ▪ Iron County Courthouse Facebook page: 111,387 total page views (May 13- August 17) ▪ Iron County Economic Development Facebook page: 6,556 total page views (May 13-August 17) o County Website ▪ Facilitated ongoing updates to the county website via CivicPlus, including meeting agenda, minutes, calendar management, and other requests as needed. ▪ Updated staff directory, county board, and committee pages after the election. o Other Requests ▪ Assisted County Clerk Christan Brant with the Iron County Board of Canvass – August 17 ▪ Drafted Iron County Memorial Building committee meeting minutes from Board Chair’s notes, temporarily assisting in a role previously held by Jamey Francis. Schedule next Extension Education Committee meeting: Next Extension Education Committee meeting will be scheduled at a later date. Adjourn: Snyder adjourned the meeting at 9:55 a.m.