Cherokee County Extension Center Updates

Fall is here, but summer 2022 will be here before you know it and so will our great opportunities for youth to join in some fun at one of our three great 4-H Camps!!

While our 4-H camps and conference centers are each uniquely different based on their geographic location, each camp and conference center offers most of the same activities and resources, including: Archery, Cabins, Campfires, Canoeing, Challenge Courses, Climbing Walls, Dining Halls, Hiking Trails, Outdoor Education, Nature Study, Recreation Halls, Team building, and uniquely different Waterfronts.

NC 4-H has three awesome camps to choose from.

NC 4-H Camps

The Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Cherokee County are providing free online and in-person assistance for anyone in Cherokee County. If you need information about gardening, lawn care, and residential establishment and maintenance of plants the Master Gardener volunteers of Cherokee County can provide NC State University research-backed information. The Master Gardener℠ volunteers have three ways to assist:

Call the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Center at 828-837-2210, Extension 3, and leave a detailed message. The information is sent automatically via email to a Master Gardener℠ volunteer and they will respond.
Currently, a Master Gardener volunteer will be available for in-person advice each Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Center.
Visit the Master Gardener volunteers of Cherokee County website and provide and click on Ask a Master Gardener. Leave them a message and they will respond to your request.

If you would like to become a Master Gardener volunteer please call our office or visit our online Master Gardener volunteer training information.

The Master Gardener Volunteers of Cherokee County have several on-going projects that welcome the public as volunteers. Our projects all involve non-profit organizations that need help with education, planting, maintenance, design, and manpower. If you are interested in volunteering to help in our County, take a look at our project list and sign up to volunteer.

Projects where public participation is welcome:

WNC Agricultural Options is now accepting grant applications from farmers diversifying or expanding their businesses. Applicants should contact their Cooperative Extension agents by Nov. 12 to set up an appointment to discuss their projects. Applications are available at www.wncagoptions.org or at local Cooperative Extension centers.

WNC AgOptions offers grants to farmers in the following counties/units: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Wildfires occur in Cherokee County but there are ways to reduce your risk from wildfire damage and home ignition. Two classes will be taught on the importance of Firescaping. The class will be held November 9, 2021 and April 26, 2022. Classes will be held at our meeting room located at 699 Conaheeta Street in Murphy, NC. from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. To register for the class visit go.ncsu.edu/firescape or complete the registration below. Also if your community or homeowners association would like for us to visit and provide recommendations, or a presentation to your community, please contact Graham Garrett at 828-837-2210 or ggarrett.rcd@gmail.com.

Cherokee and Graham County Centers have teamed together to offer a series of Farm School educational programs that will help farmers, homeowners, gardeners and youth learn more about farming, agriculture and rural living in our area. Most workshops listed below are free to anyone who would like to register. However, there is a charge for the grafting workshop to help cover the cost of the materials. If you have any questions about our programs, feel free to contact us.

More Information on These Classes

A Master Gardener program will be taught this fall in Cherokee County. The classes will be taught March 3-April 21 each Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 12:00 p.m. Topics will include soils, botany, insects, diseases, diagnostics, composting, landscape, design, native, plants, firescape principles, and much more. Classes will be taught at 699 Connahetta Street, in Murphy, NC. The cost is $150.00. Signup for the free orientation session through Eventbrite.

Sign up here!

N.C. Cooperative Extension, in conjunction with other government agencies and universities, presents a 13-part, online webinar series open to anyone interested in learning about the biodiversity, ecosystems, and conservation efforts in North Carolina. Topics include climate, soils, plant biology, entomology, plant-insect interactions, mycology, coastal ecology, invasive species, and climate change. Classes are presented live online most Wednesdays from 6–8 p.m., September 15– December 15, 2021.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension, Cherokee County Center will stream all the webinars free at the conference room located at 699 Conahetta Street in Murphy, NC.

Webinar Dates & Times:

Two hours of “V” training and 2 hours of “X” training will be offered on November 15, 2021, and January 10, 2022, at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Meeting Room at 699 Connahetta Park in Murphy, NC (the presentation information will be the same for both dates).

The V training will be from 5–7 p.m. and X training will be from 7–9 p.m. The X training will also provide 2 credit hours for commercial pesticide license with A,B,D,G,H,I,K,L,M,N,O,T, and X designations.

Learn more about process.

The Appalachian Beekeepers Club helps promote healthy bee colonies in the Appalachian mountains of western North Carolina — particularly the Murphy, NC area. If you are a new beekeeper, an experienced beekeeper, or simply thinking of becoming a beekeeper, come join us! We have resumed in-person meetings and our meeting are on the first Monday of each month starting @ 7:00 pm at the Konehete Park, Parks & Recreation Office Building at 699 Connehetta Street in Murphy, NC.

Masks will be required.
Social distancing will be practiced.

Visit The NC Appalachian Beekeepers Website

Cherokee on the Fly 4-H Club Wants You!!

The 4-H Fly Tying & Fishing Club is open for enrollment!

We hold our meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. Youth should come immediately after school, we will start the meetings by 3:30 p.m. The club meets at the Extension Education Room next to the Cherokee County Parks and Rec office behind the Old Rock Gym. The address is 699 Conaheeta Street, Murphy. Turn on Conaheeta Street and take the 2nd left turn. The first left on Conaheeta Street is the Murphy Fitness Center and the second left will take you behind the Old Rock Gym to the parking area for our meeting room. Look for the 4-H Clover Signs.