Quarterly News & Events September 2025

San Mateo and San Francisco Counties
 

4-H
 

San Mateo /San Francisco County 4-H Clubs

4-H Summer Camp 2025


This year’s 4-H Summer Camp returned to the beautiful Jones Gulch YMCA Camp in La Honda, where approximately 70 campers came together for a week filled with adventure, learning, new friendships, and unforgettable memories. Camp provided a space for 4-H'ers to connect with the great outdoors and thrive through a wide variety of hands-on activities. 


We are incredibly grateful to our Adult & Youth Camp Directors; Allan, Robin, Jeff, Cody, Sienna, and Gabe and all our Youth Camp Staff, whose tireless work and thoughtful planning created a fun, safe, and well-organized experience. Their leadership truly made all the difference!


A heartfelt thank you also goes to the dedicated adult volunteers and chaperones who took time away from their busy schedules to support camp. Whether running the health office, leading archery, helping with arts and crafts, or hiking the trails—your efforts went above and beyond. Camp simply wouldn’t be possible without your time, talents, mentorship, and energy. 


4-H Summer Camp is not only a place where youth grow and discover new interests, but also a community where teamwork, responsibility, and lifelong memories are made.

4-H Youth Development Project

Pictured above: Participating youth learning new skills (bee-keeping for one) during their Summer Internship (2025)

Phoenix Garden 4-H Internship


Over the course of the summer, San Mateo County 4-H launched the Phoenix Garden 4-H internship. A program tailored towards youth who have been involved with the juvenile justice system or are at risk of becoming so. During this gardening internship, a dozen youth worked in the Phoenix Garden, a 6-acre green space in San Mateo County, where they learned gardening skills, such as weed management, tree care, pruning and bee keeping, along with valuable job skills in teamwork, leadership and resume writing.


Towards the end of the program, the youth demonstrated their leadership skills by developing and implementing their own projects at the garden. These were impressive; two youth worked together to design and build much-needed shelves for our storage container, while others worked on garden beautification and new plantings, and one even recorded interviews with her fellow interns to help document the program’s success.


The biggest outcome of the program were the incredible bonds the youth forged with each other and their instructors. As one youth put it, “Before I came [to the internship], I used to keep to myself more. But now, I’m more social. I talk to everyone. (…) Here, people don’t judge.”


The program was a huge success and, by request of the summer interns, we have developed a fall program and look forward to continuing and expanding the program in future years.


If you are interested in supporting the Phoenix Garden or it’s programming as a volunteer or through donation, please reach out to Dr. Sally Neas, 4-H Youth Development Advisor, at seneas@ucanr.edu
 
 

Elkus Ranch

Elkus Ranch Celebrates 50 Years of Environmental Education!

50th Anniversary Celebration 


Elkus Ranch marked a major milestone—our 50th anniversary—with an action-packed day of fun and festivities! More than 100 guests joined us to celebrate this special occasion, enjoying live music by Fret and Fiddle and youth rock band Field Trip, a delicious barbecue by the Lions Club, fantastic french fries by the Coastside Scouts, face painting by Kelly Huber, and creative crafts and hands-on activities for all ages.


The event was made even more memorable thanks to our incredible Elkus staff, along with the support of Master Gardeners, Master Food Preservers, and our 4-H Water Wizard program. And of course, no visit to Elkus Ranch would be complete without spending time with our beloved animals—always a guest favorite!


We’re so grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate 50 years of connection, learning, and community. Here’s to the next 50! A few photos from the day...

 

New Online Field Trip Registration is Now Live for the 2025–2026 School Year!


We’re excited to share that our online Field Trip Registration survey is now available for the 2025–2026 school year—and it’s already receiving great feedback! Teachers can now access the registration form through the Programs Page (left-side menu). From there, they select their desired program and can view an availability calendar which indicates the number of classes or space available. This new system has significantly reduced the need for back-and-forth communication, streamlining the process and saving time (and frustration) for everyone involved. With approximately 250 classes visiting on field trips last year, we’re confident this upgrade will make scheduling even more efficient for the year ahead.
 

Master Food Preservers

At left: MFP Karen at the San Mateo County Emergency Preparedness Day discusses food safety (Aug. 2025)

Pictured above: MFP mocktail ingredients at the Elkus Ranch 50th Anniversary Celebration (Sept. 6, 2025)

Master Food Preserver’s Super Summer!


Our Master Food Preservers (MFPs) had a vibrant and productive summer, engaging with the community across San Mateo County and beyond!


  • June kicked off with MFPs co-sponsoring the Culinary Arts division at the San Mateo County Fair, bringing food preservation into the spotlight.
  • July was packed with hands-on learning, including an online class on preserving hatch chilies and in-person workshops at both the Phoenix Garden and juvenile hall, empowering participants with practical food preservation skills.
  • In August, MFPs returned to the San Mateo County Event Center for Disaster Preparedness Day, where they shared vital information about food safety during emergencies and how to stock emergency food supplies wisely.
  • Later that month, MFPs added a tasty twist to the Imagine Together event in Belmont by demonstrating the delicious possibilities of dehydrated fruit.
  • September brought us to the 50th Anniversary Celebration at Elkus Ranch, where MFPs hosted a fun make-and-take table featuring mocktail/cocktail infusion kits—a hit with guests of all ages!


Thank you to our dedicated volunteers for making this summer such a success. We’re proud to support our community with knowledge, creativity, and a whole lot of flavor!


If you’re passionate about food preservation and eager to share that knowledge with your community, registration is now open for next MFP training class. We invite you to apply and join the fun! Visit: https://ucanr.edu/site/master-food-preservers-san-mateo-san-francisco-counties/home for upcoming workshop details, training information, and how to get involved. We can’t wait to preserve the season with you!
 
 

Master Gardeners

Pictured above: MGs at the GEC in San Mateo showing off their bumper crop of tomatoes. 

Pictured above: Imparting the wisdom of many years of gardening to visitors at the monthly GEC Open Gardens. Held the first Wednesday of each month. 

Open Gardens at the San Mateo County Garden Education Center

For the past several months our Garden Education Center (GEC) at the San Mateo County Event Center has been hosting an Open Garden Tour on the first Wednesday of the month, through October. At the three open garden tours we have held so far 31 people have come to view the garden and ask questions of the volunteers. This last Wednesday (9/3), the visitors included a group from the Canyon Oaks Youth Center. The MG's who worked on these GEC Open Gardens have interacted with and enjoyed everyone who made the trek to our garden to see what’s growing, learn new methods and ask questions about their own garden. 


The GEC is an experimental garden where UC Master Gardeners employ environmentally sound, water-wise methods to propagate and grow a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, pollinator plants and cover crops throughout the year.  The GEC features a range of growing spaces including raised beds, green houses and in-ground plots as well as a large Johnson-Su Bioreactor composting system.  


Stop by anytime between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm on the first Wednesday of October (10/1) to visit the last Open Garden of 2025, to see what is growing in the garden, learn a few gardening techniques and meet and talk with Master Gardeners who tend the garden.

Article by MG Catherine Magil
 

Nutrition

Pictured: CFHL stenciled playground at Connect Community Charter School in RWC, for CATCH activities.

Pictured: another colorful CATCH game playground activity to promote active play in the school yard.

CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE


This year, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE San Mateo and San Francisco partnered with Connect Community Charter School in North Fair Oaks to support a whole-school approach to wellness. Together, the school and CFHL UCCE created more opportunities for students to eat well, get active, and thrive. 


A major highlight was the expansion of physical activity. After attending CATCH training, the school’s PE teacher introduced new lessons and games that emphasized teamwork, fun, and active participation. One standout was “Dragon Tails,” a lively game that quickly became a favorite among younger students. With the addition of colorful CATCH jerseys, students dove into activities with enthusiasm, bringing extra energy and excitement to PE classes. 


The effort to promote active play extended to the playground as well. Working with CFHL UCCE, the school added colorful stencils to the blacktop, transforming it into a vibrant space for movement. Students now enjoy a variety of activities (targets, four square, hopscotch, ABCs, shapes, and more) that encourage both structured play in PE and imaginative play during recess. 


In addition to supporting physical activity, CFHL UCCE partnered with the school to bring wellness into many parts of the day. Students sampled fresh, local produce such as Bartlett pears, kumquats, and cantaloupe through cafeteria promotions, making lunchtime a place of exploration and discovery. Cooking classes gave middle schoolers the chance to prepare simple, healthy meals to share with their families, while garden-based education connected students to nature, nutrition, and hands-on learning outdoors. 


By combining engaging PE lessons, a refreshed playground space, cooking and garden programs, and cafeteria tastings, Connect Community Charter School is weaving health into every part of the school day. These efforts reflect a whole-school approach where wellness is celebrated, students lead with curiosity and energy, and healthy choices become part of the school culture.

Community Health and Nutrition


School meals - challenges and opportunities


Our latest school meals report is out! School meals play a crucial role in student success, impacting academic performance, nutrition, and overall well-being. California has been a leader in expanding access to school meals, becoming the first state to permanently implement universal free school meals in 2021. However, with increased meal access and participation, a challenge has presented itself: students often do not have enough time to eat their meals. 

This year's report focuses on the issue of meal time in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, highlighting challenges and opportunities to improve meal time policies. Through surveys and interviews with food service directors, key findings reveal that inadequate time to eat is a widespread issue. Observations of meal times at schools provided additional information on meal time challenges. To read the full report click here.
 
 

UPCOMING EVENTS... so many!

click each link for more info



 

UC Cooperative Extension Offices

San Mateo / San Francisco Counties


Main Office: (click for directions)

Located on-site at UC Elkus Ranch

1500 Purisima Creek Road

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

650-726-9059

Email: cesanmateo@ucanr.edu

Website: http://cesanmateo.ucanr.edu


Master Gardener Helpline:

Open for in-person, walk-in visits per below. See our website for more details or submit any questions via the following:

https://ucanr.edu/mg_helpline


  • Monday: 10am-1pm | HMB
  • Thursday: 1pm-4pm | RWC
  • Friday: 10:30am-1:30pm | SFBG
ANR NONDISCRIMINATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY STATEMENT FOR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
It is the policy of the University of California (UC) and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/215244.pdf )
Inquiries regarding ANR’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to UCANR, Affirmative Action Compliance & Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618,(530) 750-1397.

UCCE San Mateo / San Francisco | 1500 Purisima Creek Road | Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 US

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