A couple of months ago I met with local 4-H club members as they started to plan for their upcoming spring project. This year 4-H members from Felton, Scotts Valley and Quail Creek in the Zayante area are putting their minds and enthusiasm to good use to further educate themselves and the community about the importance of beneficial insects to our world. They will share their efforts at the upcoming Felton Library Friends Garden Tour on May 19th. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the new Felton Branch Library and Nature Discovery Park project slated to break ground this summer.

With Kristin Praly as their mentor these dedicated 4-H?ers are busy creating posters to be shared at a pop-up at one of the tour gardens and also at the 4-H Spring Fair at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on May 12th. Some of the posters will depict beneficial bugs, their natural habitats and how to encourage them in your garden. Other members have chosen to work on the ?bee hotel? which are places for solitary bees to make their nests. Bee hotels are fast becoming a backyard staple and are vital as wild nesting habitat like standing dead trees, fallen logs, broken branches and bushes are missing in their environment.

In the process, the kids are integrating the goals of 4-H which is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills. The 4-H motto is ?To make the best better? while its slogan is ?Learn by doing?. This group is an inspiring look into what young people can do when nurtured in a positive way. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization, 4-H today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering and technology programs. 4-H reaches kids in every corner of America- from urban neighborhoods to suburban school yards to rural farming communities. Our neck of the woods has a little of all three.

So far the group I met with has had two more meetings to further develop this project. Some have finished their posters while others are gathering materials for the bee hotels. Kristin Praly, their adult mentor, is an inspiration to others. Her own daughter is nearly out of school but Kristin says she plans to stay involved in 4-H as she ?loves what this organization teaches young people: community service, leadership, self-confidence. These skills they?ll use for a life time.?

The new Felton Branch library will have a Nature Discovery Park along Bull Creek at the back of the property. Native plant and riparian restoration demonstration areas will promote land stewardship. There will be natural play areas for children to climb and build as well as a place encouraging nature art. A pollinator garden is planned along the path with benches for strolling, conversation and relaxing. The new Nature Discovery Park is going to be an outdoor learning and gathering space for visitors to experience and learn about the aspects of the natural world. Along with the new library it?s going to be a great addition to the Felton community and the local 4-H clubs are eager to contribute to its success.