By Sheila Corson
Chronicle staff

     OKANOGAN - Master gardeners, 4-H program leaders and members and others from the community gathered to ask commissioners to find solutions to keep the county's Washington State University Extension office.
     Last week's Okanogan County budget proposal called for the elimination of funding to the extension office.
     About 100 people gathered before commissioners Nov. 23 to show support for the programs. Extension Educator Norm Suverly said he was "overwhelmed" by the response.
     Suverly told commissioners that cutting county funding for extension would not save the budget.
     About 240 youth are enrolled in 4-H county-wide. The various programs generate about 15,000 volunteer hours each year, he said.
     More than $300,000 goes into the local economy through extension operations, he said.
     WSU extension Eastern District Director Vickie Parker-Clark said the partnership agreement with the county requires that the county contribute to office space and expenses and certain salaries.
     Okanogan County Horticultural Association Secretary/Treasurer Dan McCarthy said he believes the commissioners know the importance of the extension office but just don't have the money to fund it.
     Instead, he suggested that the community step up and donate to raise the $72,000 needed to keep all the programs running in 2010.
     For 2011, McCarthy said the county could put an assessment to the vote - $2 per parcel - that would cover expenses from then on.
     McCarthy said he was fairly confident that the hort association would put up the first $5,000.
     Some in the audience showed support, with some organization representatives saying they would go to their members and ask for donations.
     Others objected to the idea, saying it didn't make sense for the county to ask volunteers to pay for the costs of the program.
     Commissioner Mary Lou Peterson said the county would gladly supply the office space and cover overhead costs, such as electricity and office equipment. However, there simply is no funding for other expenses, she said.
     An agreement would have to be negotiated between WSU and the county to see if that would be enough.
     The extension office has been granted a 30-day extension through January to get the funding situation figured out, Peterson said.
     All three commissioners said they have had children or grandchildren in the 4-H program, so the decision was not an easy one to make. However, extension is not considered an "essential service," they said.
     Methow area 4-H leader Bill White said the program is unmatched in its programs and puts enormous amounts of volunteer time into the community that would be lost if commissioners go through with the cut.
     "We're begging you to let us continue volunteering for free," White said.
     Julia O'Connor, a leader in the Wild Riders 4-H Club, said that as a grant writer, she knows the challenges of finding matching funds and the importance of showing financial support to a program. She asked that commissioners at least put in a little seed money to show a desire to give back to the people.
     Oroville school nurse Glenda Harvey said the FoodSense program teaches children about nutrition in a time where children's health care is in crisis.
     Nicole Smith said she was raised in 4-H and is raising her children in 4-H as an "anti-drug." The program gives her children something good to do and keeps them away from the wrong crowd.
     Smith said she would hate to see what would happen to the county without youth programs such as 4-H.
     Okanogan County Cattlemen's Association President Craig Vejraska, a former county commissioner, said his organization considers the extension office an essential service and he was sure it would do its part to donate to the cause.
     He advised the county to cut jobs elsewhere to save the extension program.
     Several students also read letters and turned a stack of letters in to commissioners.
     Brewster freshman McClintock Miller said his six years in 4-H have meant a lot to him and he didn't know how to deal with it being cut.
     Ten-year-old Alexis Jones said to cut the 4-H program would mean letting all those 200-plus children down.
     She said if they wanted to be good commissioners, they shouldn't end the program.
     After the 90-minute meeting, Peterson said that McCarthy and Suverly will meet soon to go over options. It will then be a matter of negotiating with WSU, finding reliable funding sources and finalizing the plan.
     Too many factors are involved to know what the outcome will be, she said.