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ROCKY MOUNT – The Sustainable Forestry Land Retention Program held its annual Youth STEAM (science, technology, engineering, Ag and math) Summit at the Rocky Mount Event Center in July.

SFLRP’s goals are to educate youth about agricultural, natural resources, forestry and STEM topics and careers and collaborated with other youth and educational professions.

SFLRP offered several mini-grant opportunities to 4-H Agents in the 13 counties of the Northeast District (Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Perquimans, Vance, and Warren).

Keli Boone, Gates County 4-H Agent, and Vickie Wiggins, Hertford 4-H Agent, were each awarded a $2,500 mini-grant to implement STEAM curriculum and activities for one year to youth in their respective counties.

The cash awards were presented at the SFLRP Youth Summit by Reba Green-Holley, SFLRP Youth Coordinator, and Alton Perry, SFLRP Director.

Roanoke Cooperative helped establish the Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project (SFLRP) in 2013 to help achieve one of the key parts of its mission: enhancing the quality of life in the diverse communities it serves.

The SFLRP helps families in Roanoke Electric’s service territory increase the income and asset value of family-owned forestland and encourages forest health, land retention and the opportunity to create intergenerational wealth.

The SFLRP is an equal opportunity provider and has broken historic barriers for African-American landowners, many of whom did not have prior access to knowledge of forestry, agriculture, conservation, technical assistance, capital through U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, and attorneys for estate planning.

Additional info on SFLRP can be found at recforestry.com.