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Colorado State University Extension operates in partnership with the El Paso County Community Services Division to provide non-credit programming to local citizens.
(719) 520-7690

4-H Family Resources   arrow

Animal Project Resources

Camelid

Dog

Horse

Livestock

Miniature Horse

2024 Premiums and Forms

2024 Premier Exhibitor Study Guides

Swine Tagging Resources

4HOnline Animal ID’s

** Please note that the projects listed below REQUIRE Animal ID’s

  • Breeding Beef
  • Breeding Sheep
  • Breeding Goat
  • Breeding Swine
  • Dairy Goat
  • Pygmy Goat
  • Llama/Alpaca
  • Dog
  • Cat
  • Horse/Mini Horse

** Market Animals DO NOT Require an Animal ID. Rabbit, Cavy, and Pocket Pet projects DO NOT Require an Animal ID.

Animal ID Checklists

Animal ID Detailed Instructions

Tabletop Project Resources

Use this Guide to Help Pick a Tabletop Project!

4-H Project Manuals and Curriculum

Please click this link to access the 4-H Project Manual and Curriculum list for El Paso County 4-H Projects. You can order your project manuals on your own, or purchase them from the El Paso County Extension Office. Please call our office at 719-520-7698 or email Shawna.Lamothe@colostate.edu to confirm we have the manual in stock before coming in to make your project curriculum purchases.

4-H Shooting Sports Project Information

El Paso County Shooting Sports Information:

Shooting Quality Assurance Training (SQA) – Information Coming Soon!

  • 4-H members enrolled in a 4-H Shooting Sports Discipline must participate in an annual SQA (Shooter Quality Assurance Training) once per year, regardless of age or training.

Hunters Safety Cards

  • Does my 4-H member need a Hunters Safety Card?
    • PLEASE NOTE: A valid Hunter’s Safety Card is required to compete in County or State-level Shooting Sports competitions in El Paso County 4-H.
    • Hunter’s Safety Cards must be uploaded during 4-H enrollment each year, or, emailed to Jen Loewen at Jennifer.Loewen@colostate.edu and Shawna Lamothe at Shawna.Lamothe@colostate.edu by May 1 of each year.
  • Find information on obtaining a Hunter’s Safety Card HERE.
  • Register for a Traditional In-Person Hunter’s Education Course HERE

El Paso County 4-H Shooting Sports Awards

  • EPC 4-H Shooting Sports Marksmanship Award
  • EPC 4-H Shooting Sports Member of the Year Achievement Award
    • Award Requirements (updated 2024)

  • EPC 4-H Shooting Sports Sportsmanship Award
    • Award Requirements/Description: Member must be an active, enrolled member in El Paso County 4-H, enrolled in a 4-H Shooting Sports Discipline. The EPC 4-H Shooting Sports Advisory Committee will nominate members based on member’s attitude and positive Sportsmanship behavior during the current 4-H year. Awards are dependent on funding – up to two Sportsmanship Awards can be offered each year. Members will receive recognition at the Annual 4-H Achievement Awards Ceremony.
  • EPC 4-H Most Improved Award
    • Award Requirements/Description: Member must be an active, enrolled member in El Paso County 4-H, enrolled in a 4-H Shooting Sports Discipline. The EPC 4-H Shooting Sports Advisory Committee will nominate members based on a member’s attitude and overall improvement during the current 4-H Year. Awards are dependent on funding – up to two Most Improved Awards can be offered each year. Members will receive recognition at the Annual 4-H Achievement Awards Ceremony.

El Paso County 4-H Shooting Sports Whittington Adventure Camp Scholarship Applications

EPC 4-H Shooting Sports Members aged 13-17 are invited to apply for this Scholarship Opportunity. The NRA Whittington Center Adventure Camp’s purpose is to teach the safe use and stewardship of firearms. In addition to the recreational and competitive shooting curriculum, hunting, camping, and survival skills are added as part of the total experience. For more information on the NRA, the Whittington Center and Adventure Camp, please visit: Whittington Center and Adventure Camp, please visit: http://www.nrawc.org/wc-experience/youth-programs/.

Please note: This camp is conducted by the NRA, not by Colorado State University Extension 4-H. The opportunities provided to the camp participants, as well as the opinions and viewpoints expressed by the instructors and camp staff, do not necessarily represent those of Colorado State University – Extension/4-H.

***APPLICATION MATERIALS CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE***

PLEASE SEE APPLICATION FOR ALL REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Colorado 4-H Shooting Sports Information:

4-H Shooting Sports Sponsorship Information:

Club Officer Resources

Club Officer Handbook

This handbook outlines club officer roles and provides club meeting resources.

Secretary Resources

Treasurer Resources

Historian Resources

County Awards

County Awards

Pocket Pet Outstanding Achievement Award

Camelid Achievement Award

Dog Handler Versatility Award

Rabbit Achievement Award

Pet Pig Achievement Award

4-H Shooting Sports Marksmanship Award Requirements

The Shooting Sports Member of the Year, Sportsmanship Award, and Most Improved Award can be found on the ‘4-H Shooting Sports Information’ tab of the website above.

4-H Career Award

Attention 4-H members who were Juniors or Seniors in High School this past year!

We have an exciting Award opportunity to share with you! The EL Paso County 4-H Program is installing a NEW, annual award at the 4-H Achievement Celebration!

The “El Paso County 4-H Career Award” is meant to recognize High School Juniors and Seniors who excel in the many different aspects of the 4-H Program. This award takes into account those with strong leadership skills, 4-H club and county involvement, those who strive towards excellence, and members who overall embody the 4-H Motto: “To Make the Best Better.”

Winning applicants will be honored and receive an award at the El Paso County 4-H Achievement Celebration!

There are just a few Application Requirements:

  • You must be a current member, in good standing, of El Paso County 4-H.
  • You must be enrolled in 4-H and have completed at least one project for each of the past 5 years.
  • You must have been a Junior or Senior in high school during the 2023-2024 school year.
  • You must fill out the attached form (Excel sheet) and submit it by Friday, August 30, 2024 by 5:00 PM to the Extension Office, or by emailing the signed, completed application to Jen Loewen at: JenniferLoewen@elpasoco.com by the same deadline.
  • This form must be signed by both you, and your parent/guardian.
  • This award can only be received ONCE by each eligible 4-H member. (You can apply again if you do not receive the award the first time and are still eligible.)
  • Youth members must find an enrolled and active 4-H Volunteer to endorse their application. 4-H Volunteers CANNOT be an applicant’s parent or relative.
  • The application is based on a point system, and youth participants must score at least 180/300 (60%) to be considered for this award.

Winning applicants will be honored and receive an award at the El Paso County 4-H Achievement Celebration on Saturday, September 28th!

We hope all eligible high schoolers take a few minutes to fill out an application so that we can recognize your excellent “4-H Careers!”

Please let me know if you have any questions—and Good Luck! 😊

STAR Award

4-H Knowledge and History

The 4-H Program has been an organization dedicated to the development of youth members for over a hundred years—and 4-H members are a part of a proud history of service learning and self development, reaching almost 6 million youth annually.

The Smith-Level Act of 1914 established a system of Cooperative Extension Services, connected to Land Grand universities, whose goal became to inform local citizens in each community about current agriculture developments, home economics, public policy, and other related subjects. This act formalized the 4-H Program nationally.

In Clark County, Ohio, Albert Belmont Graham was a country schoolmaster and agriculture extension pioneer at Ohio State University. In 1902, Graham held and experimental agriculture young adult club at the University, (often called either “The Tomato Club” or the “Corn Growing Club”), and many consider this to be the first glimmer of youth development programming – the early sibling of what would later become the 4-H Program.

In Colorado, instruction in agriculture started as early as 1910 as part of the Outreach and Extension program. Since then, Colorado 4-H has thrived, growing in rural mountain towns, bustling cities, and expansive prairies. Extension Offices all over Colorado work to embody the Colorado 4-H Mission of “4-H empowering youth to reach their full potential by working and learning in partnership with caring adults.”

The primary focus of the 4-H Program at this time was a focus on instructing rural youth in improved farming and homemaking practices – and was among the first early youth organizations to give equal attention to both male and female participants. It became clear that youth members were more likely to experiment with new agriculture technologies, techniques, and practices, unlike their parents and grandparents, who preferred traditional methods. When youth began outpacing their adult members in crop production, the improved methods were more likely to be implemented by the adults, and positively impact their families overall.

In many ways, the growing 4-H Program represented the “growing” done on farms and ranches across the state – flourishing crops, higher quality animals, and healthier homes. The 4-H Colors of White (for purity) and Green (representing nature, youth, life, and growth) became the national standard. The 4-H Clover, too, became part of the national brand. The earliest “H’s” included Head, Hands, and Heart, with some states adding “Home” or “Hustle.” By 1924, the 4-H Clover joined the U.S Presidential Seal, Red Cross, Smokey Bear, and Olympic Rings as federally protected marks. The responsible stewardship of the 4-H Clover is granted to the Secretary of Agriculture, at request of the U.S Congress.

Once 4-H was Nationalized, the program developed its Motto: “To Make the Best Better” and their Slogan, “Learn by Doing.” These phrases represented the goal of Positive Youth Development, as does the 4-H Pledge, originally written by Otis E. Hall:

“I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
and my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”

Today, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the National 4-H Program, with help from National 4-H Council and land grant university extension offices nationwide. Each October, during National 4-H week, 4-H Programs across the country gather to promote and celebrate the 4-H Program nationwide.

In Colorado, 4-H youth members gather each January at the Leadership Development Conference in June on the Colorado State University Campus, seeking to promote the Colorado 4-H Vision, “A World in which youth and adults learn, grow, and work together.

In El Paso County, 4-H members and volunteers work everyday to “Make the Best Better”— and you can too!

E-Records

4-H Members must complete an E Record book for each project that the 4-H member is enrolled in and receive a score of 70% or above.

General Projects – STEM, Shooting Sports, Creative & Family & Consumer Science Projects

  • Click HERE for E-Record Book Templates from the state website

Animal Projects

  • Click HERE for E-Record Book Templates from the state website

Self Determined

  • Click HERE for E Record Book Template

All E-Records in the form of Google Docs can be found HERE!

Forms

General Animal Forms

Livestock

Shooting Sports

Scholarships

Scholarships

4-H Youth in Action Awards

The 4 H Youth in Action Program recognizes four confident young leaders with diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives in our core pillar areas: agriculture, civic engagement, healthy living and STEM. Each year, Pillar Winners will experience an exciting year of telling their 4-H story and celebrating their leadership.

Winners receive:

  • $5,000 higher education scholarship
  • Promotional video showcasing their 4 H impact story
  • All-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. for National 4 H Council’s Legacy Awards
  • Networking opportunities with 4 H celebrities and other prominent alumni
  • Recognition as the official 4 H youth spokesperson for their pillar

Applications on hold until 2023-2024 4-H year.

Colorado 4-H Senate Scholarship Form 

This form is used to request funds from the Colorado 4-H Senate. It is used for State Conference, LDC, CLC and Youth Fest. Form must be complete and received (not postmarked) 10 days before the event registration due date.

El Paso County Jr. Livestock Sale Committee Educational Sponsorship Funds Application

Aid for 4-H Participation

El Paso County 4-H Request for Foundation Funds

This form is used to request funds from our El Paso County 4-H Foundation. Fund requests can go toward a variety of 4-H activities like paying for a 4-H event, membership dues, fundraiser supplies or anything 4-H-related.

Please mail your application to:
El Paso County 4-H Foundation,
c/o Kathy Hisey, President
24 Circle C Road
Fountain, CO 80817

Or email to epc4hfoundation1@gmail.com

4HOnline

For assistance enrolling in 4HOnline as a member or volunteer, or adding/dropping projects, please contact your Club Leader, or email Shawna.Lamothe@colostate.edu

4HOnline Animal ID’s

** Please note that the projects listed below REQUIRE Animal ID’s

  • Breeding Beef
  • Breeding Sheep
  • Breeding Goat
  • Dairy Goat
  • Pygmy Goat
  • Llama/Alpaca
  • Dog
  • Cat
  • Horse/Mini Horse

** Market Animals DO NOT Require an Animal ID. Rabbit and Cavy projects DO NOT Require an Animal ID.

Animal ID Checklists

Animal ID Detailed Instructions

4-H Policies

El Paso County Policies for Success

Colorado State 4-H Policies for Success

The Colorado State Extension 4-H Policies supersede the El Paso County Extension 4-H Policies when something is not addressed in the El Paso County Policies for Success document.

4-H Code of Conduct

Colorado 4-H Dress Code

Alcohol Awareness Brochure

Alcohol Policy Handbook (coming soon)

CSU Protection of Minors Policy

Colorado 4-H Youth Development Policies

Colorado 4-H Website Code of Conduct

Using the 4-H Name & Emblem

New Family Manual

4-H Social Media

Find El Paso County 4-H on Social Media!

Facebook

Instagram

If you know a current 4-H Member or Leader that you think should be highlighted on our social media, follow the links below to nominate them! And if you are a current 4-H’er in an animal project, be sure to nominate your best animal to be featured on our social media! If you know of any 4-H alumni, or you are one yourself, please follow the alumni form, we would love to feature you!

Member Highlight Form

Volunteer Highlight Form

Animal Highlight Form

Alumni Spotlight Form

Navigate 4-H

Partners

State Newsletters

Local Information

Ask Extension

Do you have a question for an Extension professional about your yard, garden, insect issue or otherwise? Try Ask Extension!

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Keeping ahead of COVID-19

This rapidly evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) has imposed an unsettling, fluid situation upon our community and its businesses. While the team here still aims to maintain a “business as usual” approach, we are making a number of significant changes to our operations to account for a situation that is far from normal.