Benton County « OSU Extension Internship Program

Hello again!
I’m Taiva Steed, and this summer has been busy and exciting. It’s hard to believe it’s already
coming to an end!

Some of my favorite moments this summer came from working at farmers’ markets, where we
offered free nitrate screenings and shared resources about wells, septic systems and
groundwater. Each market was different and came with its own obstacles and highlights.
Tangent was full of energy, with live music, NASCARs and the excitement of a brand-new
market. However, not every day went exactly as planned. In Coburg, we showed up on the
wrong day, and in Cottage Grove, our canopy broke on a hot morning. But facing those
challenges helped show me how important the work we’re doing really is! Not only did I see
community members stepping in to help make these opportunities happen, but I also saw
people go out of their way to learn about their health, even when we did not make it the
easiest. Seeing these efforts from strangers was one of the most rewarding aspects of the
internship!

Another highlight from this summer was going on a septic systems field trip in Lincoln County. It
was interesting to see the more technical, hands-on side of the work I’ve been talking about
with community members all summer. We also had the chance to get some good quality time
with the team and be by the beach!

I also had the chance to explore other parts of Oregon State University Extension. Having
worked on a farm before, visiting the North Willamette Research and Extension Center had me
feeling close to my roots. We went to a Blueberry Field Day and their Open House. These were
other standout moments because I got to meet new people within Oregon State University
Extension and learn how different programs reach out to their community. We even managed
to squeeze in a few nitrate tests there, too.

This internship has been full of learning, problem-solving and connecting with communities;
and I’m grateful for every moment.

Jessalyn Horton

I’ve settled into a nice groove here at the Benton County Extension Office working with well water. I’ve spent time at several farmers markets testing water samples for nitrates and talking about treatment options, health impacts, causes of high nitrates in water and other potential contaminants with folks. I have made it out to Brownsville, down to Harrisburg for Summer Sounds, up to Stayton and more.

A selfie of a girl sitting at a farmers market booth in OSU gear. — Jessalyn at the Philomath Farmers Market on June 29th. Photo: Jessalyn Horton

When I’m not out testing water, I’ve mostly been in the office creating and mailing advertising materials for our testing events. Lately I’ve been cleaning up the mailing addresses we use from old well logs using ArcGIS and my mad Microsoft Excel skills. That stuff is all necessary but not very exciting. What’s more exciting is when I get to go out on field trips.

I’ve been able to join Crystal Kelso, who works with Small Farms and Forestry here at Extension and also coordinates activities for local Veteran farmers, on a few of the Veteran events she’s organized. So far I have attended a beekeeping event at OSU’s apiary at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture and a farm tour out in Albany. The beekeeping event was particularly interesting since I was coming from a level of zero knowledge. I got to get up close and personal with one of the hives. By the end I was very ready to get some personal space back! I really liked the farm tour as well, I got to provide some information on an updated Oregon law that should help the farmer out and enjoyed listening and learning all about his land and the different things he’s trying out. These events provide a great opportunity to not only share resources with one another, but to help build community among people who have shared experiences. I look forward to continuing to attend these events even after my internship is done.

A girl in a bee suit holding a frame from a bee hive covered in wax and bees. — Jessalyn Horton is beekeeping at the Veteran Farmer Beekeeping Workshop on June 27th. Photo: Crystal Kelso

I also went up to the North Willamette Research and Extension Center’s (NWREC) Blueberry Field Day in late July. My fellow intern Taiva and I learned a ton about blueberries, best strategies for common pests and machine harvesting and saw some exciting research from PhD students. It’s an event that’s tailored to Oregon blueberry growers, so the information was fast and furious, but I appreciated being a sponge and seeing firsthand how OSU Extension bridges the gap between research and farmers. This week I’ll be attending a similar field day more locally on organic agriculture, heading back up to NWREC to offer nitrate testing at their open house, to the West Salem farmers market (more testing) and finishing up the week strong posted up at the OSU Extension information booth at the Polk County Fair on Friday evening. I’m excited to keep learning all summer long!

Hello!

My name is Taiva Steed, and I’m heading into my third year as a natural resources
student with an emphasis in communications and conflict resolution at Oregon State University. I
am originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but Oregon won me over with its mountains,
oceans and huge trees!

Taiva Steed working at the Brownsville Farmers Market. Photo: Jessalyn Horton

In the future, I hope to work as an environmental mediator, someone who helps people
come together to solve environmental and social challenges. I’m particularly interested in
working internationally and for people’s voices that are often underrepresented in these
conversations. This is why working for OSU Extension is perfect for me because it allows me to
connect with different communities and learning from people with all kinds of perspectives.

This is my first summer as an intern for OSU Extension, and I am working for the
Groundwater Protection Program out of Benton County. So far, I have been traveling to farmers
markets across Oregon, offering free nitrate screenings for well water and sharing educational
materials to community members about healthy drinking water, wells and septic systems. It has
been such a fun way to spend time outdoors, meeting new people and learning more about
Oregon! I have only been to a handful of events so far, but I already feel how meaningful this
work is, and how much I still have to learn.

When I am not working at a screening clinic, I am helping plan future events. This
includes figuring out where we will go next, making social media posts and designing postcards
and flyers to help advertise these events. I also spend time in the office learning about all things
groundwater, wells and septic systems. Coming from a city background, most of this is brand
new to me, and it has broadened my scope of the different ways people live and how those
differences can impact someone’s health and daily concerns.

I’m excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to explore what OSU Extension has to offer. I
have plans to explore the other OSU Extension programs like Small Farms and Master
Gardeners. I’m looking forward to more farmers markets, more community conversations and
continuing to learn why it’s important to protect our water!

My name is Jessalyn, and I am an Oregon State University Extension Service Groundwater
Protection intern based in Benton County. I am currently working on my second bachelor’s
degree from Oregon State University, double majoring in soil science and sustainability. I’m
excited to spend my summer engaging with local communities and learning more about
groundwater and public health. I spent the past decade moving around the United States while I
was in the Air Force and am now enjoying being back in Oregon, close to where I grew up in
McMinnville.

Jessalyn Horton at the Sweet Home Farmer’s Market. Photo: Jessalyn Horton

I first got an idea of the role Extension plays in my Soil 101 class this past fall, and thought it
sounded like an incredible community resource. I’ve got some teaching experience from my
military career, and I’m really interested in the intersection of soil and water. Working with
Chrissy Lucas-Woodruff, my supervisor here in charge of outreach, is something I knew I wanted
to do after she came to speak to a different class I took this past winter, on environmental and
agricultural predicaments. I’m very excited to be building on the knowledge I’ve gained during
my studies so far through water testing and education.

I’m less than a week into this internship, but I’ve already had an opportunity to test water
samples from local well owners for nitrates at the Sweet Home farmer’s market. I had a great
time with Chrissy and my fellow new intern, Taiva — learning the ropes, engaging with the
public on well and septic maintenance and talking about nitrates and arsenic. We spent the rest
of our time during the first week learning about groundwater, wells, septic systems and
common contaminants. We also got to put together our own lab kits and prepare the gear we’ll
use at other events all summer long, where I’m looking forward to lots more learning and
engaging conversation.

My name is Elias Stroock, and I’m an Oregon State University Extension Service Groundwater Protection intern in the Willamette Region. This summer, I’ve been actively involved in community events, educating residents about private wells and septic systems, and conducting nitrate water tests.

Elias Stroock at the Toledo Farmers Market. Photo: Elsa Buchholz

A focal point of my personal project was creating a map to visualize areas with high engagement and turnout for water testing. I enjoyed visiting new towns in Oregon and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. Through these interactions, I gained a deeper understanding of the personal connections people have to their land. I felt confident in my ability to gather necessary information and assist residents with their water system concerns. Additionally, I utilized our publications as a tool to educate people about various aspects of their groundwater systems.

I was pleased to collaborate with other Extension programs, such as the Master Gardeners, at these events. These interactions allowed for more in-depth discussions about how different Extension programs benefit the community. My interactions with senior Extension employees also gave me a different perspective into the interpersonal skills necessary to communicate scientific information in a tangible manner. In addition, I was able to attend staff meetings for Linn, Benton and Marion County Extension offices. These meetings gave me an opportunity to share the work I have been doing with a wide array of people I otherwise wouldn’t have interacted with. I was also able to field questions about mapping technologies and think about how broadly applicable my skills are in relation to all the different parts of Extension.

One challenge I faced during this internship was time management. At an event in Cottage Grove, I was the sole representative and, due to poor planning, arrived unprepared. To my disbelief, many people had shown up early in hopes of getting their water tested, this caused me to start feeling a great deal of pressure. I had to quickly seek assistance from the market organizer and other vendors to get set up and start testing. This experience taught me the importance of staying organized and maintaining a confident demeanor when presenting crucial information to the public. I hope to continue practicing humility and seeking help when needed, especially in demanding professional situations.

Hi again! It feels like just yesterday I wrote my first blog, and I can’t believe I’m in my last week of my internship. My time with Oregon State University Extension Communications has been wonderful and I’ve learned so much.

Bella Brown at the Benton County Fair holding a 4-Hers rabbit.

This summer, outside of creating some social media content templates and content for Extension pubs and articles, I worked on a campaign and I’m very proud of my work. I was part of creating a campaign for emergency preparedness that me and another student worker worked together on to create Blossom the Beaver to present the campaign to the public on the OSU Extension flagship accounts. It was a lot of fun having the creative freedom for a project like this and getting experience in creating a campaign of my own was extremely educational.

One struggle I had to overcome in my internship was just how different it was working in an office everyday instead of outside doing physical labor like I’ve done most of my life. It took some adjusting to the different style of work but by the end of the summer I learned how to work in a different way than I was used to. My biggest takeaway from this internship was how much planning and work it takes to market and create content for such a large program. I learned how big OSU Extension really is in Oregon’s community, and I will certainly use the planning and collaboration skills I learned this summer in a future career.

Thank you to the Extension Communication’s team for teaching me so much!

My name is Elias Stroock, and I am an environmental science major at Oregon State University in Corvallis. My primary focus is Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which aligns well with my interest in remotely sensing water bodies. The mapping capabilities of GIS are crucial for visualizing data collected through various sensing technologies.

Elias Stroock preforming water quality test

My career aspirations lean towards water law, specifically in the realm of environmental law, with a focus on assisting those most vulnerable to climate change impacts. I envision working for a small business or nonprofit to maximize my impact in areas with the greatest need.

I have no prior experience with Oregon State University Extension Service but am eager to learn about its functions and how it serves the public. I am particularly interested in honing my communication and public relations skills through event planning and utilizing platforms like Facebook to engage with the public. I anticipate enjoying county fairs and exploring new Oregon towns while addressing public concerns about well water. My interest in mapping also causes me to enjoy learning more about the areas I will be visiting so that I can connect the dots in my head regarding features and geographic locations in a given area.

For my project I am thinking of creating a GIS map to visualize nitrate testing locations across different counties. By utilizing address data from tracking sheets and inputting it into an Excel spreadsheet, I can generate a map showcasing the prevalence of nitrate testing. Once it is in the software, I am able to use different tools to showcase important features about the data. Some examples of this might be a heatmap showing which areas which had many people getting their water tested. This map can also be used by future interns within this program to target certain areas where few people have been tested. This visual tool can be used to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness and advocate for increased funding in various counties.

Hello again everyone! My name is Forrest Pratt, and I am wrapping up my Oregon State University Extension internship for the summer. I have had the great pleasure and privilege of working under the SNAP-Ed program in Linn and Benton counties.

Oregon State Extension "Blender Bike". Stationary bike that powers a blender. — Oregon State University Extension “Blender Bike”. Photo: Forrest Pratt

I have spent this summer supporting Food Hero’s community outreach programming. This has given me lots of opportunities to practice planning events and learning from previous events to plan to make future ones more successful. Putting on programs with a food component was new to me, so I learned a lot about how to make the tasting events go well. I always enjoyed bringing the food I made out to people in the community. Providing recipe tastings at farmers markets gave people the chance to try something new and gave me a chance to talk to them about how to include more fruits and vegetables into their lives.

In addition to the farmers markets, I’ve had a few opportunities to teach nutrition lessons to local youth camps and clubs. These events are always a lot of fun, and it’s very rewarding to chat with kids and families about healthy eating! One of the highlights of these classes has been bringing our blender bike, which blends a smoothie when the bike is pedaled. The kids are always very excited to try it and are more open to trying a new food when they were a part of making it.

My experience this summer has also opened my eyes to what goes on behind the scenes to make this kind of work happen. I got to learn about and help with a lot of the planning, preparation and collaboration that is necessary to get these events out to the public.

Overall, this has been a great summer of learning for me. I have a greater understanding of nutrition and food equity issues, and I will bring that with me into my future work in education and community outreach. I’m so grateful for all the people I worked with this summer – everyone at Extension has been so kind and welcoming and their support has made this summer so much easier and more fun!

Greetings fellow farmers and lovers of Agriculture!

My name is Mia Claire Koljian and I am one of the summer interns for the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture at Oregon State University. I am currently a senior working on my bachelors degree of science in botany with a concentration in ecology, evolution, and conservation. I am located in Corvallis and I am hoping to obtain a master’s in plant pathology. In my future I see myself working in environment stability by studying and preventing plant diseases. I have a goal of working in laboratories to study invasive pests and pathogens and their impact on the environment they are in.

Mia Claire Koljian at Oregon State Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture Photo: Mia Claire Koljian

When going into the summer term I knew that I wanted to be working on a farm, and I was very lucky to be provided the opportunity to work on the Dry Farm through the Extension Service Program at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture. So what is Dry Farming? Dry farming is crop production without irrigation during a dry season. It is a practice that emphasizes production and growth with as little intervention as possible. I have greatly enjoyed my time working on the dry farms so far and have been extremely supported as a worker by my supervisor Lucas Nebert. Under Lucas’ guidance I have learned so much about the processes of the dry farm and all the foundational techniques of farming. It is a goal of mine to become more knowledgeable in the processes of organic farming and working on plots of land, and I feel that I am able to achieve this with the Dry Farm Program.

So far we have been doing necessary upkeep of the land like weeding, pruning, and planting. One of my favorite tasks that I’ve been working on is planting cucumber melons next to the pollinator garden at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture. Starting your mornings by being out in the sun and listening to the sounds of nature has been such an excellent time for me. One of the other tasks I have enjoyed doing is assisting my supervisor Lucas with his project on studying drought resistant corn. The working hypothesis is that by inoculating a corn plant in its early stages with an endophyte, it will be able to assist the corn plant in becoming more drought tolerant and being able to grow and produce a fruiting body under those conditions. Endophytes are bacteria or fungi that live between living plant cells. They can have symbiotic relationships and aid in stress tolerance for the plant. I have found this very interesting to work with because it can provide foundational work for what I want to study in my future career. I am hoping to learn more information about organic farming plant microorganisms during my time with the dry farm.

Hi everyone! My name is Jackie Ruff, and I’m thrilled to share a bit about my journey and the work I’ve been doing. Currently, I’m in my third year of undergrad at Oregon State University, majoring in environmental science with a concentration in chemistry and the environment and minoring in education. It’s been a fantastic ride so far, blending my love for science with a passion for teaching.

Rocks painted by intern Jackie Ruff for the community garden in Marion County. Photo: Jackie Ruff

I’m based out of the Oregon State University Extension Service office in Benton County, but my work takes me across various counties through the Groundwater Quality Education Program. This program is an amazing initiative that aims to protect and improve our groundwater quality. Since starting in October, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to engage with communities and make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

One of the key aspects of my role is organizing outreach events throughout different counties. These events provide free well water screening for nitrate and offer education on wells and septic systems. It’s a rewarding experience to see how these efforts help ensure the safety and health of our communities. Many people rely on well water for their daily needs and educating them about potential contaminants and how to maintain their systems is crucial. It’s not just about testing water; it’s about empowering people with the knowledge they need to protect their families and the environment.

Another project that we have been working on involves painting inspiration rocks. These aren’t just any rocks — they’re little pieces of art and hope. We donate them to the Marion County Juvenile Department to inspire visitors to maintain positive outlooks on life. It might seem like a small gesture, but sometimes a bit of color and a few encouraging words can make a world of difference to someone going through a tough time. The process of painting these rocks is therapeutic and fun, and knowing they bring a smile to someone’s face makes it all the more special.

Balancing my studies and this work can be challenging, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. My education in environmental science, particularly with a focus on chemistry and the environment, gives me a solid foundation to understand the complexities of groundwater issues. Meanwhile, my minor in education helps me effectively communicate and share this knowledge with the community. It’s a perfect blend that prepares me for a future where I can continue making a positive impact.

OSU Extension Internship Program

Category Archives: Benton County

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