Compiled and edited by members of the NET Communications and Executive Committees: Natalie Chin, Kristen Devlin, Mercedes Fraser, Molly McManus, Xinyi Qian, Ann Savage, Gwynn Stewart, and April Turner.
Table of Contents
- Letter from NET Vice Chair, Ann Savage
- Next NET Webinar: Virtual vs. In-Person Meetings – What Works Best?
- Regional Spotlight on Northeast
- Updates from the NET Design Team and Partners
- Updates from Agritourism and Outdoor Recreation Working Groups
Letter from NET Vice Chair, Ann Savage
Dear National Extension Tourism NETwork,
As we approach the end of the year, we all have gatherings with colleagues, friends and family filling our days. These gatherings give us a forum for connecting, sharing accomplishments and laughter as well as challenges and sorrow. Gatherings make me think of the work we each do in extension and tourism to bring people together to have meaningful conversations and experiences. I have thought quite a bit about the value of these opportunities to connect in the wake of Helene’s damage in Western NC as well as many of your communities in FL, GA, SC and TN earlier this Fall. Previous opportunities to come together for different interests, passions, celebrations and/or challenges help establish a network that is invaluable in times of crisis. So, while sometimes we may feel a program or initiative did not have the most interest or attendance, someone likely made connections in those spaces. In Western NC, we saw these connections lead to strong networks within the community and an outpouring of incredible support outside of the community.
All this to say, as you are filling out your annual reports, reflecting on past programs and looking at numbers and impacts, remember sometimes these impacts are more deeply seeded than we can measure. So let this be a reminder that the work you do is important and has real value. And for those recently affected by disaster, know that you have laid groundwork for these communities’ strength as they face recovery, and the NETwork is here for you.
Looking forward, make sure to take time to gather and enjoy, process, and rejuvenate. Next year our NETwork will gather in our working groups, on our webinars, and in person at our conference in October. We hope to cross paths and create meaningful connections in the new year!
With Peace and Best Wishes for the Holidays,
Ann
NET December Webinar: Virtual Versus In-Person Meetings —What Works Best?
Can virtual meetings replace in-person gatherings? This month’s webinar will feature the work of an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Vermont and Clemson University, who examined whether an in-person experience made any difference in the reported outcomes and benefits of agritourism programming. The findings may surprise you! Learn more and register here.
Spotlight on the Northeast Region
In each newsletter, we’ll feature NET-affiliated people and programs from a particular region. This time, we’re shining a light on the Northeast Region.
Update from Delaware: Tidewater Park in Laurel, DE, honors traditional stories of the Nanticoke Tribe
The Town of Laurel, DE, and the Nanticoke Indian Association recently held a traditional blessing ceremony and ribbon cutting for the newly developed Tidewater Park in downtown Laurel. Ed Lewandowski, a community development specialist with Delaware Sea Grant at the University of Delaware and the project lead for the park, shared this report from the event, which marked a significant milestone in efforts to enhance recreational spaces, advocate for Indigenous people’s history, and promote environmental stewardship in western Sussex County, DE. Read the full story here.
Update from New Hampshire: UNH Extension Goes (Almost) Undercover as Tourists in West Virginia
In early October, several members of the University of New Hampshire Extension team arrived at the Monongahela National Forest region of West Virginia with the task of exploring the region much as tourists would. While this might sound like fun and games, this visit actually was a structured research activity, with the four team members each completing extensive assessments to pilot a revised version of a Tourism First Impressions program. In this blog post, UNH’s Rebecca Levy, Jada Lindblom, and Charlie French share more about their trip and the multi-state, Extension-based research collaboration that it contributed to.
Update from New York: Agritourism Bus Tours Offer In-Depth Look at Different Business Models
By Molly McManus
This fall, the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Agritourism Program Work Team, led by Lindsay Pashow of CCE Harvest NY and Laura Biasillo of CCE Broome County, coordinated two Agritourism Bus Tours to advance the knowledge of agritourism operators and related partners. These tours encompassed site visits to five successful agritourism enterprises in Western and Central New York, offering participants an in-depth look at different business models.
In addition to site visits, participants engaged in a half-day networking session to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and build new partnerships. Attendees were also introduced to CCE agritourism resources, including the Agritourism Operation Checklist, a tool designed to evaluate the readiness of agritourism ventures.
As Cornell Cooperative Extension continues to invest in support for New York State agritourism operators, further regional opportunities and educational initiatives are planned for 2025. Find more information at: https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-cooperative-extension/work-teams/agritourism.
Update from West Virginia: New Project Aims to Empower Agritourism Service Providers in Support of New and Beginning Farmers/Ranchers
Dr. Doolarie Singh-Knights of West Virginia University is leading a three-year project funded by the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). The project, titled “Empowering Agritourism Service Providers to Strengthen Agritourism Programs as a Farm Diversification Strategy to Enhance Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Success,” is described in detail below, under the Agritourism Working Group update, and online here.
Update from Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD)
Congratulations to Claudia Schmidt, recipient of Northeast “Excellence in Extension” award!
Claudia Schmidt, assistant professor of marketing and local/regional food systems in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and NERCRD Faculty Affiliate, received this year’s Northeast Region Excellence in Extension Award for an Individual, presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension System’s Extension Committee on Organization and Policy. Learn more here.
Upcoming NERCRD Webinar: Engaging Extension and Community Partners for the Creation of Active Transportation Plans
At the next NERCRD webinar, taking place December 10th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, Penn State Extension’s Leadership and Community Vitality team members Neal Fogle and John Turack will share their experiences of working with Huntingdon County, PA, on the development and implementation of an Active Transportation Plan (ATP) in collaboration with PA WalkWorks, a PA Department of Health initiative. Learn more and register here.
Update from the NET Design Team
Rapid Resource Round-Up: Disaster Recovery for Businesses
As colleagues in areas affected by the recent hurricanes respond to the devastation, they are seeking resources, curricula, and/or best practices/lessons learned in working with small- and medium-enterprise businesses both for immediate and long-range recovery. While the focus of NET colleagues is on tourism, we also welcome resources or curricula for other industries that can be adapted. NET put out a call for resources in October, and has begun compiling resources here. Please submit your resources via this quick and easy online form.
NET 2025 Conference Update
Planning is well underway for the 2025 NETtra conference — a first-time collaboration between NET and the Northeast Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (NETTRA). The University of New Hampshire is hosting the event, which will take place October 7-10, 2025, in Meredith, NH. The conference website already has a preliminary schedule and details about the venue. Mark your calendar, and stay tuned for more to come!
NET 2023 Proceedings Now Available Online
To increase access to the impactful work presented at the 2023 National Extension Tourism Conference, NET has published its 2023 conference proceedings. As NET’s second compilation of conference proceedings, this volume contains nine submissions from the 2023 conference, which are divided into three sections/themes: Agritourism, Rural Tourism, and Engaging with Specific Audiences. Learn more and download the proceedings here!
Updates from the Agritourism and Outdoor Recreation Working Groups
New paper digs into limitations of agritourism and direct sales data
Agritourism plays a critical role in rural economies, supporting farm viability and offering diverse income streams for agricultural producers. In a recent article published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, a team of agritourism researchers emphasize the importance of accurate data collection in this sector. The paper, titled Insights and oversights: Behind the data on agritourism and direct sales in the United States, highlights significant inconsistencies in the way agritourism and direct sales are defined and measured in the U.S., resulting in potential misrepresentations that could influence policy and support mechanisms. The authors advocate for more comprehensive data to better inform the future of agritourism development and rural entrepreneurship.
Development of a National Agritourism Curriculum: Empowering Agritourism Service Providers to Strengthen Agritourism Programs as a Farm Diversification Strategy
On October 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the funding of 46 projects funded by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) at $23.7 million. A single Education Team (ET) grant was funded titled “Empowering Agritourism Service Providers to Strengthen Agritourism Programs as a Farm Diversification Strategy to Enhance Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Success” by Dr. Doolarie Singh-Knights of West Virginia University funded at $748,140 (9/15/2024-9/14/2027). ET BFRDP projects are designed to identify gaps in beginning farmer and rancher training by evaluating existing programs, and by developing and conducting train-the-trainer projects to address these gaps. This project assembles some of the most prolific agritourism experts across the US. Learn more about the project and project team here.
New report examines Land-Grant University capacity to support outdoor recreation economies
A new report sheds light on the readiness of Land-Grant Universities to support the development of outdoor recreation economies around U.S. national forests, and identifies the places best positioned to allocate resources for recreation economy programming. It draws on an assessment conducted earlier this year by West Virginia University Rural Tourism Specialist Doug Arbogast in partnership with the National Extension Outdoor Recreation Working Group (NEORWG) and the Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs). Learn more here.
Thanks for reading! The next NET newsletter will be published in February. View older newsletters here.