4-H Hike and Bike:Shiprock youth flex their muscles. (above) and prepare nutritious foods (below). (Photos courtesy of Linda Wells and Steve Etter)

By Rena Larrañaga

Exercise can be challenging, but fun. Take it from Algar Horsechief, 11, of Shiprock. This summer, he fell into a cold, Colorado river while rafting near Durango and also learned, the hard way, which lever controls the front brakes on a mountain bike during the 4-H Hike and Bike program.

Like Horsechief, several 4-H members in the Four Corners region aren't your typical 4-H'ers. Besides traditional programs-like animal care and shooting sports-offered by agents in McKinley and San Juan counties and on the Zuni and Navajo reservations, 4-H members also learn from urban, issue-oriented programs.

"We've tried to branch out in different areas with our programs to address issues our youth face, especially on the reservations," says Steve Etter, Shiprock Cooperative Extension Service agent.

Etter, who has a joint appointment through Tri-State Navajo Nation Extension with NMSU, Utah State University and the University of Arizona, cooperates with various agencies to meet the needs of Navajo youth in all three states. "For example, diabetes is out of control among Native Americans," he says. "We've seen incidences of Type II diabetes occurring in children as young as 9 years old."

With help from the Indian Health Service (IHS), Etter developed the 4-H Hike and Bike program to increase healthy activity among children at risk of developing diabetes. In 1998, 15 kids participated. "One child lost 20 pounds over the summer, and parents noticed the child was reading nutrition labels in the grocery store," he says.

This year, program attendance doubled. Many of the original participants returned for the second year, including 8-year-old Keisha Poyer. "I made my longest bike trip this year-12 miles," she says. "I also liked trying new recipes and learning about different foods." Poyer's favorite new food is tortizza-pizza toppings on a tortilla.

Local pediatricians select patients who are predisposed to getting diabetes either because of their family history or their lifestyle, Etter says. These children are invited by their doctors to join the program.

For six months, the kids attend weekly meetings about nutrition and exercise, taught by Linda Wells, San Juan County Extension home economist. They maintain daily exercise logs and participate in monthly outdoor activities like hiking or bike riding. "We went on one hike to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah," Horsechief says. "It was really hot in the desert, but I was excited because I'd never been there before."

Selecting the best: 4-H members examine a pen of sheep during the Southwest Indian Livestock Field Days at Red Rock State Park near Gallup.

Etter's concern for children extends to the youngest members of the tribe. "Two years ago, only 17 percent of Shiprock's children rode in child car seats. On a portion of the Navajo Reservation in Utah, not one single child was observed in a car seat during a year's worth of quarterly surveys," he says.

With help from his 4-H clubs and IHS, Etter began an educational program to address the problem. "We coordinate with the local police to organize car seat blitzes," he says. For one week, local radio stations run public service announcements, recorded by 4-H'ers, about child car seat use.

The following week, off-duty police officers conduct road blocks and ticket parents who don't buckle their children into car seats.

"Then parents who receive tickets can come into the 4-H office to purchase a car seat at a reduced rate and have their ticket forgiven," Etter says.

Since the program began two years ago, car seat use has increased in Shiprock from 17 percent to 54 percent. "Even better, the portion of the Navajo Nation in Utah that was surveyed now has 32 percent of children in car seats, up from 0," he says.

Strong community support is apparent in many Four Corners 4-H programs. "One of our most successful 4-H fund-raisers is the annual light parade," says Kathy Landers, Zuni Extension agent. "The whole village attends the parade and participants donate a fee to enter their lighted floats."

Fairs and judging competitions round out the more traditional 4-H programs. "The Southwest Indian Livestock Field Days, held every other spring, gives 4-H students a chance to practice their livestock judging skills in horses, sheep and cattle," says Phil Wright, McKinley County Extension agent.

Four-H in the Four Corners provides ample opportunities for kids to experience a variety of traditional and urban programs, even if it means getting a little wet.