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CORVALLIS - Grants of $500 to 10 Oregon 4-H groups are helping young people establish gardens and beautify landscapes in cities around the state.

Funding for the "Growing with 4-H" grants comes from Chevron USA and the Oregon 4-H Foundation, according to Beverly Hobbs, Oregon State University Extension 4-H Youth specialist.

"To obtain a grant, local 4-H clubs had to demonstrate a need for their project and to explain how their efforts would be of service to the community," Hobbs said.

Those receiving "Growing with 4-H" grants this year are:

ALBANY:

The Sew Sweet Gals 4-H Club, led by Pam Ward, will replace native plants along the Takena Landing Fitness Trail. The native vegetation was disturbed when the trail was widened in 1995. Members of STRIDE, a group of youth community service volunteers, will assist in the project.

EUGENE:

The Whiteaker Dolphin Gardeners 4-H Club, led by Todd Farris, will turn part of the playground at Whiteaker Elementary School into a vegetable garden. The garden will attract birds and bugs for Whiteaker students to learn about, and also provide vegetables for low income families in the neighborhood. Extension Master Gardeners, University of Oregon urban farmers, and non-profit groups Nearby Nature and Looking Glass will assist on the project.

The central commons area of the St. Vincent DePaul low income housing project at 19th and Pearl streets will benefit from the attention of the Kids Are Goats Too 4-H Club led by Pem Winquist. The 4-Hers will landscape the area, build bird feeders, raised bed gardens and benches, and plant flowers. St. Vincent DePaul is cooperating with the project and other 4-H clubs will be asked to participate.

LAKEVIEW:

The Born Artists 4-H Club, led by Evelyn Schafer, will build and maintain waist-high planters for residents of the Lake District Hospital nursing home. The 4-Hers will help residents plant flowers and vegetables, with the help of Extension Master Gardeners and owners of The Greenhouse, a local plant supply store.

MCMINNVILLE: The Yamhill County 4-H Livestock Leaders, led by Pamela Olsen, will build an arch and landscape the new entrance to the Yamhill County Fairgrounds. Plantings will include shade trees, rhododendrons and azaleas. Other participants include the Dayton chapter of the Future Farmers of America and the Fairgrounds Beautification Committee.

The Yamhill County 4-H Youth Council, led by Pamela Olsen, will plant lawns, flower beds and vegetable gardens for 10 elderly, disabled or low income residents. Extension Master Gardeners will provide horticultural support. The Community Action Program of Yamhill County, Lutheran Family Services and Level Seven Counselors with the Commission on Children and Families will help identify the local residents.

PILOT ROCK:

The area around the welcome sign to Pilot Rock will receive the attention of the Wooley Wranglers 4-H Club, led by Beth Mills and Helen Doherty. Club members will landscape the area to improve its visual appeal. Plantings will include ornamental trees, wild flowers and native shrubs. Louisiana Pacific Company has provided assistance to the project and Larry Hoeft, a local farmer, has donated a water tank and pump to provide irrigation through the summer.

PORTLAND:

The Operation Green Thumb 4-H Horticultural Club, led by Lori Wertgen-Martinez, will build raised bed gardens at the Portland Community Gardens for use by people in wheelchairs. Other groups cooperating in the project are the American Horticultural Therapy Association and the Portland Public Schools GreenThumb Program.

SALEM:

The Marion County 4-H Clubs and Community Action Team will plant and maintain an ornamental garden at Highland Elementary School, Salem's oldest grade school. Under the guidance of Marion County Master Gardeners, students, teachers and 4-H members will construct a decorative fence and wooden benches in addition to planning and planting the garden. This project will become a year-round 4-H school enrichment effort. Students will be encouraged to participate in the garden construction and to enter horticulture exhibits at the 1996 county fair.

SPRAY:

The Twitchers and Scratchers 4-H Club, led by Hester Keys, will landscape the hillside above the Wheeler County Fairgrounds in Fossil. Planting trees on the treeless fairgrounds will provide shade as well as beauty. The Search and Rescue 4-H Cadet Club members will help in the project.