The Point Reyes-Olema 4-H Club, a mainstay of West Marin culture, is no more. Its projects will live on but be absorbed by a countywide organization, which has eliminated registration fees to attract new members.

The local club, whose annual fair is a centerpiece of Western Weekend, will be absorbed with the rest of the county’s chapters into a single Marin County 4-H Club.

Since Covid-19 turned the world upside down, membership in Marin’s 4-H clubs has fallen from about 300 countywide to roughly 200, according to Steven Worker, the program coordinator for Marin, Napa and Sonoma Counties.

“We’re in a rebuilding phase,” he said. “We’re hoping that reducing the financial entry will help boost 4-H membership. We’d like to make it available to people who haven’t participated before.”

Youth organizations of all kinds have been regrouping in the aftermath of the pandemic. But over the years, broader forces have played a role in the changing face of 4-H. Agriculture no longer holds as prominent an economic role as it did a century ago, when 4-H was born. And the rise of the two-income household has also played a role, according to Karen Taylor, the owner and operator of Bivalve Dairy, who’s been active in the club since she was a girl.

“One of the reasons our club was so big was because there were a lot more stay-at-home moms willing to lead projects,” Ms. Taylor said. “It’s very difficult to volunteer time unless you have a flexible schedule.”

A community organization focused on teaching leadership and practical skills, the club has its roots in agriculture, with members focusing on such projects as raising a cow or a pig and showing it off at county fairs. In recent years, however, chapters nationwide have offered everything from American sign language to dog training to engineering projects.

Marin’s club recently received a $25,000 grant from the Miranda Lux Foundation that will cover registration fees for 300 youth members and about 75 adult volunteers. It’s hoping to draw members from urban neighborhoods that haven’t traditionally been active in 4-H, including more participants from Spanish-speaking households.

The new structure will also provide members with a wider range of project options—although they will have to drive longer distances to participate.

The two current Point Reyes Station projects, archery and knitting, will continue next year as they have before.

“There’s a horse project that’s based in Novato, and we haven’t had a horse project in Point Reyes in years,” said Ms. Taylor, who hosts the archery project at her ranch. “If your kid wants to do horses, you’ll have to drive to Novato. But when you live out here in West Marin, you are going to be traveling for just about anything that your kids are involved in.”

Find information about 4-H project offerings at https://tinyurl.com/4Hcatalog