New Announcements:
1. August state office webinars:
· September 17 | 10 am – Tree risk assessment – Joel Koci of VSU provides an introduction to tree risk assessment. – Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/91920717871
· October 15 | 10 am – Urban Agriculture – Join Dr. Leonard Githinji from Virginia State University as he talks about urban agriculture, why it's important, and where it intersects with volunteerism. Pre-registration: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpcsduCrpz8oATVOvOhaatpGl7kTqVIpQA
2. Turf and Landscape plan writing school (part of nutrient management certification, learn more):
· From DCR “ If you have an interest in becoming a certified as a turf & landscape nutrient management planner, you can sign up for this course now, and take the Soil Science, Soil Fertility, and Turf Production School when it is offered again as a webinar or in person sometime in the near future. With the uncertainty of being able to hold face-to-face events in the near future, we may not be able to offer another Plan Writing School before the next exam which will be held Friday, February 5, 2021.”
· https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ut5mgySBwZBD8EqNtI8Gu_9if7i6nwjv/view?usp=sharing
3. Social media training webinars provided by VT College of Ag and Life Sciences (CALS) and VSU:
· Sept. 23, 2020, 3 p.m.
ZOOM LINK: General Best Practices for Social Media
Deanna Sumners & Erica Shambley
· Sept. 30, 2020, 3 p.m.
ZOOM LINK: VCE social media policy
Deanna Sumners & Erica Shambley
Old September Announcements
4. Waynesboro tree workshop webinar series – Every Wednesday in the month of September there will be an hour-long webinar on various topics including tree ring analysis and urban canopy cover. Provided jointly by VDOF and VCE
· Info and registration links here: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Register-Today—2020-Waynesboro-Tree-Webinar-Series-.html?soid=1129998786860&aid=GI79-Lqov14
Old October Announcements
5. Registration Now Open for the 2020 Virtual Chesapeake Watershed Forum! https://www.allianceforthebay.org/our-work/key-program-focuses/networking-education/chesapeake-watershed-forum/
Old Announcements:
6. Facebook Live “Get Gardening” Series – Thursdays through the summer
· Thursday September 17: Kathleen Reed, Succulent Propagation and Care
· Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/226756471734154/
7. Plant sale guidance available – Extension Leadership has released guidelines for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales in light of the current steps toward reopening. You can find that information on the VCE COVID-19 page (https://ext.vt.edu/covid-19updates.html) under “Administrative Documents and Updates.” It’s at the bottom of that list under “EMG Plant Sale Guidance.
8. Master Composter online course from Vermont – https://www.uvm.edu/extension/mastergardener/vermont-master-composter-course
9. EMG Coordinator webinar: CE opportunity! Food Safety and Master Gardener Volunteer Programs, before and after COVID-19 webinar recording: https://youtu.be/aK6g8NvpAok
Other Announcements:
1. Send us your announcements! Have you converted educational programs to an online format? You can still submit those announcements for the biweekly email! Submit an item for the biweekly update here.
2. Updated Facebook event guidance – When scheduling Facebook events for your unit symposiums, seminars, talks, etc, please add the state office page as a co-host! More info here: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/current-resources/communications-resources/
3. Follow the State Office on social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
4. Subscribe to In Season, our quarterly newsletter
5. View our most recent webinar
a. View a recording of our most recent state office webinar – Jamie King on urban forestry
i. https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/webinar-archive/
- Resources for fertilization of lawns and for those involved with Healthy Virginia Lawns programming
- Do you have questions coming in to your Extension Master Gardener program and need to find some answers? Extension Search Resources for EMG Questions
- Every Kid in a Park Program
- Basil Downy Mildew: Occurrence Monitoring and Info Website for Gardeners
- A new website, created by Margaret McGrath and the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, on monitoring occurrence of downy mildew on basil in the US and Canada:
i. It maps occurrences and replaces them into a GoogleDocs spreadsheet since 2009. There is information about BDM at the website that is geared for gardeners. Gardeners have been the primary and most important reporters in helping with monitoring this disease.
- A handout for gardeners about reporting occurrences of BDM and 2 other important diseases: late blight and cucurbit downy mildew.