New Announcements:
1. New “IDs and Diagnoses” webinar series features representatives from VCE labs who will provide information on their work, highlight top issues they see in Virginia, and go through how local EMG help desks can be most effective when submitting samples. This series is open to all EMGs and will be appropriate for anyone who takes part in public programming, not just help desk or plant clinic volunteers! All webinars will be recorded and posted to our website.
a. Dates and topics:
Tuesday, January 26, 1pm: Soil
Tuesday, February 2, 1pm: Insects
Tuesday, February 9, 1pm: Weeds
Tuesday, February 16, 1pm: Plant Disease
Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodu6qqzguHt3jJ7D6UtyYZvho8T-3hl81 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
2. State Office Webinar Series:
a. February 18 10:00 am | Building strong EMG Mentoring Programs – This webinar will focus on the importance of mentoring programs and how you can build one for your unit.
Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-Crrz8vGtEC4niKhUUQay0zCLbU1hG6 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
3. IMGC: Virtual Tours
a. With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer “tours” to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that you have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.
b. Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49
4. Continuing education reading list: Reading a book from this list counts for up to 3 CE hours: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11GcvQr_wm_oH2BaNCLZuXzY6POD2f0FXD0TgY5DlBs8/edit?usp=sharing
a. More CE opportunities here: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/ce/
5. New guidance for digital contacts reporting: If you are responsible for reporting contacts, there is new guidance available for reporting webinar contacts. The social media guidance remains the same as previous years. Complete guidance available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zls5VzitALqr7p97UAEu-xOJnXg-wdNX/view?usp=sharing
6. Creating a Facebook event for an EMG program? Please add the state office as a cohost!
7. VMGA Speakers bureau list: View VMGA’s current list of topics which speakers in the state are willing to give. The site sends an email to the VMGA ‘owner’ of the list with contact information for the person who delivers that topic. https://vmga.net/wordpress/speakers/
Old Announcements
8. After much deliberation over the past few months, we have made the difficult decision that the 2021 International Master Gardener Conference will be a virtual event. To learn more about our decision, read Kathleen’s letter here.
a. To learn more about virtual IMGC 20210: https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/about/
b. Registration will open April 5, 2021
c. To sign up for the IMGC email list: https://t.send.vt.edu/lp/EXT-International-Master-Gardener-College
9. Send us your COVID photos! If you have photos of EMG volunteer projects during COVID, such as masked volunteers working in a garden, please send them to us! Email them to Devon, dvj@vt.edu
10. Call for presentations: Have you created a presentation you’re proud of & would like to share with us? We are creating a presentation repository and need your presentations!
· Repository will be available for EMGs and Agents/Coordinators to draw from for speaking requests, training, etc. Master gardeners and agents may submit. Presentations will undergo editing and formatting before being posted. Email presentations to Devon dvj@vt.edu
11. “My Trees Count” app launched by VDOF – In order to keep track of trees planted in communities across the state, the Department of Forestry has launched a tree planting tracking application called “My Trees Count”. This will provide VDOF with valuable data about water quality in the state, as well as help track tree plantings as communities work towards their WIP Goals. Finally, it will allow us to recognize tree planting efforts. When submitted through the Trees Count Survey, we may share planting stories on the Community Tree Map or social media with #MyTreeCounts. The application can be found here: https://arcg.is/WryDG
12. 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.
13. We’re working on a comprehensive webinar page – The State Office is working on compiling local unit YouTube videos and webinars on our YouTube page. If you have YouTube videos, please email Devon dvj@vt.edu. If you have videos somewhere other than YouTube but would like to get them on YouTube, please also email Devon! Videos will be organized into playlists here: https://www.youtube.com/c/VirginiaCooperativeExtensionMasterGardener/playlists (Check the “Hanover Home Gardening” playlist as an example)
Old January Announcements:
14. 5th Annual Seed Swap, Central Rappahannock, January 23, 2021 – Save the Date and your Seeds for the Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners 5th Annual Seed Swap on January 23, 2021 from 10AM to 1PM in King George. The event is FREE and open to all. More info here.
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. Follow the State Office on social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
3. Subscribe to In Season, our quarterly newsletter
4. 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