MG Weekly Update Oct. 12 2009

My blog is a bit behind thanks to the flu-like crud (I tested neg for H1N1) that I had a couple of weeks ago followed up by a double ear infection. (Where did that come from?) I am now on the mend and feeling better. Thanks for your patience as I have been trying to get back to everyone who contacted me by phone / email! Extension Fall Conference was last week complete with keynote speakers Chris Farrell, economics editor from NPR, economist Mike Swanson from Wells Fargo, and our dean of extension, Bev Durgan.  I chose the walking tour of the capital - not so much for the site, but for the opportunity to meet Todd Iverson, UMN Assistant State Government Relations Director. In talking with Todd during the tour, he told me that the Master Gardener Program is one of the most talked-about Extension Programs in the legislature. (Hmmm .... I am curious about this and plan to meet with Todd over coffee.) Other sessions dealt with media relations (ie: how to get the word out about the MG Program), technology, hybrid programs, resolving conflict, and grant writing. Did you know that by 2011 there will be more people over the age of 65 than in K-12 education? "Changing Faces, Changing Places: MN Populations in Transition" was a great session with state demographer Tom Gillapsy, and UMN research fellow in Community Vitality Ben Winchester.  Amazing. Our population is aging, but people are working longer and later into their lives. Having trouble logging in to the Master Gardener website? As you enter your hours for 2009, be sure that you have the correct web address. Last January, our web address for reporting hours changed slightly. The new address is: https://webapps.cfans.umn.edu/eventreg/. Be sure to update your bookmark list or Favorites list on your internet browser for fast future access. Reminder: 2009 hours due by Dec. 31 2009 Please enter your 2009 hours online by Dec. 31, 2009 (or earlier). Hours not entered by this date will not be counted toward your volunteer or continuing education hours. Your hours help measure the impact of our program and provide the number of contacts Extension has reached during the year through the Master Gardener Program. By entering hour on time, you are helping us help Extension to measure its effectiveness and subsequently justify to local governments and the federal government why they should continue to support the program.  So it's really important that your reporting be accurate and up to date. If you are having trouble entering hours or don't have access to a computer, contact your local program coordinator, volunteer coordinator or a fellow Master Gardener for help. Please do not contact the state staff to enter your hours. Watch this site for a video + handout to also help you with this task. Thank you to everyone for working on this! Need some volunteer hours for 2009? Teach at the Boy Scout Retreat at the Arboretum - Nov. 7 2009 We still need five more Master Gardeners to help boy scouts get started on their Plant Science and Gardening merit badges. All Master Gardeners welcome (not just metro area). Sign up is online .... click here.  Click a Boy Scouts of America for details. Annual Gypsy Moth Review to be held in Minneapolis - Oct. 27-29 2009 - Mpls, MN The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the National Gypsy Moth Management Board invite you to attend and participate in the/ /2009 Annual Gypsy Moth Review/ /meeting to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday, October 27 through Thursday, October 29, 2009.  The Program Committee has lined up a variety of knowledgeable speakers to talk about gypsy moth, program management, and other invasive forest insects.  For more information see the  Conference website http://www.uky.edu/Ag/NurseryInspection/agmr/agmr2009.htm.