CENTRAL RAPPAHANNOCK

Mike Holmes
  • Held annual awards night on January 21
  • Have 53 new interns of which 30 received MG certification
  • 2 Junior MGs earned their first year certificate and 3 earned their 2nd year certificates from Texas A&M
  • New logo and new slogan -

"WE DIG, WE PLANT, WE LEARN, WE GROW"

CHESAPEAKE

Pauline Price
  • New class will meet January 28 - April 15
  • Lunch and Learn Series continues at the Central Library and has been requested at other libraries
  • Actively pursuing the Green Thumb project - a regional effort to educate more citizens in the Hampton roads area
  • Gearing up for the spring Seedling project -formerly Ready Set Grow- for 1st graders

FAIRFAX

George Graine
  • Ready Set Grow, which hopes to reach more than 50 and possibly 66 4th graders will be starting soon
  • Expect 2 Wildlife Habitats built by mentally or physically handicapped children to be approved by the National Wildlife Federation in March. A Wild Seed Fund Grant of $250 was received to support one of the habitats.
  • Will be participating In Prince Williams "Spring Fling" on April 26th
  • The guest speaker for their class reception in April will be Holly Shimizu, Director, United States Botanical Garden.

FAUQUIER

Jim Scibek
  • 24 interns in new class
  • VCE office secretary retired but was hired back part time using local dollars

GLOUCESTER

Sherry Ratcliffe
  • Planning a booth for Gloucester Annual Daffodil Festival April 5
  • Also will be leading tours at Brent and Becky's Daffodil farm
  • Will continue Ready-Set-Grow program
  • Will be assisting in the landscaping of the Thompson Home
  • Working on getting more of their books published

HANOVER

Cheri Haggerty
  • Have 58 interns in new class; ages span 5 decades
  • Spring Plant Sale, April 12
  • Conducted a workshop for volunteers wishing to work in VCE office; 12 attendees
  • Hired Colleen Calderwood as Part time agent; (locally funded position)
  • Will be assisting at the Maymont Flower Show late February

JAMES CITY COUNTY

WILLIAMSBURG

Dale Firestone

  • 17 interns received their certification at graduation; 30 new trainees
  • Jack Roscoe, rose expert, will conduct a rose seminar at their general meeting on March 6 (open to the public)
  • Will participate in "Extension Showcase" May 6th
  • Will participate in "JCC Neighborhood Connection" on March 1 with presentations on "Turf Love", Herbs in Therapeutic Gardening and the Enviroscape model presentation unit
  • Trainee class went on a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg Nursery
  • Also, have a part time agent position open.

MATTHEWS

Joanna Brown
  • Winter Lecture Series with seminars on Pruning Fruit Trees (1/18/03), Great New Bloomers -Iris, Daylilies and Azaleas (2/27/2003) and Drought Tolerant Plants 3/26/2003
  • Also participating as educators in the Mosquito Control Project in Matthews County

NORTHERN NECK

Pat Rogers
  • 19 trainees finished their Fall class
  • Have made numerous presentations from their Speakers Bureau
  • Planning plant clinics and Farmers Markets

PRINCE GEORGE

Cheryl Sebera
  • Pruning clinic on March 1
  • Lost another agent

PRINCE WILLIAM

Pat Reilly
  • Have delivered 5 classes since last report; attended by 86 citizens
  • Stewards class continues to work through the Extension Programming Process; currently 10 hours spent on the process with about 2-3 more planning sessions away from starting technical training

ROCKBRIDGE AREA

Chuck Norrington
  • 19 trainees
  • Preparing for "Massive Master Gardener Plant Sale May 3
  • Educational project efforts have begun in 3 middle schools, 4 elementary school an 1 high school
  • "Grow Line" resumes April1

SOUTHSIDE (HALIFAX)

Bill McCaleb
  • 15 interns in new class
  • Have created PowerPoint presentations for Soil & Fertilizer and Plant Botany

SUFFOLK

Betty Freedman
  • 23 interns in new class
  • Plant Hotline 5 days a week
  • Continuing work on their Learning Garden

YORK

Jackie Lohr
  • In the midst of pruning clinics
  • Horticultural Extravaganza March 1
  • " Mondays in March" teaching students ages 10 and up to do lawn mowing safely, correctly and profitably
  • Peninsula Tree Stewards (in cooperation with James City County) have finished the second county property inventory

VIRGINIA BEACH

Paul Campbell
  • New class has 25 energetic interns and 5 city employees; first Spring training class
  • Treemendous Saturday is April 5; at Central Library consisting of children's programs, demonstrations, tree giveaway and static displays